By Ally Horine | Echo
I am so tired of hearing about Kim Kardashian. Whether she's on the actual news or on my newsfeed, I can't get away from her.
So I have to ask, what's the obsession?
I get that we all love a train wreck-there's a reason I watch The Bachelor every year. Yet at the end of The Bachelor season, we forget the names and the crazies go back into hiding. Kim, however, won't leave. Or perhaps we won't let her.
If you examine Kimmy K's rise to fame, you will realize she has done nothing noteworthy. After Ray J released a, shall we say, risque tape of her, she rocketed to instant celebrity status, and The E! network offered her family a reality television show.
Of course, having Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner as a stepfather didn't hurt the popularity of the show. Now in its tenth season, this show has garnered much fame and notoriety for Kim. She's released five fragrances and scored numerous endorsement deals, including a recent agreement with T-mobile where she starred in a Super Bowl ad. According to Forbes Magazine, Kim earned an estimated $28 million in 2013.
So the question is, America: Why are we buying into her image?
From 2013 to 2014, Kim pocketed more money from public appearances (e.g. attending club openings and events) than she did from her television show. Clearly people value her opinion. And in 2014, she was named TIME's second most influential fictional character, falling just behind Elsa from Frozen. I was really hoping TIME magazine was taking a jab at Kimmy K, but upon further review, I found they were paying homage to her character on her mobile app, where she gives fashion advice and walks the red carpet.
Seriously?
Not only does this scare me for the future of America, it is terrifying to think about what this means for the future of women in this country. I hate to think of hundreds of tutu-wearing girls singing "Let it Go" turning into teenagers who idolize Kim.
It's time to let her go.
Let's stop idolizing frivolous celebrities, and start shining the spotlight on celebrities who are actually contributing to society. Take Emma Watson, an extremely talented actress and graduate from Brown University. In 2014, she was appointed as the U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador. In that year she delivered an address to launch the U.N. women campaign HeForShe, calling men to advocate for global gender equality. She also gave an address in Uruguay highlighting the need for women's participation in politics last year
According to gossip website Radar, Kim's political participation involves supporting Barack Obama during the 2012. Her activism includes this statement, "He just seemed very firm about the change, and that's, like, his motto."
Along with displaying ignorance, Kimmy K is undoing the ideal of gender equality in society that Watson and the U.N. are working so hard to build. This fall she posed nude for the front cover of Paper Magazine with the hashtag #BreakTheInternet. She aimed to generate enough buzz about a naked picture of her to "break the Internet. Kim, this is impossible.
Not only does she allow herself to be objectified by millions of people, but she enjoys it. There is no respect for self, women or her daughter North, who will someday see her mother baring all on a magazine cover.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is who we are giving headlines and millions of dollars to. Let's fill our lives with better role models and strive better conversations. Instead of keeping up with the Kardashians, let's keep up with global issues that matter.
