Kim K: a feminist force?

Reflecting on the Kim Kardashian Theory, I’ve recently watched on YouTube, I’ve come to understand a dimension of fame and feminism that challenges conventional narratives. Kim Kardashian, far beyond her common portrayal as a somewhat vacuous reality TV star, emerges as a figure who embodies the complexities of modern femininity and influence.

“I am so much more than just a pretty face, great breasts, amazing makeup, and a perfect butt. I am so much more than the template my sisters show their cosmetic surgeons,” she said during a TV appearance about herself. Indeed, the 43-year-old fulfils many roles: influencer, sex symbol, mother, law student, millionaire. But is she also a feminist icon? This question is explored by the cultural channel Arte in the new documentary The Kim Kardashian Theory.

Why is Kim Kardashian so successful?

A staggering 364 million people follow Kim Kardashian on Instagram. That’s more than lived in the Roman Empire or currently in the United States. She is one of the most successful influencers – she invented the profession and earns a lot of money with it. Each product placement on Instagram is supposed to bring her about €500,000.

Having such a huge platform naturally allows for significant influence. And so, all experts in the Arte documentary agree that Kim Kardashian is a social phenomenon that embodies our entire epoch with its desires, longings and societal debates. For example, Kim has made a new body type the global ideal: a new interpretation of the hourglass figure with extremely accentuated feminine forms. She created this body type herself by adopting beauty ideals from different cultures and customising her body through numerous (denied) surgeries. Her power is also demonstrated by her legendary appearance in 2022 at the Met Gala, where she wore a dress that Marilyn Monroe had worn in 1962 and which was supposed to be displayed in a museum. “By wearing the dress to the Met Gala, she changed its history. It is now forever the dress that Marilyn Monroe and Kim Kardashian wore,” says a fashion editor in the documentary.

At the same time, a woman who is so prominently in the public eye has to endure a lot of hatred. Meredith Jones, Professor of Cultural Studies and Gender Studies at Brunel University London, says that there is a strong hostility especially against young, beautiful, successful women. “Especially if they made it without a man.”

Is Kim Kardashian a feminist? Kim made it without a man. About 16 years ago, she became known through Keeping Up with The Kardashians, a reality show about which Meredith Jones says: “It’s a matriarchy. The men in the series are joke figures. It’s the women who are interesting and have interesting dynamics.”

But Kim Kardashian only became really famous when a sex tape of hers was leaked. Some, such as her ex-boyfriend Ray J, claim that it was a scheme by her and her mother Kris Jenner. We don’t know. But the real question is much more: How did she manage to turn this humiliation into an advantage?

Sigmund Freud is said to have once stated: “One is always only a victim of oneself.” And this seems to be Kim Kardashian’s attitude as well. She took advantage of the leaked sex tape and from then on exhibited her body whenever and how she wanted. In this way, she appropriated the rules of the patriarchy, staged her body as an object, and always controlled her image. She also uses selfies as instruments to exploit the male gaze to her own advantage.

But, does that make her a feminist? She has never described herself as such, yet Jones says: “For me, Kim Kardashian is a feminist icon. Feminist icons can also be sex symbols for men, for women, for themselves.”

However, I would suggest that being beautiful and famous as an influencer is not enough anymore. We want people with personality. Perfect for Kim Kardashian, as she has long invented herself anyway. Undoubtedly, Kim is a clever businesswoman. Her underwear label Skims is supposed to have generated a revenue of around 750 million dollars this year. Her transformation from a reality TV star to successful entrepreneur and politically active figure, advocating for prison reform and more, showcases her depth and influence beyond mere aesthetics.