FINAL CRITICAL INVESTIGATION

“I love when people underestimate me and then become pleasantly surprised”[1]

How are representations constructed in reality T.V shows like ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’?

Reality T.V covers a variety of different types of genres, and can be covered in different ways. It has a mass appeal[2] and it’s a genre where individuals place themselves on public display[3], in a natural manner, and 75% of those surveyed believe that reality T.V is “mostly real and unscripted”[4] and for the past several years’ reality television has dominated mainstream television programming, providing relatively inexpensive entertainment.[5] Reality T.V has become a success due to the ‘increasing voyeuristic nature of the society’[6] in which we live in, and due to the obsession with celebrities and everyone wanting to be one. ‘Reality T.V has been emerging onto the market with the speedy growth’[7], and it holds a firm ground of being one of the most popular genres in today’s world. This is because it has generated a lot of money. ‘The income has been generated through various different types of shows’[8] and the mass audience of reality T.V are people who enjoy listening to gossip and peeking into the lives of others.

Reality television appears to have taken over our TV schedules. From the monstrous Big Brother the genre spawned many hybrids and sub-genres. There are many serious documentaries on BBC4 and Channel 4[9] such as “Wife Swap”[10], most of the nation seems to choose the ‘reality’ option. ‘The Dutch company behind Big Brother[11] is announcing record profits and moving into ever more controversial programming’[12]. There are family orientated shows on E! Like “Keeping Up With The Kardashian” which reveals the day to day lifestyle of 5 sisters and their parents and brother. ‘Reality T.V is one of the most watched T.V as of the involvement of several different people, according to the statistical ratings’. [13] This shows that it is very popular and on demand. Furthermore, as the audience we see the effort the Kardashians have put in to becoming successful. Kim Kardashian has expressed herself of how she feels when she isn’t working as: “I feel lazy when I’m not working.”[14] This implies she has created a habit to work, and has been maintaining it, and suggests she is represented as a good role model.

The reality T.V show Keeping Up With The Kardashians has positive impacts on the audience, as the accomplishments they’ve got through their career line, from how the family’s grown together as one. The positive aspects are shown through the clothing lines they have of: ‘Jenner Collections’[15], ‘Kardashian Kollection’[16].

The journey of their success began when the Kardashian sisters first opened their first DASH store in ‘Miami on 21^st May 2009’[17]. Khloe Kardashian had said “it was a MAJOR success if I do say so myself”[18] her clothing for this was high class, this shows how she felt about it, this store was one of the reasons for them to open more stores worldwide and merging with other clothing shops such as ‘Dorothy Perkins’[19] and ‘Lipsy’[20].  Kim Kardashian the ‘entrepreneur’[21] said “I was involved in everything from the scent to the bottles”[22] this was her talking about the launch of her two perfumes “true reflection” and “Glam” this allowed her to have a direct correlation with the audience. Blumer and katz theory of Uses of Gratifications links in with ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’, of ‘Diversion, Personal Relationship, Personal Identity and Surveillance’[23].   Escapism links in with the show, through the power it holds of aiding you to fail to recall anxieties of the day when you can see the Kardashians having a much worse day than you have had. The performance held through the identification with actors such as Kim, Khloe or Kourtney, with sociability and their attitudes and behaviour could allow the audience to make direct relations. There could be relations made of personal identity as audiences may relate to some attitudes the actors hold, or comparisons could be held between them as an audience and the actors.

Furthermore, the episode when the new store Kardashian Kaos store was opening in Las Vegas, the family had an opening ceremony. There was a point of view shot from Kim’s perspective when they’re opening one of their new stores, which allows the audience to see what Kim is seeing[24]. Furthermore, the clothing Kim is wearing is a leopard print playsuit, from her own design label, as she was promoting it she wants to encourage her fan base to buy it  The use of the diegetic sound of the public screaming and shouting “Hi Kim” automatically gives away how the atmosphere is. The camera then pans on and shows the audience, there are several pictures been taken of the family together, which connotes happiness and success. This shows how prosperous the Kardashians are, and their relationship still seems to remains strong, as they are able to open the store as a happy family.

