VIDEO: WE HATE TO ADMIT IT BUT THE KARDASHIANS ARE KILLING IT!
As much as we roll our eyes when we hear the name "Kardashian" or "Jenner", they are among the top 10 most popular celebrities. Whether you love them or love to hate them, you will inevitably stumble across their names at some point in the week. They are in the news, on the front cover of magazines, YouTube and TV, you literally cannot escape them but as much as we try to ignore it, there is a lesson to be learned from the Kardashian clan.
Hear us out, not every part of their lives are inspiring but Kim Kardashian started out as Paris Hilton's assistant. No one knew her name or cared enough to ask. In 2007 her name was on everyone's lips after a sex tape that was recorded in 2003 was leaked of Kim and her boyfriend, Ray J. Instead of letting it define her reputation in a negative way and hiding away from the attention, the Kardashians and Jenner shaped the attention into a million dollar series on E! entertainment called Keeping Up With The Kardashians.
Although Kim did file a lawsuit against Vivid Entertainment, who distributed the film as Kim K Superstar. She later dropped the suit and settled for a reported $5 million. Kim was even featured in a number of tv shows like Dancing With the Stars and even the disaster film spoof Disaster Movie. Could the Kardashians – dare I even say it – inspire people to make a success out of their obstacles?
After many seasons of the drama-filled Keeping Up With the Kardashians, we saw that Bruce (now Kaitlyn) and Kris Jenner were struggling with their marriage. While they decided to get a divorce they persevered through the tough process and learned to be civil in the interest of their family. Not to mention Khloe and Kourtney's messy, highly publicized divorces despite Kourtney and Scott Disick having a child together, from which they learned to co-parent for their child's sake. Let's not forget the never-ending stream of controversy that Kim has to deal with by being married to Kanye West. Yet, she always seems to stand up for him and stay by his side.
The family only have Kris to thank, being their mom-ager through it all, she is the epitome of good brand management and paved the way for the family's success. Kris Jenner also taught the world that ANYTHING can be turned into a business if you work hard enough! The Kardashians capitalized social media very quickly and gained a large following of fans, frequently interacting with them on a daily basis.
With the billions resting behind the Kardashian brand, it would be all too easy for Kim's siblings to rely on their family's money but each sister went on to pursue their own careers. Khloe Kardashian started her own fitness empire after focusing on her own health but still decided to challenge the beauty industry by releasing a clothing brand called Good American, a denim line that runs sizes from 0 to 24. The Kardashian family seem to have an incredible knack for timing things perfectly as society moves towards accepting different standards.
Kylie Jenner leveraged off the family's fame to launch her highly successful makeup empire and is soon to be the youngest billionaire after appearing on the front cover of Forbes. Kylie was not shy of using her fame to sell her product and didn't have to pay a dime for advertisements! Kylie said, “Social media is the only way I push it.” Using Snapchat and Instagram, Jenner has turned her makeup line into a multimillion-dollar venture.
While the corporate world and front pages of Forbes magazines are still largely dominated by men, the Kardashians are one of the few faces of female-led empires and an example of female power. The Kardashians frequently dominate the news and hold the power of changing and controlling how they are viewed and perceived by literally being paid to just be themselves in front of the camera and on social media. They can literally choose which persona they want to portray and instead of allowing the media to take control, they are always the first to break the news of their goings and comings, nurturing and releasing the dialogue they wish to be heard.
While there is absolutely no doubt that the Kardashians are not all awe-inspiring and often promote questionable behaviour and unrealistic beauty standards, there is a lesson to be learned from their story. If we look at how far they have come, we have to admit, they did a pretty damn good job!