When it comes to Keeping up with the Kardashians, there are many people, George Hook included, who would conclude that a multi-million dollar empire built around the vapid emptiness of a reality TV show is a sign of the end of days. That a family of talentless women best-known for leveraging their privacy for fame and fortune is an example of western culture’s inimitable decline.
To that, an obvious response rings clear: if having no talent can amass such a fortune, why aren’t we all millionaires?
There are millions of people, all across the globe, completely and utterly enamoured with this family of special Ks. Truly, shamelessly, unironically in love with the flat monotone talking heads delivered truly, shamelessly, unironically to the camera.
For those unfamiliar with the Kardashian-Jenners, a family of women defined by hard Ks and soft lighting, it’s easy to spiral into a rage-fuelled fury when flicking through the channels and catching a glimpse of a group of people with no discernible talent achieving such fathomless wealth and global fame.
But for every hater, there is a phalanx of fans scrolling through Tweets, favouriting Instagrams, and making in-app purchases on a game in which the first task you must complete as the ‘Chic Boutique’ shop assistant is give Kim a free dress. The family that preys together, stays together, and there’s no shortage of people waiting to buy into the brand.
On Monday, Caitlyn Jenner, previously known as Bruce (the redundant patriarch in a family of self-possessed women), revealed herself to the world on the cover of Vanity Fair, amassing more than one millions Twitter followers in four hours, and creating more op-eds and think pieces than drowning migrants or irrefutable climatic catastrophe. And all week long, the Kardashians have shown themselves to be fiercely loyal and loving. They are, to every young person grappling with doubts about their sexuality and gender identity, a prime example of what it’s like to embrace each other when a revelation shakes things up.
When you pull back the cameras and tabloid-baiting appearances, the Kardashian clan is a family. Close-knit, racially-diverse, and messy, living out very private moments in a very public way.
American tabloid In Touch ran a cover with a photoshopped Bruce Jenner in January 2015 [Pixabay]
Most of us shy away from airing our dirty laundry in public, but then it isn’t very often that our dirty laundry is a cream satin bodice shot by Annie Leibovitz. But just because the particulars of Caitlyn Jenner’s unveiling might seem unrelatable, a shift in family dynamics is a given in the modern world. Every family knows a moment where secrets and lies, lived out as truths for decades, come clanging into the light. Such a moment can be traumatic, leaving everyone wondering whether things will ever be the same again, and failing that, if things will ever even be okay again.
That scratching fear, endured by Caitlyn Jenner for years, was a major part of Bruce’s life.
"Those are the only ones I'm concerned with ... I can't let myself hurt them," She said in an interview on US TV in April: "How do I do this? How do I do this and not hurt my children?"
But in the hyper exposed world of life as a member of one of America's most famous families, it is the visibility of Caitlyn’s transition that matters. As the best-known transgender woman in the world, her family has – in the public eye – entirely rallied behind her and made it abundantly clear that they embrace her.
be free now pretty bird.
— Kendall Jenner (@KendallJenner) June 1, 2015
Caitlyn Jenner for Vanity Fair 📷 Annie Leibovitz! How beautiful! Be happy, be proud, live life YOUR way! pic.twitter.com/39fryBwUqE
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) June 1, 2015
We were given this life because you were strong enough to live it! I couldn't be prouder!!! Caitlyn,… https://t.co/Ho5O6swM0V
— Khloé (@khloekardashian) June 1, 2015
And while it is easy to brush off a few tweets as a meaningless expression of acceptance, bear in mind that those words of encouragement were seen by millions and millions of people around the world. By an engaged audience taking in every moment and disseminating it around a society that usually feels too awkward to address head on such a revelation.
Whether or not you appreciate the value of the Kardashian Jenners to the world of pop culture is irrelevant; having signed away another four years of their lives to the E! channel for €90m, their place in the pantheon of celebrity is ensured for the remainder of this decade. Caitlyn, too, is getting her own eight-part series, debuting next month with I am Cait. It looks set to be the biggest reality TV show since the last one she starred on, presenting a new normal to millions of people around the world in an entirely surreal way.
And if, in doing so, the Kardashians and the Jenners prove to be a source of good and positive change in the world, don't begrudge them. Just change the channel.
Pop Idle is a new weekly blog and segment produced for The Right Hook, in which James Dempsey tries to bring George up to speed with the murky world of modern pop culture. Tune in at 6.20pm every Friday, or listen back to the podcast here.
