THE KARDASHIAN FAMILY: REALITY TV AND THEIR EMPIRE

Keeping Up With The Kardashians has been a popular reality TV show since it first aired in 2007. The famous family, notorious for their sister Kim Kardashian West, started an empire from their TV show by marketing themselves all into millionaires. Keeping up with the Kardashians has built an ever-lasting fandom with an average of 4.8 million viewers. The show itself is not the only thing that contributes to the Kardashians’ fame. The family members, Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, Kendall, Kris, and Kylie, have all built businesses aside from their show; their other projects, along with all the drama and affluence, keeps the show interesting. A reality TV show is very different from a regular show since viewers watch people’s real lives, not actors. 

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The Kardashian-Jenner sisters connect to their fans by being very active on social media, specifically Instagram. On the app, Kim has 189 million followers; Kendall has 140 million, Kourtney has 102 million, Kylie has 196 million, and Khloe has 122 million. Millions of people keep up with the Kardashians’ daily activities. Their businesses are also very successful and contribute to their millions. Kim has a clothing line, fragrance line, and makeup line. In the early 2000s, she ran a clothing store known as “Dash” with her two sisters Khloe and Kourtney. Kourtney has a lifestyle website known as “Poosh” and a fragrance collaboration with Kim and Khloe. Khloe has a popular clothing line called “Good American” that is very well known for its size inclusivity. Kendall, who is the highest-paid female model worldwide, also had a clothing line with her sister Kylie. Kylie has Kylie Skin, a skincare line, Kylie Cosmetics, an incredibly successful makeup brand, and has created a clothing line. The whole family is in high demand for brand advertisements, modeling, and magazines. All of the sisters’ companies are incredibly successful, and some are even multi-million dollar companies. Many of the sisters have collaborated with their fragrance, clothing, and makeup companies.  For example, Kim and Kylie often collaborate to create joint makeup lines. The more business endeavors these sisters partake in, the richer and more popular they become. Even if you do not watch the show, you know who the Kardashians are.  Everyone does.

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Another aspect of the show features their extended families. The majority of the Kardashian sisters have children, and their partners are celebrities (of course). Kourtney, who has three kids with Scott Disick, is the only one of the sisters who isn’t dating a celebrity. Disick is a well-known real estate agent who gained fame from his role on the show Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Kourtney and Scott started dating in 2006 and were together till 2015. During this time, they had three kids: Mason, Penelope, and Reign. Khloe, who was previously married to NBA player Lamar Odam, has a daughter True with NBA player Tristian Thompson. Kim, who is married to singer and designer Kanye West, has four children: North, Chicago, Psalm, and Saint. Kylie has a daughter Stormie with rapper Travis Scott. Robert, their brother who is not generally on the show, has a daughter named Dream. The Kardashians’ adorable children draw more people to watch the show, as the audience becomes invested in following the lives of the sisters and the children’s lives.

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Numerous people dislike the Kardashian family and their lifestyle. The family lives a very luxurious existence--with that many successful companies, how can you not? Whether you support them or not, they are prosperous businesswomen. Kris Jenner, the mother of all the children, gave birth to five girls with nothing to their name and marketed them into multi-millionaires and even almost billionaires. Countless people look at them as shallow, money-obsessed stars, but there is much more to them. Aside from currently studying to become a lawyer, Kim has advocated in the White House numerous times. In February, Kim visited the White House with women who had been convicted of minor crimes and were sentenced to unfair time in jail, and she spoke with the President and other important figures. Kim has done many great things, despite what people would expect. However, that doesn't mean she is perfect. In May of 2018, Kim advertised a lollipop that supposedly suppresses hunger to prevent eating a lot. This advertisement was extremely toxic and harmful since it encouraged unhealthy eating patterns. She ended up taking down the advertisement, but Kim has a huge influence on people of all ages, and when she advertises a damaging product, people listen to her and buy it. This is not the first encounter the Kardashian sisters have had with advertisements for unhealthy products; the sisters have advertised pills, lollipops, and waist-trainers to name a few. They are obviously not perfect, but because their fanbase looks up to them and purchases items they recommend, the sisters should be especially careful with what they post and promote.

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The Kardashians announced that Keeping Up the Kardashians is set to air its last season in 2021. After 14 years and 20 seasons, the show's end is truly an end of an era. The announcement, made by the sisters on Instagram, left many people devastated and heartbroken. The attachment people have made with the Kardashians during the past 14 years is powerful and hard to break. Even with the show ending, these girls will not lose fame or stardom due to their other endeavors. Their extended businesses will allow them to keep the numerous people supporting them.