Even though the ratings of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” have fallen since its premiere in 2007, the stars of the show continue to have as much of a hold on our imaginations as ever.
The reality series focuses on sisters Khloé, Kourtney and Kim Kardashian, along with Kendall and Kylie Jenner and parents Kris and Caitlyn Jenner. It receives poor reviews, boasting only 2.8 out of 10 stars on IMDb, but enjoys worldwide attention from fans. On Jan. 24, 1.2 million people tuned in to catch the weekly antics of the famous family.
Some Tech students see the “Kardashians” as promoting already famous celebrities, while others recognize the family’s success as a driving factor.
Official “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” photo provided by E!
Justin Saucedo, a senior mechanical engineering major at Tech, said the family is famous for essentially no reason, and do not offer anything valuable to American culture.
“They don’t have talents,” Saucedo said. “They can’t sing, they can’t dance, they can’t act. They just hang out. That’s what their show pretty much consists of.”
The family’s numerous magazine covers and appearances make them seem admirable, Saucedo, but do not make them role models.
“A role model is someone you strive to be like, someone who you want to achieve a level of greatness that they have achieved,” Saucedo said.
That the family is successful is undeniable. The top 10 most Googled people of 2015 included Lamar Odom and Caitlyn Jenner, two members of the Kardashian/Jenner clan.
Kylie and Kendall Jenner made Time’s 30 Most Influential Teens of 2015 list. According to Time, Kylie Jenner is arguably “the most watched teenager in the world.” She has an audience of 60 million people across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and her app.
Last year, many tried the Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge, but Kylie Jenner told Time that becoming a trendsetter was not her goal: “Everything I do, I always start these new trends. I just want to inspire my fans to be whoever they want to be, because that’s what I’ve always done.”
Kendall Jenner made the list for not only her fashion runway struts, but also getting the “most liked photo in Instagram history,” Time reported. Kendall Jenner positioned her hair in heart shapes in a picture, which has gotten 3.1 million double taps. This smashed a record, 2.4 million, set by her sister, Kim Kardashian.
“If you go look, almost every single time she [Kendall] gets over a million likes every single time on all of her pictures,” said Emily Hamilton, a senior journalism major.
Oscar Vielma, a sophomore business major at Tech, thinks the famous teens have both positive and negative influences. They do not always make the best decisions, he said, but they are business-savvy.
“Kylie’s working on her makeup line,” Vielma said. “Kendall’s a supermodel all over the world. So they do have their stuff together, I guess you could say, as opposed to other people who are also in that industry and don’t do as much as them.”
Vielma said he looks up to the family because of their success. For example, Kim Kardashian made $52.5 million last year, making her the 33rd highest paid celebrity in the world.
“I personally love the Kardashians because I kind of get to live vicariously through them,” Vielma said. “Seeing how much money they have and stuff makes me want to have it also.”
Vielma thinks they are successful because of loyal fans like himself.
Oscar Vielma with his phone case showcasing the infamous Kim Kardashian cry face.
“They can literally slap their name on anything and we’ll go buy it,” he said.
Vielma’s favorite members of the family are Khloé Kardashian and Kylie Jenner.
“Khloés a bad bitch,” Vielma said. “She says what she wants, when she wants. She has a very good heart, but doesn’t take BS from anybody.”
He obsesses over the youngest of the bunch, Kylie Jenner, because they are around the same age. He also loves her interesting clothing and makeup choices.
Even though Vielma sees the Kardashians as slightly overrated, he still views them as role models because many people, not only die-hard fans, mimic what they do.
“Contouring was something that wasn’t really out yet until they started showing how they did their makeup,” Vielma said. “And now a girl can’t go out without contouring. Like if you don’t contour, what is wrong with you, basically.”
He said maintaining their brand has prolonged their entertainment career. Just when people think they are done in the business, they create something new, like Khloé Kardashians’s new talk show, “Kocktails with Khloé.”
Hamilton said the Kardashians are ridiculous to watch, which only encourages audiences to stay tuned.
“People love trash TV,” Hamilton said. “I don’t understand why people are so addicted to them.”
To all haters, Vielma has this message: “Just because someone doesn’t like the Kardashians doesn’t mean they are bad people, but [you] can continue talking sh*t and being poor.”
About Natalie Morales
