Pop culture has been extremely influential on the younger generations. It is not easy to imagine nowadays a day without social media and celebrity presence. In the contemporary times, many small talks are now gossiping about famous people. Not all people idolize celebrities, but even without that kind of attitude toward pop culture, many are influenced by social media and its messages. The essay will focus on researching Keeping Up with the Kardashians and how the show has influenced feminist movement and female body image. Concretely stated, Keeping Up with the Kardashians has ruined a definition of self-love when portraying it through achieving the love after numerous plastic surgeries and cosmetic procedures.
The significance of popular culture is not debatable in the modern times. At least, for the younger of a 2000’s, social media presence has become a major part of a life. With the introduction of computers, phones, and other electronic devices to common use, the access to media is instant. In 2022, the information flows so fast it is hard to trace it. With such quick access to the news, rumors, and information, popular culture is the main engine of society’s life today. It is hard to imagine a day without internet or phone, and almost everyone checks the news with their smartphone first thing in the morning. Popular culture is not only shaped by commercial culture and celebrities, but by regular people that share their thoughts on the internet via websites, social media, live journals, or else.
Popular culture directly influences that way society thinks, acts, and what it believes in. Children are surrounded by it from the time they are born — TV shows, cartoons, movies, video games. The culture shapes the way people dress, see the world, and the sense of living (Vyomakesisri et al. 9). Looking back, fashion and common beliefs were different and as well shifted by the magazines and advertisement. However, pop culture is not commonly bad, changing minds with the dark thoughts. Many people thank celebrities and certain TV shows every day. Usually, they are grateful for representation of their beliefs, race, sexuality, gender, disability, or any other part of them that is still pursued as strangely different by the majority. Comments on social media profiles of celebrities that represent a group or minority are commonly filled with kind words and statements that say that the famous person has saved them from the darkest times. Therefore, other people within the group can find others who have the same issues or same beliefs, which gives space to express their individuality.
Another thing that is a good influence of popular culture is that it gives the ability for people to present themselves. With or without gaining fame, people of all ages and generations are contributing to the social media by sharing their arts, thoughts, and creativity. It is one of our needs according to Maslow’s motivational model, Self-Actualization, but expressing individuality is highly compatible with Esteem Needs. While Self-Actualization is the need of directly showing creativity, problem-solving, Esteem is the need of being respected by others (Yu). Social media gives the ability to gain both by sharing personal thoughts or creations. Therefore, there comes a conclusion that the surrounding culture is what it is because the society produces and contributes to it.
Despite popular culture being a tool that makes a good impact and connects people around the world, there are many argumentative things about it. The Kardashian family is one of the most famous topics when it comes to media presence, rumors, and establishing fashion. Many females of different ages groups want to look alike with a family member of Kardashian. Since approximately middle school, girls start to worry about their beauty and body. The pop culture, especially Keeping Up with the Kardashians, teaches them that self-love comes first, but they are all getting plastic surgeries, wear heavy makeup and do many cosmetic rituals to maintain their beauty. With many young adults being influenced by this, it is harder for children to estimate what beauty is for them. It confuses and ruins the point of self-love when women that talk about it have done everything to change the faces and bodies with which they were born.
Popular culture can be homophobic, sexist, racist, and misogynist — usually is. Mass culture defines what is a norm, defining everything else as other (Dovchin et al. 13). For example, being heterosexual is seen as a standard, homosexuality is different, and the same with being Caucasian or any other race. The examples of such cases are endless and differ from country to country depending on what is defined typical among their media (Cicchelli and Octobre 78). The sexist and misogynist statements on pop culture are not often approached being them. The advertisement which discriminates women are easily found, but the actual impact on women is rather what comes with mass culture then what it presents (Dovchin et al. 16). Culture of many countries dictates girls not to speak about menstruation if they are around men. It does not only come from the past, but with the representation of shame women see in the media when the secret of menstruation reveals. Therefore, popular culture is not created to invite each person participate in, but to show what they hypothetically should strive for, destroying and forming individuality at the same time.
Plastic surgery is anti-women empowerment, even though it is often represented as a procedure that gives inner strength. It starts with younger girls that are confused of their looks because of seeing faces with lip fillers, nose jobs and different kinds of lifts. The cycle goes all of the way up to the elder women getting plastic surgeries in order not to be accused of aging. Feminists have been fighting for women’s freedom and equality, but for changing the perspective on women’s bodies and faces. While females fight for normalizing natural complexion, aging, and no makeup beauty, popular culture dictates self-love after achieving the socially beautiful image with surgeries.
