In my final article, I propose to explore Neal Gabler's argument that "celebrity culture is beneficial ” using the reality series, Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Keeping Up with the Kardashians is a reality show that follows the lives of Kourtney, Kim and Khloe Kardashian; which mainly focuses on Kardashian's struggles, family and business. I will critique episode 9 of season 6 of the show – “Talk to My Agent.” I will also find reality TV to be healthy to watch and suggest that we educate ourselves by carefully reading Neal Gabler's argument. I will also further explore the community's fandom perspective regarding viewers of the show and their clothing line, Kardashian Kollection, as well as Kim Kardashian's solo business ShoeDazzle. However, the reality show offers fans extra-aesthetic entertainment satisfaction. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay I could argue that the reality television series educates its viewers on the importance of family. The Kardashian Klan strongly supports each other when times are tough and places an emphasis on spending time with siblings. For example, in Season 6 Episode 9 "Talk to My Agent," where mother Kris Jenner was taking on too much responsibility at work, her daughters forced her to take a break and spend time with her family. Kris later admits that family is important and that he will do it more often. In his article “Celebrity Culture Is Beneficial,” Neal Gabler states: “Like all good art, the best of them (celebrities) resonate with us because they provide us with life lessons or because they capture the cultural moment or because they give us a glimpse of transcendence or because they stimulate the imagination” (Gabler 33). The Kardashian Klan proves that Gabler's words are credible based on the previous example. What interests me most about Keeping Up with the Kardashians (and why I chose to focus on them in this article) is the adulation they receive from so many. I may find that their fan base is what keeps them going. In her book Keeping Up the Kardashian Brand: Celebrity, Materialism, and Sexuality, Amanda Scheiner McClain reports that “Keeping Up with the Kardashians is the highest-rated series ever on E! cable network; its fifth season debuted with over 4.5 million viewers and concluded with 4.7 million viewers tuning in for the season finale, a record for E!” (McClain 9). The show's demographic consists of women between the ages of 18 and 49, as mentioned in McClain's book. He also found that the reason the show works so well is because “The audience enjoys aspirational intimacy” (McClain 10), in other words fans and viewers have a desire to exist or be part of the Kardashian Klan. McClain also shares fan feedback; “…they are fun to watch and the family is relatable” (McClain 10). Relatability is a plus for many reality shows. Suffice it to say, the success of Keeping Up with the Kardashians led to the success of the Kardashian clothing line, Kardashian Kollection, as well as Kim's solo investment, ShoeDazzle. The sisters originally ran DASH boutiques, their very first business, in locations such as Calabasas (home of the first DASH boutique), New York, Miami and LA. In episode 9 of season 6, it's the first time Dash Doll viewers are introduced to the idea of Sears investing in having the KardashianKollection in their department store. The spin-off turned out to be a success. Along with growing fame and empire, the Kardashian Kollection caught the attention of Lipsy of the United Kingdom. At the launch of their clothing line, 50,000 visitors purchased their glamorous pieces and "within 24 hours of the long-awaited collection going on sale, many pieces were completely sold out" (HELLO!fashion 1). Aside from her sister's success as such, KimKardashian co-founded ShoeDazzle in 2009, now worth $280 million. All Kardashian product lines offer affordable prices (Skrhak 2). I might point out that the Kardashians' successes are a celebrity cultural benefit to the Kardashians themselves as it turns out to be a fringe benefit along the lines of their fans. It seems that watching reality TV is more beneficial than you think. In his article "Watching Your TV Diet", David Roberts shares Ms. Langcaster-James' research. Ms Langcaster-James, a social psychology researcher, has found that reality TV is a healthy genre and should be part of the TV diet. Roberts quotes, “According to Mrs. Langcaster-James, I should work for more than two and a half hours” (Roberts 2). Ms Langcaster-James has found that watching reality TV is beneficial... as it provides a good 'talkability' factor, improving social interaction. I might suggest that watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians positively affects the social interaction of its viewers. I might also point out that the reason is that viewers can relate to reality rather than a written life. On Keeping Up with the Kardashians, the Kardashians face and overcome real-life obstacles and problems, such as Kim's shyness in public speaking in episode 9 of season 6. To overcome her fear she danced publicly in a restaurant and told herself "sometimes you just have to do it." let go to know what you are truly capable of. His actions seem to indicate that spectators can also achieve the same social interaction. It is possible that he will find that people will consider reality television harmful and will not agree with it at all. “Is reality television messing with your head?” from Scholastic Choices discusses the impact of reality television on teenagers. Scholastic Choices Questions: “How realistic are these so-called reality shows? The production process begins the same way as most shows and movies: auditioning aspiring stars” (Scholastic Choices, 12). Maybe I will argue that some reality stars are offered to be reality stars. I'm likely to suggest that cameras be on 24/7 for reality shows, so the stars can't act. In Keeping Up the Kardashian Brand: Celebrity, Materialism, and Sexuality, McClain quotes Kourtney Kardashian as describing their filming schedule as “eighteen hours a day, six or seven days a week” (McClain 9). Eighteen hours a day gives the Kardashian Klan only 6 hours a day to sleep. I might also explore the possibility that having cameras everywhere makes reality stars more inclined to be themselves since memories are recorded through pictures and videos now days. I think a case can be made that Keeping Up with the Kardashians is a wholesome reality television series. to watch and celebrity culture is beneficial. No matter the absurd and unavoidable problems the Kardashians seem to have, they always have moral support, from their family and fans, as other reality stars do. Annotated bibliography Gabler, Neil. “Celebrity culture is beneficial.” In his article Gabler defends the term celebrity culture, calling it beneficial. Talk about why celebrity culture is not a"..
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