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Thursday, March 28, 2024
The Observer

Kim Kardashian fails to 'break the Internet'

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Keri O'Mara
Keri O'Mara
Kim Kardashian, the 34-year-old socialite notoriously famously known for simply being famous (as well as some other questionable activities), attempted to “break the Internet” this past week with some controversial photos in Paper Magazine’s winter issue. Yet, if you are anything like me, you already know this. Kardashian’s almost ubiquitous media presence makes it almost impossible for her to take a selfie and have it not end up somewhere in my social-media-dominated life. Though it isn’t just Kardashian’s bare-all photos themselves that have stirred all the discussion surrounding the situation.

People tended to react three different ways in response to Kardashian’s photo shoot with the legendary French photographer Jean-Paul Goude: positively, negatively and, like me, indifferently. Though many people love to hate her, there is no denying Kardashian has a tremendously strong and loyal fan base. With more than 25 million Twitter followers, it comes as no surprise Kardashian received much praise for her bold move. With almost every moment of her life constantly captured through reality TV and social media, Kardashian gives many an opportunity to live the life of the rich and famous vicariously and her supportive fan base is certainly a testament to that.

Yet, there were also those who criticized Kardashian for baring it all. Many disgusted people pointed to Kardashian’s status as a mother. Other people pointed at Paper Magazine for embracing such candid nudity. However, much of the hate was directed at the media in general for fostering such immoral and inappropriate acts. Many have even used Kardashian’s stunt as evidence of the unrealistic body standards the media endorses.

Then there is my own reaction: a casual glance on my Facebook feed and an indifferent scroll down as I passed the time before my class began. I have no animosity towards Kardashian, but at the same time I view Kardashian’s actions as completely irrelevant and just plain boring. Apparently though, not enough people take my view on Kardashian. Many were upset because too many people care about Kardashian. America seems to be slipping intellectually and many believe society's seeming indifference towards substantial news is proof.

Fortunately, it is not as bad as it all looks. The public is not as irreverent and dumb as many people like to paint it. The Wall Street Journal recently released a report showing that the Wednesday’s European Philae Spacecraft comet landing generated more tweets then Kim Kardashian's photo shoot did. This makes sense. The comet landing is huge step for astronomical science and humanity alike, and Kardashian’s photos are, well, pictures of Kardashian balancing a Champagne glass on her butt. So for the large crowd of people pessimistic about our society, such a fact may come as a bit of welcome shock.

Kim Kardashian’s photo shoot may not be real “news." But, if nothing else, it truly did usher in a very positive reflection of society. While many blame the media for focusing on the wrong news, it's clear the media’s negative effect on the public has not been devastating. Maybe it’s the case that most people are like me, indifferent towards Kardashian. Still, we can be certain the real news is not going unnoticed. So instead of finishing with more useless news about Kardashian, I will end this about the real big news this week. As our generation stands on the forefront of an age defined by innovation and discovery, the words of the great Buzz Lightyear echo, “To infinity and beyond,” Philae is just the beginning.