Essay: Analyzing the Ideological Themes of ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’

Keeping up with the Kardashians is a well-known American reality-tv show that airs on The E! network. The show focuses on the personal and professional struggles of the Kardashian-Jenner family. The series started in October 14, 2007, and is the longest running reality tv series in the United States. The show centers around Kim, Khloé and Kourtney, their half-sisters Kendall and Kylie, and their parents Kris and Caitlyn who had been previously been known as Bruce Jenner. Through their television show,, the Kardashians have been able to develop a cult of personality. The Ideological themes of Keeping Up With the Kardashians can be analyzed and critiqued in order to see how one family has gained tremendous success through the media; specifically reality TV.
Keeping Up With the Kardashians was initially intended to direct attention to the family’s clothing store “Dash”; audiences were entertained by the quirkiness of the everyday life of the Kardashian clan. According to The Insider, Kris used the show as a means to drive customers to the family’s store. Since the beginning of the show the store has expanded to several locations; lots of money has been made and several successful brands have been advertised inside the store.
Since its premiere, Keeping Up with the Kardashians has received very bad critical reviews. The Kardashians are often referred to as “famous for being famous “, which means that they are people that have taken on a celebrity status for no particular reason; They generate their fame through their media influence. Their faux celebrity status doesn’t stop people from watching their show however. Keeping Up With the Kardashians has become the “guilty pleasure” of those seeking entertainment from the drama of others . Even though there is much criticism about the show, it still has a very high audience rating. In 2018 the show won multiple audience awards which included the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Reality Show and MTV Movie and TV Award for Best Reality Series/ Franchise.
The Kardashians are saturated on television for multiple reasons. Not only is it a place where we can see break-ups to love stories, but it is also a place where we can see what fame and money does to people. This ranges from being a porn star to becoming one of the most-searched celebs.
The media is pervasive with hegemonic ideas of what it means to live a life of extravagance. This reality-tv show is selling its consumers nothing but lies; lies about houses, money, status and relationships. In every episode there is a twist. We start off knowing about a simple issue which escalates into two siblings fighting and using uncultured words to refer to each other. Many young teens watch and they see how siblings are supposed to act. Some youngsters become influenced by the example put forth by the Kardashians whose show uses scripts and rehearsed dialogue . So, not only is this “reality” show fake but it has a negative effect on the younger generations of fans.
Some of the ideas mentioned or brought up do not make sense to the average viewer. It is often seen with Khloe that being fat is bad and that being unhealthy is bad. In every episode we see all the sisters working out, eating healthy, and showing off their “good physique”. Consumers get messages like “ being thinner will make you a better person” and showing us that self-improvement is important and every day is possible only if you want it enough. However, the producers of the show put these messages out there but don’t realize that some people do not have the means to live that type of life. Rather than showing us unrealistic content, the show should put forth more ideas along the lines of “you can live a healthy lifestyle anywhere you are”, “you could eat healthy even on a budget” and finally, “becoming healthy takes time and commitment that some people may not have. “
Another critique is the way the Kardashians dress in their show. If you do not own the latest Yeezy shoe then you do not fit into their society. Or, for instance, sharing photos of the clothes closet that 20 people could survive from. Ideas like these that may motivate some but also bring many down are not taken into account. There is no realization whatsoever that some people do not have the means to live a luxurious life, and sometimes the audience may not be interested in a presentation of average life.
Some of the messages embedded in the show are shown in certain formats that may not be presented to audiences in a tasteful way. For instance, always getting close-ups of tight clothing, content that is often referred to as porn, or camera angles that emphasize their wealth and status. Always zooming out to show more of the house, or if a scene is shot in the closet zooming out to get the whole closet. There is no care at all to those watching the show. It has become a presentation of excess.
Even though the Kardashians are presented as business women in the show, we rarely see them working. They are always on the phone, but never actually in an office doing an orthodox job. The only person we actually see in an office doing work is Kris Jenner since she manages her daughter Kendall’s modeling business. Apart from that, the sisters are shown fighting or doing a photoshoot or showing off their physique some way or another. Much of the time they are advertising for certain brands like Fiji water which is often seen around the set. Other brands are advertised on the show which include Adidas and Bloomingdales. A few restaurants in the area are sponsored as well. That’s why we will only see them wearing certain clothes, eating certain food or even shopping from certain places. It is all part of a well thought out marketing plan in which the viewer is the customer.
The show has helped E! into becoming a success. It initially targeted audiences ages 18-34, but over the years we have seen a shift in the age group. In the first couple of months the show was watched by about 1.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. Lisa Berger, executive vice president of original programming and series development for E!, said “The buzz surrounding the series is huge, and viewers have clearly fallen for the Kardashians. Seacrest and Bunim-Murray’s unique ability to capture this family’s one-of-a-kind dynamics and hilarious antics has made the series a fantastic addition to our prime-time lineup.” Kim Kardashian said in an Interview with V Magazine that the show is successful because people tune in to watch the series because they can relate themselves to the members of the family. “You can see that soap operas aren’t on the air as much anymore. I think reality shows are taking over that genre, but I think the draw to our show is that we are relatable.”
Is the show really relatable? Or is it just another scam to get people to keep buying into our consumerist social order? This is not reality tv, it is more like TV reality. The show has outgrown its original purpose which was to advertise the family business and obtain a wider market but it seems to be only be feeding into the Kardashian “empire”.
Keeping Up With the Kardashians has became a negative entity because it is all about money and power. Even though it is considered a guilty pleasure to many, it still has negative effects on the youth of the our nation and furthermore the entire planet. Due to many people who watch keeping up with the Kardashians not being well educated, they end up being very buying into all the fake information being said on the show. As long as there is an audience and ratings the show will continue to be produced. When there are good ratings, companies want to sponsor there products to get a higher revenue of the product. Which means that everyone benefits with more money.
The ideological themes of Keeping Up With the Kardashians include a social order based on vanity, excess, and greed. The show can be analyzed and critiqued in order to have a better understanding as to why audiences cant keep their eyes off of the Kardashians. The truth is that it is the dream of most people to be wealthy with a large and beautiful family. The show attempts to personify this ideal life but ultimately exemplifies what it is like to live a lifestyle based upon the cardinal sins. The everyday person can make the Kardashian empire fall simply by turning off the television and going about their life unbothered.