Also, the project dubbed “we live in public” has caused a lot of stress as the man who is compelled to live every minute of his life among others and whose every need, thought, desire, fancy or gratification is subject to public scrutiny, has been deprived of his individuality and human dignity.[25] The couple found that their relationship could not thrive without privacy[26]. Similarly, Kim Kardashian vowed to be more private following the birth of her first child and since the arrival of daughter North, the reality TV star has been keeping a low profile.[27] Kayne says "Well, I just don't want to talk to America about my family. Like, this is my baby. This isn't America's baby," this is what he told the New York Times magazine earlier this year.[28] However, Kim still contacts the paparazzi and there have been many articles which say that "Kim isn’t going to ever stop secretly texting the paparazzi or the people she knows that can help her stay famous.”[29] This shows how Kim is going against Kanye just for her fame

‘Reality T.V has faced significant criticism since its rise in popularity’[30]. There is a lot of negativity about the Kardashians.  The media demonises, the youth and has left an imprint on today’s society. The young adults look up to celebrities and idolising them, as they are so irresistible[31], due to them being lead such different lives[32], and having the ability to buy whatever they want[33], alongside the glamorous life they live[34]. Audiences see them as “rich, glamorous, posh and chic” these are all stereotypes of celebrities.

The media reports stories to do with celebrities on a regular basis, in order to keep audiences informed and entertained. Kim sex tape was a huge event which the media reporters captured, they done this through all platforms of broadcasting through radio, through the use of e-media of the internet, and print it onto newspapers and magazines. There are articles saying “Kim Kardashian achieved her peak of fame after she made a sex tape with R&B singer Ray J that magically got off of a camera, onto a computer, and published to the internet without either of them realizing.”[35] This caused moral panic, which Stanley Cohen said it was the thought of having to worry about ‘values and thoughts of the society’[36]. This would’ve raised public perception of the possible ‘threat to societal values and interests’[37]. In this case as the media exaggerated the story of Kim’s sex tape, and it being leaked publically, which lead to the public becoming scared, because of the actions Kim had took, which was different perspective of hers, which her fan base wouldn’t have expected. This meant young adults stopped looking at Kim in an idolised manner, which reduced her fan base. Also, Mimi Faust made a sex tape, and was compared to Kim Kardashians as "While other skin colors can often be free with their sexuality, sans explanation, the sexual freedom enjoyed by black women is met with judgment and, in turn, leaves us feeling obligated to justify our own sexuality."[38] Also, TheRoot.com's Luvvie puts it more bluntly: "The Kim Kardashian Model won't work for you if you're a black woman. It just will not. We are not afforded the same expansive boundaries of sexual expression."[39] Indicating Kim’s sex tape was one of a kind, and nobody else could produce the same amount of quality. Of course, Kardashian's sex tape with R&B-wannabe Ray J was also pretty tame in comparison. No set changes from the bedroom to the bathroom. No shower-rod stunts. Kardashian's also didn't appear to be premeditated porn, if you will, featuring the kind of high-quality production techniques (lighting, multiple camera angles) that make it hard to feign innocence afterward.[40] The comparison between a black women’s sex tape to a white women’s has been taken to an extreme, as they both were very different to each-others.

Furthermore, when Kim decided to do playboy, she created negative representations of herself. The episode of when Kim done playboy she wore red, which represents her to be devil-like, daring and lovable. Furthermore, this could be interpreted sexually, as of her body language and gesture. The encouraging dialogue the photographer uses of “very nice” and “that’s good”[41] initially suggests she’s doing a good job, and would led to her doing more with the motivation she’s receiving.  This shoot led to Kim’s fan base increasing, due to the male gaze, which was Mulvey’s theory, Kim is there to be looked at, as women are typically the objects, rather than the possessors, of gaze because the control of the camera.[42]

Furthermore, the front cover of Zoo magazine, 26 May edition[43], sexualises Kim Kardashian; the readers are drawn in through the expensive rich lingerie she is wearing of red and black, which are elegant colours. The colours speak for themselves, and there are two headings which say “HOT 101 WINNER” Kim is being referred as the “hottest woman in the world”. The use of ranking, rating and judging a women on their appearance, automatically objectifies and degrades women’s standings[44]. Women are used for male sexual pleasure; this puts the female value down, and implies they have no standing, as men are always controlling women.

