The lesson from Kim’s divorce
Kardashian's farcical marriage has finally drawn back the veil on “reality TV’s fairy-tale narratives,” and exposed them as “hollow and manipulative” shams, said Jennifer L. Pozner at TheDailyBeast.com.
Jennifer L. Pozner
TheDailyBeast.com
Kim Kardashian has done American women a big favor, said Jennifer L. Pozner. The reality-TV star’s farcical 72-day marriage has finally drawn back the veil on “reality TV’s fairy-tale narratives,” and exposed them as the “hollow and manipulative” shams that they are. Despite their name, “reality’’ shows have little to do with “real life or real people,” and send destructive messages to the millions of young women who watch them avidly.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In shows such as The Bachelor and Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire?, women live in Darwinian competition with one another for rich, arrogant men, and the winners are skinny, bitchy, desperate, and vapid. Relationships are shallow, and have but one goal—a “ludicrously expensive” wedding. “It’s tempting to laugh all this off as harmless fluff,’’ but it’s not. The growing “luxury wedding market,’’ now pulling in $80 billion a year, feeds on these fantasies.
Maybe as viewers watch the reruns of Kim’s Fairytale Wedding, and watch Kim promising to love her betrothed “forever,’’ they’ll realize that reality TV is one big, “regressive fantasy.’’
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 wild card cartoons about Trump's cabinet picks
Cartoons Artists take on square pegs, very fine people, and more
By The Week US Published
-
How will Elon Musk's alliance with Donald Trump pan out?
The Explainer The billionaire's alliance with Donald Trump is causing concern across liberal America
By The Week UK Published
-
Netanyahu's gambit: axing his own defence minster
Talking Point Sacking of Yoav Gallant demonstrated 'utter contempt' for Israeli public
By The Week UK Published
-
Our culture’s worship of celebrity
feature It was in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age that the modern concept of celebrity was born.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The smearing of Zero Dark Thirty
feature Kathryn Bigelow's film has become “collateral damage” in the political debate over the morality of torture.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
5 smart reads for the weekend
feature An investigation into Junior Seau's tragic suicide. A profile of the brother-and-sister team behind Cloud Atlas. And more compelling, of-the-moment stories to dive into
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The most entertaining drama on TV
feature Ratings for the GOP debates are setting new records, and no wonder: They’re “the best thing happening in pop culture right now,” said Rob Walker at The New York Times.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
How kids learn to hate real food
feature Thanks to ConAgra and its pals in Congress, our schoolkids’ right to feast on frozen pizza and fries has been protected, said Kristin Wartman at HuffingtonPost.com.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Quote of the week: Nicholas D. Kristof
feature From The New York Times: “In my travels around the world, I encounter two Catholic Churches. One is the rigid, all-male Vatican hierarchy ...
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Che was a murderer, not a hero
feature The real Ernesto “Che” Guevara was far from the “youthful idealist” celebrated in film and transformed into a global icon, said Nick Gillespie in Reason.com.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Laughing off the horrors of prison rape
feature In our culture, there
By The Week Staff Last updated