Kim Kardashian Must Have a Supernatural Ability
Kim Kardashian has worked like no other celebrity before her to cultivate cultural relevance, decade after decade. Whatever trend is at its peak, she is certain to suddenly pop up, so it is known that she participated. It’s a characteristic that even kicked off her career, when, following in her friend Paris Hilton‘s footsteps, Kim initiated her reality TV career with a Sєx tape scandal. This was during peak years in the early aughts, when the release of this kind of footage on the internet, with or without the subject’s knowledge, was a sweeping trend throughout pop-culture circles.
Looking back at her career, there is an uncanny sense that Kim must have some kind of supernatural ability to pull off everything she does. From her almost-humble days as a closet organizer and heiress side-kick, to her meteoric rise as a global superstar, Kim seems to possess the ability to extract as much knowledge and influence as possible from every social encounter. As her social influence has grown, so has her opportunity to surround herself with cultural touchstones in order to absorb their power. From wearing Marilyn Monroe‘s original ɴuᴅᴇ-illusion dress on the Met Gala carpet, to purchasing the Chanel Barbie necklace, to working with A-list Hollywood celebrities, and surrounding herself with cultural icons, Kim can’t seem to help but insert herself into whatever in pop-culture is relevant.
A psychic vampire is said to feed off the energy of its victims, but is Kim K a cultural vampire? From her time with Paris and Kanye, she absorbed an unstoppable atтιтude and earned a foothold in fashion. From there, she learned to surround herself with the best of the best, as seen in her evolving high-end taste for luxury. In Kim’s legal studies she has been fortunate enough to surround herself with an intellectual community that she can consult and seek counsel from. Now with her acting career, Kim is landing one contract after the next with some of Hollywood’s biggest names. Her ability to take something iconic and make it her own is paralleled only by her fetishistic need to participate in what everyone is talking about.
Kim and Paris Hilton Were Childhood Friends
Kim and Paris were raised in the same social circles, though they didn’t start out in exactly the same tax bracket. Their friendship goes back to their childhood, and by the early aughts Kim was happily working as Paris’ sometimes-stylist and closet organizer. She also appeared on Paris’ reality TV series with Nicole Richie, The Simple Life, which began airing in 2003. A leaked Sєx tape of Paris was circulated one year after the release of her popular reality series, in 2004.
In March 2007, Kim had her own Sєx tape leak from her time spent with Ray J, the brother of her friend and client, singer Brandy Norwood. In October of that same year, Kim’s reality series with her family, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, started airing before the media hubbub from the tape’s release had died down. Kim’s momager, Kris Jenner, famously acknowledged in the premiere episode of Keeping Up, that as Kim’s mother she was upset, but as her manager, she “knew I had a job to do, and I really just wanted her to move past it.” Move past it, she did. Arguably in part because of the media attention surrounding the tape’s release, plus the scrutiny garnered by nine-year-old Kylie Jenner playing around on a stripper pole in the first episode, Keeping Up was an overnight sensation.
Kim took her understanding of celebrity and scandal, earned through her years spent with Brandy and Paris, and applied it to the easily-conquerable world of reality TV in the early aughts. Her family show launched Kim and her sisters on a trajectory of fame that is unmatched. Once Kim was established as a household name, her cultural cache extended further, and she began to date in social circles that would garnish guaranteed media attention. She took a break from dating rappers and marrying music producers she met through Brandy, to appear on a paparazzi-snapped date with reality star and boy-band alum, Nick Lachey. Kim then switched interests as she suddenly began dating a series of athletes, which culminated in her brief marriage with Kris Humphries, a power-forward for, at the time, the New Jersey Nets. Kim filed for divorce shortly after their wedding, and then was quite suddenly caught up by the courtship of globally renowned musical-artist Kanye West.
Kanye Opened Up the Fashion World to Kim
Kanye was at the height of his musical career in the early aughts. His third studio album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 when it was released in September 2007. In 2011, he was collaborating with rapper and producer Jay-Z, also known as Beyoncé’s husband. And then, suddenly, amid all his success, Kanye began to appear on episodes of Keeping Up as Kim’s smitten “friend.” Apparently, he had been courting Kim for some time, and in 2012 his single “Cold (Theraflu)” referenced her and Humphries’ failed relationship. Kanye also began to improve Kim’s fashion sense, infamously clearing out her closet when they began dating, only to replace everything with custom couture. The music mogul was also responsible for Kim’s first Met Gala experience, introducing her to a world of new icons to emulate. He was also notably critical of her style choices, appearing interested to the point of being controlling, even texting her to criticize outfits he had not approved during their times apart.