This initially goes against what the Kardashians believe, they believe they’ve become where they are due to the management skills of “mom” Kris Jenner[45]. Kim Kardashian has been said as if “she acts as if she's a role model for young girls dealing with body issues, when she has a model's body.”[46] The negativity produced by the reporters about Kim is horrendous; articles are manipulating Kim, against her audience. Furthermore, there is an article upon how Kim Kardashian has become a threat to western civilisation, giving her another bad name in society. As the head of a girl’s private school won praise for her attack on the west’s obsession with celebrity.[47]

The executive producer of the series, Ryan Seacrest, said that rooting from the background of the family, the series will show a family that "truly loves and supports one another"[48]. This could suggest it will all be planned out, and putting on an act of a loving family just to show their audience, the dream world they want to live for. The family has become successful Hollywood entertainers through the dynamics and building up of the family as one. Keeping up with the Kardashians isn’t scripted[49] at all, but isn’t a real life representation.[50] As the family is aware of the success they’ve been making and how they’ve been entertaining people worldwide. On April 2012, a new 3 year deal was signed with the Kardashian family, for continuing the series until 2015. This shows how successful they’ve become, as they were able to sign a contract deal for 3 years beforehand, it shows the progress they’ve been able to make, since they first started the family business on E! In the year 2007[51]

It is said that “Art today has totally penetrated reality” by Baudrillard[52], which suggests that the boundary between popular culture and reality has all completely gone. This is because they have broken into the universal simulacrum, into four steps which are: “it is the reflection of a basic reality, it masks and perverts a basic reality, it marks the absence of a basic reality and it bears no relation to any reality whatever” this has led to differences being held between ‘real life’ and the media representations being erased.  Hyper-reality, breeds with each other without reference to reality or meaning[53]. Furthermore, in terms of postmodernism, the characters in reality T.V aren’t real; they’re not facing real life situations, as it is all planned out this is shown through the series of Big Brother, when Jason came out, he was interviewed by Closer magazine. In which he argued that we weren’t seeing the real Jason[54], it was all a manipulative version, implying everyone was putting on an act. This suggests reality T.V is a sense of putting on a mask and becoming someone you’re not, just to entertain others. Furthermore, it could be said through reality T.V dependant on what type of show it is, a fly-on-the-wall or documentary, you could act differently. It could be argued that people generally in everyday life act differently around different people, so depending on who you are with you act in a different way, so they are themselves, but may not come across as if they are.

Media representations of gender has a big impact on society, as they enter the collective social conscience and reinforce culturally hegemonic views based upon gender[55], which represent males as dominant and stereotype them as being masculine and female’s lower and holding stereotypes of having limited forms of behaviour. Kim Kardashian is dominating within the series, as she always gets her way around everyone, which goes against the media representation and stereotyping of women. Furthermore, feminism started in 1960’s, which consisted of free love which helped escape the sexual double standards which were set, divorce had become a commonplace, and women were known to be “happy housewives”. This links makes straight links with Kim Kardashian due to her having had several divorces, and the programme goes against it as Kim has her own career of the clothing line so she isn’t a typical happy housewife. Moreover, liberal feminism have direct relation to the reality T.V show ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’ as they believe all people are created equally and shouldn’t be denied equality of opportunity because of their gender. The females all work within the Kardashian family, not only the men. However, Marxist feminism argues that females give birth and males must provide for their families. The Kardashians don’t fit into this that well as, Kourtney Kardashian gave birth to Mason, and Scott didn’t have a job to provide for Mason, and a lot of hassle and chaos was caused throughout this series.

Many Reality T.V shows include voice-overs so the audience is aware of what is happening if they don’t fully understand through the actions, movement or speech. Big Brother includes voiceovers, in a form of ‘narration’[56], to tell the housemates what tasks they have to do, or even to call someone to the diary room. What these different documentary styles share is a political concern, differently informed by socio-cultural context, to depict the lives of ‘ordinary’ people[57]. However, Keeping up with the Kardashian doesn’t include any type of voice-overs or music, which makes it more realistic as a fly-on-the-wall documentary about their lifestyles. However, there are various different angles in Keeping Up With The Kardashians, which keep the audience intrigued, and directly penetrate into the viewer’s minds, which covers the theory of the hypodermic needle, as it remains injected into their heads.

