On Convergence Culture and Facilitation of Feminist Hegemony: An Analysis of Keeping Up with the Kardashians (Essay Sample)

First and Last Name
Professor
Class
TIME \@ "MMMM d, yyyy" November 3, 2016
On Convergence Culture and Facilitation of Feminist Hegemony: An Analysis of Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Keeping Up with The Kardashians is a reality television show that revolves around the everyday life of the Kardashian family, with cameras running around following and filming the highlights of the daily activities of the Kardashian sisters, as well as their mother and a few of their extended families and friends. This study aims to discover the hegemonic femininity portrayed by the Kardashians, as facilitated by their reality show, as well as the convergence it enhances on popular culture. With the Kardashians’ popularity comes a number of bashers as well as destructive criticisms online, making use of their experiences and their physical appearances as objects of ridicule. This study focuses on the feminine superiority that the Kardashian family empowers. Despite the outburst of negative feedback, the Kardashian family effectively imposes female dominance, with the main female characters depicting massive control over their objectification, their evident dominance upon interaction with male characters and the superficiality offered by their consumerist culture. These occurrences the Kardashian family experiences facilitate convergence, as they promote popular culture that creates great influence upon their proponents in real life, including their fans and supporters and even their haters. In this study, that covers the major plots of the entire reality show in its continuous showcase within various media outlets with twelve ongoing seasons, the individual aspects of hegemony and convergence will be discussed in relation to the television show, which ends with an analysis of the relationship of the two concepts.
The famous reality show Keeping Up with The Kardashians has been running on television since 2007. The show focuses on the daily lives of the Kardashian sisters Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe, as well as their mother Kris Jenner, their stepmother Caitlyn Jenner, and Kris and Caitlyn’s two daughters Kendall and Kylie. The show also includes their brother Rob Kardashian, Kourtney’s life partner Scott Disick and their children, and other casts such as extended family members, partners, and friends that are not considered regulars, showing up in a few episodes of every season. The Kardashian family’s everyday “real” life has been followed from their simpler lives up to their rise to fame personally and professionally. The show depicts their interactions at home, following the exchange of conversations between each character, the drama their family experiences from time to time, as well as their engagements professionally as models, actresses, and businesswomen. The Kardashians are considered socialites, as they portray the ultimate consumerist lifestyle, characterized by the splurge on numerous beauty products and a variety of amusing pastimes. Although the family has received a number of criticisms online as they are depicted as ridiculous characters on social media, the family is able to keep its famous status and continuously engages in their luxurious lifestyles.
1 Hegemonic Femininity
One of the major events that catapulted the Kardashian family into the world of fame is Kim Kardashian’s viral sex tape with one of her earlier partners. In fact, Kim has been on several lists that includes her as one of the “top porn stars.” Even though Kim is not an actual member of the pornographic industry, her viral sex tape has made its way around the world and has paved the way for the onset of her fame. Instead of treating this unfortunate incident as an event that must be put aside and allowed to fade until completely forgotten, the Kardashian family openly includes the event in their conversations and confessionals in a few episodes of the television series. This major event created an image for Kim, and makes her the most talked about Kardashian sister, especially in the time of the scandal’s emergence. Kim’s fame upon the establishment of a name in the world of celebrities gave way for more offers such as modelling for magazines, products, and different outlets, countless photoshoots, and her incorporation in several industries such as music.
The use of sexual objectification through the unexpected entry into the pornographic scene as leverage for fame sets a new brand of feminism. Objectifying women, by being treated as mere sexual objects for male satisfaction has always been a hot topic for gender equality advocates. The perception of women as mere vessels of sex in their portrayals in the porn industry, as well as their depiction in media such as movies, advertisements, and even printed outlets such as magazines, has faced great criticism and protest, as spearheaded by various organizations internationally. The international agenda of pushing for gender equality and the abolishment of gender discrimination in different aspects of a variety of industries faces its greatest challenge in the continuous depiction of females in this manner. In the case of Kim Kardashian, she was able to make use of this circumstance to her own advantage. In the fame she has received through her viral video, she was able to attract more investments. Over time, the negativities of her past action become constructive, as she was able to use it into the advantage of elevating her career, being able to support the lifestyle she opts to live. The feminist sense comes in the neglect of allowing to perceive the exploration of female sexuality as degrading. In Kim’s control over her objectification, she is able to raise the bar for females who break the barriers of being conservative. In a world where equality between men and women is slowly achieved, Kim is able to reconstruct the view of female sexuality from its low position of fragility and degradation to leverage for career escalation and freedom of sexual exploration.
Kourtney Kardashian's plot mostly revolves around her relationship with Scott Disick. The two started their romance on the first season, and has prevailed over the course of the show as it has continued until the latest episodes. The two share a peculiar relationship as they are not married, with the decision basing mostly from Kourtney's belief that marriage is unnecessary in their set-up. Scott has shown willingness for marriage but his partner Kourtney shows otherwise. Although the two have not exchanged their vows yet, they have three children already. Kourtney stays firm in her stance that marriage is unnecessary, despite receiving intervention from members of the family.
The convention promotes the incorporation of motherhood into the concept of marriage. The affiliation between the two concepts is a prevalent notion, creating a norm that motherhood should follow marriage. In this sense, motherhood becomes a function of marriage. Without the blessing received from the latter, motherhood becomes an issue, may it be for unwilling single mothers or those who decide to start families without a paternal figure. Kourtney breaks this conservative notion by standing up for her belief that marriage is unnecessary in their case, even in the presence of children. In the television series, Kourtney has asserted a certain want for many children, to create the same environment for her children as what she has with her own siblings. This has caused offense for Scott, as he perceived himself as a mere instrument Kourtney uses in order to fulfill her desire for numerous children. In this situation, Kourtney presents superiority in their relationship, being the primary decision-making body in structuring the family. This breaks the norm that suggests males as the dominant figures of families, lowering females into a niche of submission. Kourtney’s decision of going for motherhood despite the absence of a legal marriage, paired with the core of her desire towards being the one to decide on the structure of her family, as presented by her will to have many children, creates another superior image for females.
The Kardashian branding is strengthened by their sisterhood. This is evident in one of the dialogues where Kris Jenner asserts: “I think you guys have to stay united and realize that anything either one of you does builds the whole Kardashian brand.” As Kris Jenner asserted, the brand gains its strength in their unity. Their individual career developments create personal routes for each of their fame avenues, but the greatest branding is achieved through a union of the three.
Kris Jenner’s statement creates the idea that the union of these strong female figures strengthens their family brand. The absence of a masculine figure, which is perceived as a dominant symbol in a variety of ways, suggests that females are reaching hegemonic positions in the social hierarchy. Branding, which accounts for success in advertising and marketing, has been achieved by making use of three exceptional women who are professionally successful, living the luxurious lifestyle they intend to live. The prevalence of these feminine figures sets them in the top of the pyramid of gender classification hierarchies.
Rob Kardashian is the least successful among the siblings, career-wise, even with his sock line. This has been the reason for his depression and rebellion, making him gain weight as seen over the course of the reality show. Bruce Jenner, on the other hand, in his marriage with Kris, has been submissive for numerous instances. He allows his stepchildren to treat him in disrespectful ways, especially in their exchange of conversations. He shows submission under Kris by showing fear to make his own decisions without prior consultation to his wife.
The success of Kourtney, Kim, and Khloe, overpowering Rob’s career, depicts...