Teenage girls who cannot afford unnatural beauty improvements, but who believe in the beauty standard, often perform even more tremendous rituals. Unhealthy diets made to deplete the body often lead to mental illness, such as anorexia, bulimia or binge eating. In trying to imitate unnatural celebrity bodies, girls wear dangerous waist trainers, corsets, or use much softer methods such as body scrubs and cremes made to burn fat. These devices and methods are a few amongst 4.2 trillion search results in Google by the “how to lose weight” request. Keeping Up with the Kardashians is one of the many shows that promotes small weight and bigger hips, which is practically not possible to get without genetics or plastic surgery. Many girls, even knowing the fact they will not be able to archive the same body, make every effort to be as close to the ideal complexion as possible, which is the main reason why they suffer as a result.
Keeping Up with the Kardashians has done a severe impact on a few generations throughout America and outside of it. The most confusing thing about the show is how Kylie Jenner acts before plastic surgeries and after them (Keeping Up with the Kardashians). Kylie goes under the spotlight when she is only ten years old, entering the show. Being surrounded by a family in which everyone gets or thinks of getting a plastic surgery to improve looks, it should have been hard to resist it. In 2022, Kylie Jenner is the role model for teenager and have been since around 2014. Before plastic surgeries, she admitted to having low self-esteem and issues with confidence (Keeping Up with the Kardashians). Despite the fact Kylie is now talking and promoting self-love on her social media and others, she has never revealed to have a plastic surgery.
Kylie has only admitted to having lip fillers, but comparing her looks from the past years, it is definitely seen she had severe surgeries on her face and body. Many celebrities, including Kylie Jenner, deny having plastic surgery even if it appears obvious. It may not be an issue from adults that can tell without a doubt that Kylie has undergone numerous treatments. However, it remains an issue for younger teenagers and children who tend to believe their role models or in general, trust people much easier. Seeing Kylie Jenner growing up with plastic surgeries, many children are doubting themselves about their looks. Girls believe they will grow up and a bit bigger nose will magically turn smaller. But in fact, growing up does not change face features or body proportions in the contrast with Kylie’s answers when she talks about plastic surgeries.
Self-love is redefined by the Kardashians and other big influences on social media such as Instagram and Tik Tok. A decade ago, to archive self-love a person should have accepted themselves as they were born, embrace their natural beauty, and be confident with their looks and personality (Dovchin et al. 42). In 2022, self-love is not driven by love to what was given to people by nature anymore. Influencers and bloggers promote self-love as caring about your body, dieting, caring about your skin, doing dangerous procedures as laser resurfacing, and plastic surgeries. Now, celebrities influence their audience to go and get that plastic surgery to archive confidence and establish self-esteem, rather then talk about accepting and loving what those people have had naturally.
The change in the definition of self-love has impacted many people, plastic surgery is gaining more popularity and customers. Looking back a few years ago, the media only portrayed young rich people to have treatments, or older people. At the moment, plastic surgeries are lower in prices because of high demand, and it may seem as every five high school girls on social media are getting nose jobs or lip fillers. Surgeries are now not only for rich people, every other person with a medium income is able to get some beauty treatment (Cicchelli and Octobre 84). As principal, there is no bad about plastic surgery, but it becomes dangerous when is done by underage children. There are many controversial stories of teenage girls getting lip fillers at home when the beauty ritual ends in the emergency room. With the obsession over perfection and help of popular culture, younger generations are performing dangerous treatments, and the definition of self-love and its promotion only influences children more.
There is a movement of women on social media that are trying to break through the new standards of beauty. They promote the past definition of self-love, body positivity, and suggest their audience to listen to their own body, and not believe what people see on social media. Filters that change facial features impact people see themselves in the mirror after shooting a video with a filter, but the influencers from the movement advice not to use such filters to not lose confidence. Despite the fact that the movement is growing, there is still almost to change in the pressure on women to get a perfect body and face.
To conclude, popular culture is able to be a good influence: teach creativity, explore different sides of the media, and find their interest. It directly influences the way young adults communicate, think, and dress. If a person finds their ideal niche within mass media, it can help them find confidence and self-love. On the other hand, pop culture has a severe toxic influence on most people, because almost no-one is capable of fitting under the cultural norms perfectly. For the generation who are young adults right now, Keeping Up with the Kardashians has ruined their body image and thoughts about their looks. Society has to break the cycle of ideal women bodies and faces, achieved with plastic surgeries, and turn back to embracing natural beauty.
Works Cited
Cicchelli, Vincenzo and Sylvie Octobre. The Sociology of Hallyu Pop Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, 2021.
Dovchin, Sender et al. Popular Culture, Voice and Linguistic Diversity: Young Adults On- and Offline. Palgrave Macmillan, 2017.
Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Created by Ryan Seacrest, Ryan Seacrest Productions, 2007-2021.
Vyomakesisri, Tippabhotla et al. “Pop Culture: Interaction of and Influence on the Youth.” International Journal of English, Literature and Social Sciences, vol. 5, no. 1, 2020, pp. 8-12.
Yu, Timothy. “Sailing Away from the Pyramid: A Revised Visual Representation of Maslow’s Theory Z”. Sage, 2022.