Historically, ‘An America Family’ is similar to ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’ this was an American television documentary which was filmed from May 30^th through December 31, 1971 and ‘first aired in 1973’[58]. The series started off with an establishing shot of the building of where the actors lived[59], which is how ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’ starts off. Both shows are family shows and are about the family lifestyle on a day to day basis.

The economic recession hits reality TV,[60] which has had a negative impact on the Kardashians. As reality television has long trafficked in the guilty pleasures of conspicuous consumption. But while staples like Keeping Up With The Kardashians and Bravo’s indefatigable Real Housewives franchise continue to chronicle the adventures of the rich and profligate, the new spirit of austerity sweeping the nation is forcing the wealth-obsessed genre to adapt.[61] This is similar to Rupert Murdoch’s theory as he said “the world is changing, newspapers need to adapt”[62] this is due to the vast amount of demand in new technological items, which have all be developed. Similarly, the wealth-obsessed genre need to adapt and find new methods to fit in. The society would be required to learn how to accept and adapt onto the presentation of the shows.

Open Salon, published a satirical piece of Kim Kardashian running for mayor. Salon’s headline read, “Kim Kardashian for Mayor!” The article is satire filled with fiction, but collides nicely with facts. The witty remarks meant to critisize, may instead give a reason for those fed up with political games to consider voting for Kardashian[63]. Also, Kim had said “I like both the Democratic and Republican Parties. In fact, I like any party involving a lot of rich people.”[64] Showing she has some interest in politics, and she is really all about the money, and it automatically shows she likes rich people. Kim for President might be the next political slogan from the Kardashian family.[65] This would be a major change for the family in terms of business, and as Kim isn’t underestimated in real life; as she is the daughter of a famous lawyer as well as the stepdaughter of a famous Olympic champion.[66] It would be easier for her to run as a president, due to the power of authority her family holds.

In conclusion, there are diverse representations of each family members, this is reinforced by stereotypes as the hegemonic control. Even though there are many positive outlooks from the reality TV show such as the fame. It is difficult for the audience to differentiate between what is fake and what is real. Kim has changed herself since she has settled with Kanye, and she has been on a low profile[67] the audience aren’t seeing much of Kim since the birth of North, suggesting it is all planned. The negatives overtake the positives as there are many stories which have led to the Kardashians having this lifestyle, as the media have been setting these accusations and creating assumptions of stories, just to dumb down the society. Furthermore, a study shows that girls who regularly watch T.V accepted and expected[68] this is usually causes a higher level of drama, aggression and bullying within their own lives, they also may become stressed or depressed, which could lead to them neglecting what’s important in their lives such as studying. Representations are construed through the way the series is shot, and how the problems all arise one after the other. Also, through the actions of the celebrities and the way they present themselves, and how the media views it.

Works Cited

Books/Journals:

• Biressi, Anita, and Heather Nunn. Reality TV: realism and revelation. London: Wallflower Press, 2005. Print.
• Charlotte Nixon - Kim Kardashian: In Her Own Words [Kindle Edition]
• Cowlin, Chris. The reality television quiz book 1000 questions on reality TV shows. Luton: Andrews UK Ltd., 2010. Print.
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·         Papacharissi, Zizi, and Andrew L. Mendelson. "An Exploratory Study of Reality Appeal: Uses and Gratifications of Reality TV Shows." Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 51.2 (2007): 355-370. Murdoch University Library. Web. 8 Mar. 2012.

·         Wyatt, Wendy N.. The ethics of reality TV: a philosophical examination. New York: Continuum, 2012. Print.

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·         "Finally feminism." finally feminism. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2007. <http://finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com/2007/08/26/faq-what-is-the-%E2%80%9Cmale-gaze%E2%80%9D/>.

• "Kardashian Kollection." dorothyperkins.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Jan. 2014. <http://www.dorothyperkins.com/en/dpuk/category/kardashian-kollection-203516/home?geoip=noredirect>.
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·         "Reality television." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Mar. 2014. Web. 4 Jan. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_television>.