Kim and Kanye share four children, and while their marriage didn’t last, Kim certainly took away from it lasting connections in the elite space of high-fashion. Kim has maximized the potential of these connections, and the benefit has had a lasting impact on the entire Kardashian-Jenner clan. Kourtney Kardashian’s Dolce Vita wedding in Italy, Kendall Jenner’s globe-trotting model lifestyle, Milan, Paris, and New York fashion weeks for the whole family, all of this stemmed from Kim’s skyrocketing global renown once she entered and dominated the space of the fashion elite. The family’s regular appearances at the Met Gala each season have become a staple segment of their reality show, and provide voyeuristic fans with a behind-the-scenes look at exactly how much time and effort goes into crafting the custom pieces worn on the runway each year.
Kim Surrounded Herself With Trends
Image via Kim Kardashian’s Instagram.
After Kim and Kanye got together, the reality star started to cultivate an image of luxurious extravagance. Suddenly, the couple were being snapped in Balenciaga stores and runway shows and working with designers like Thierry Mugler. And while Kim’s tastes have leaned increasingly towards custom couture, her finger has never strayed far from the pulse of what is popular.
In the summer of 2023, Beyoncé launched her Renaissance album and tour to rave reviews the world over, and suddenly The Kardashians had Queen B playing in their opening credits. When the Netflix series Bridgerton began trending during its third season, Kim’s company, SKIMS, suddenly had a campaign featuring the series’ leading lady, Nicola Coughlin. This season’s cultural trend is Kim snagging an interview with controversial figure Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who had recently been released from prison for participating in her mother’s murder at the time of filming. All of this instantaneous access to celebrity and notoriety was built on the back of Kim’s hustle over the years, as she prioritized one rule above all others: to stay famous, one has to stay relevant.
Kim’s ability to stay relevant was honed to a fine edge during her years with Paris and Kanye, and by the time she filed for divorce from her husband, Kim had completely immersed herself in the world of high-end fashion, while keeping her foot firmly in the door of what’s popular. As soon as the couple had announced their divorce, Kim was suddenly appearing on Saturday Night Live, driven to prove to her haters that rather than being the girl who was famous for being famous, she had evolved into a woman who could do anything. Her stint on SNL also afforded her the opportunity to not only prove that she had comedic talent, but also that she had moved on from her divorce, kicking off a relationship with super-star comedian, Pete Davidson.
Now Kim Is In Her Lawyer/Actor Era
Her family’s latest reality series, The Kardashians, has become an extension of their social media presence in recent seasons. Every scene is a curated look at things they have already shared online, from red carpet events, to brand promotions, and pH๏τo shoots. She and her sisters are producers now, and therefore control the narrative of the series in every aspect, making it less a reality TV series and a more behind-the-scenes glimpse into certain aspects of their lives, often revolving around business and children.
Kim’s consistent narrative these days is that she is too busy to even sleep with her eyes fully closed. Before Kim extended her realm of influence into acting, she was working towards becoming a lawyer. This was a period when the multi-faceted business owner began to run the narrative that she is too busy to keep up with everything, creating a natural tension in the series over her anxieties about getting it all done. Studying for the baby-bar, even failing the first few attempts, enabled her focus on The Kardashians to remain on business and studying, rather than foregrounding her divorce and personal life. Kim is fortunate enough to take her legal studies at her own pace, consulting with top legal attorneys, and apprenticing with a San Francisco law firm as she focuses on criminal justice reform work.
Now Kim is using her legal savvy to help bolster her acting career. After appearing as a publicist in American Horror Story, playing a character full of snappy one-liners suspiciously reminiscent of her momager Kris, Kim is now working on a legal procedural series written by AHS producer, Ryan Murphy. Kim has already gotten used to rubbing shoulders with the Hollywood elite through her connections in the fashion world. Now she is working alongside actresses like Emma Roberts, Cara Delevingne, and Hollywood legend, Glenn Close. These roles seem cultivated specifically for a woman of Kim’s talents, and almost certainly ensure her cultural dominance for another decade to come.
For Kim to have achieved everything she already has is remarkable, and with her impressive, if somewhat privileged, work schedule, it appears almost other-worldly. Kim even told Interview magazine that her “talent” is a mix of “magic and business savvy,” alluding to her other worldly ability to get everything on her to-do list done. The suggestion that Kim is a cultural vampire, draining the talents and knowledge of the iconic and insightful individuals she has in her circle, is a bit facetious, of course. But is it so far off the mark? For an individual to ascend the cultural ladder from closet organizer, to reality star turned fashion icon, lawyer, and now actress rubbing shoulders with some of the most talented individuals in the field, suggests something uncanny is in the mix.
New episodes of The Kardashians air Thursdays on Hulu.