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Newspapers/Magazines:

·         "Reality TV ." Reality TV 23 Mar. 2011: 3. Print.

·          "Reality tv." English and Media  11 Jan. 2008: 1. Print.McVeigh, Tracy. "Kim Kardashian:  how did she become such a threat to western civilisation?." The Observer. Guardian News and Media, 24 June 2012. Web. 4 Jan. 2014. <http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/jun/23/kim-kardashian-threat-western-civilisation>.

·         "Study says girls affected by reality TV." Daily Herald. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2014. <http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20111103/news/711039954/>.

·         Wright, Helen. "Why Zoo's Kim Kardashian cover is wrong." theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media, 22 June 2012. Web. 4 Jan. 2014. <http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jun/22/zoo-kim-kardashian-cover-wrong>.

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• "An American Family, episode 12." YouTube. YouTube, 26 May 2013. Web. 4 Jan. 2014. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaUWsE0EBp4>.
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• "Kim Kardashian Wants To 'Pose For Playboy Or Some Nude Shoot'." YouTube. YouTube, 4 Sept. 2013. Web. 4 Jan. 2014. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC-XCpvV_V8>.

Works Consulted

Books

·         "15 Minutes: Kim Kardashian [Kindle Edition]." 15 Minutes: Kim Kardashian eBook: Marc Shapiro, Noval Hernawan: Amazon.co.uk: Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Jan. 2014. <http://www.amazon.co.uk/15-Minutes-Kardashian-Marc-Shapiro-ebook/dp/B00EYIBBR0/ref=sr_1_39?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385846618&sr=1-39&keywords=kim+kardashian>.

·         "Keeping It Real: Black Women & Reality TV | The Crunk Feminist Collective

·         "Making Reality TV a Reality: Tips and Tricks to Getting on Your Favorite Reality TV and Game Show! [Paperback]." Making Reality TV a Reality: Tips and Tricks to Getting on Your Favorite Reality TV and Game Show!: Amazon.co.uk: Sandra Burkhardt, Tom Burkhardt: Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Jan. 2014. <http://www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Reality-TV-Getting-Favorite/dp/144214906X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385846422&sr=1-2&keywords=reality+tv+show+keeping+up+with+the+kardashians>.

·         "The Reality Television Quiz Book: 1,000 Questions on Reality TV Shows [Hardcover]." The Reality Television Quiz Book: 1,000 Questions on Reality TV Shows: Amazon.co.uk: Christopher Biggins, Chris Cowlin: Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Jan. 2014. <http://www.amazon.co.uk/Reality-Television-Quiz-Book-Questions/dp/1906358729/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385846217&sr=1-1&keywords=reality+tv+show>.

·         Kardashian, Kourtney, Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, and Nick Saglimbeni. Kardashian konfidential. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2010. Print.

·         Mattern, Joanne. Kim Kardashian: reality TV star. Minneapolis, Minn.: ABDO Pub. Co., 2012. Print.

·         Ryan, Kathleen M.. Television and the self knowledge, identity, and media representation. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2013. Print.

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• http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/mmagpast/mm22_reality.html
• PETERS,  JEREMY W. . "Reality TV’s Instant Stars Populate a Magazine." NYTimes [New York] 13 Nov. 2011: 1. Print.

Internet:

• "Celebrity Endorsements in Non-Traditional Advertising: How the FTC Regulations Fail to Keep Up with the Kardashians." by Leah W. Feinman. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Jan. 2014. <http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1987222>.
• "Hollywood Life by Bonnie Fuller." Hollywood Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Jan. 2014. <http://hollywoodlife.com/2013/10/31/kim-kardashian-crying-kuwtk-kanye-west/>.
• "Hollywood Life by Bonnie Fuller." Hollywood Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Jan. 2014. <http://hollywoodlife.com/2013/11/03/khloe-kardashian-swaps-wedding-ring-lamar-odom-divorce/>.
• "Kardashians   - Hollywood Life." Hollywood Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Jan. 2014. <http://hollywoodlife.com/topics/kardashians/>.
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• "Deconstructing Reality." ATOM Victoria. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Jan. 2014. <http://www.atomvic.org/deconstructing-reality/>.
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[1] http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/k/kimkardash462842.html

[2] Hill, A. (2005) PG 2

[3]  Papacharissi, Zizi, and Andrew L. Mendelson. (2007) VOL 51 PG – 335-370

[4] http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20111103/news/711039954/

[5] Ibid

[6] http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/mmagpast/RealityTV.html

[7] Reality TV Statistics - http://www.jobmonkey.com/realitytv/reality-tv-statistics.html

[8] Ask Jeeves (Internet) http://uk.ask.com/question/why-is-reality-tv-so-popular

[9] http://www.channel4.com/

[10] http://www.channel4.com/programmes/wife-swap

[11] http://www.channel5.com/bigbrother

[12]http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/mmagpast/mm22_reality.html

[13] Ibid (Ask Jeeves) http://uk.ask.com/question/why-is-reality-tv-so-popular

[14] Nixon, C. (2011) (Kindle edition) 

[15] http://kendallandkylie.celebuzz.com/

[16] http://www.lipsy.co.uk/Kardashians/lookbook

[17] http://khloekardashian.celebuzz.com/the_opening_of_dash_miami_woohooo-05-2009

[18] Ibid

[19] http://www.dorothyperkins.com/en/dpuk/category/kardashian-kollection-203516/home?geoip=noredirect

[20] Ibid http://www.lipsy.co.uk/kardashians/lookbook

[21] Leblane, R. (2010). P.1.

[22] Nixon, C. (2011) (Kindle edition) 

[23] http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/mmagpast/RealityTV.html

[24] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abShr_KG6Cs

[25] Wyatt W and Bunton K (2012) PG 53

[26] Ibid

[27] http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/126674/Kim-Kardashian-Refusing-To-End-Relationship-With-Paparazzi-Despite-Kanye-Wests-Hatred

[28] Ibid

[29] Ibid

[30] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_television

[31] http://www.deborahkingcenter.com/resources/celebrities/

[32] Ibid

[33] Ibid

[34] Ibid

[35] http://www.change.org/petitions/e-entertainment-keeping-up-with-the-kardashians-kim-kardashian-cancel-the-kardashian-media-franchise

[36] http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/hrb9701.html

[37] Ibid

[38] http://clatl.com/freshloaf/archives/2014/04/18/on-sex-tapes-shower-rods-and-porns-racial-politics?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+clatl%2Fnews+(Creative+Loafing+Atlanta%3A+News+%26+Views)

[39] Ibid

[40] Ibid

[41] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC-XCpvV_V8

[42] http://finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com/2007/08/26/faq-what-is-the-%E2%80%9Cmale-gaze%E2%80%9D/

[43] http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jun/22/zoo-kim-kardashian-cover-wrong

[44] Ibid

[45] http://personalexcellence.co/blog/kardashians/

[46] http://www.change.org/petitions/e-entertainment-keeping-up-with-the-kardashians-kim-kardashian-cancel-the-kardashian-media-franchise

[47] http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/jun/23/kim-kardashian-threat-western-civilisation

[48] http://list25.com/25-reality-tv-shows-that-are-far-from-reality/

[49] Ibid

[50] Ibid

[51] http://www.people.com/people/kim_kardashian/biography/0,,20185121,00.html

[52] http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/mmagpast/RealityTV.html

[53] Ibid

[54] Ibid

[55] http://revisionworld.co.uk/a2-level-level-revision/sociology/mass-media-0/media-representations-age-social-class-ethnicity-gender-sexuality-and-disability

[56] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Bentley

[57] Biressi A and Nunn H. (2005) PG 35

[58] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_American_Family

[59] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaUWsE0EBp4

[60] http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/05/the-recession-hits-reality-tv/238490/

[61] Ibid

[62] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7872154.stm

[63] http://www.examiner.com/article/kim-kardashian-s-political-aspirations-exposed-fact-and-fiction-collide

[64] Ibid

[65] Ibid

[66] Ibid

[67] http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/126674/Kim-Kardashian-Refusing-To-End-Relationship-With-Paparazzi-Despite-Kanye-Wests-Hatred

[68] http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20111103/news/711039954/