User:Pbergmann33/Keeping Up with the Kardashians

Criticism
According to the cultivation theory, what people often watch can possibly influence them and their behaviour, which is significant in the context of Keeping Up with the Kardashians because of how many fans the show has. Reality TV shows can draw criticism because they can promote unfavourable traits or unrealistic lifestyles and influence the viewers’ lives in a subtle or obvious way. In the case of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, the family has changed and influenced beauty standards by popularizing their appearance through the TV show and is profiting from it by establishing their own cosmetic and fashion brands. The Kardashians are known for their curvy bodies, and specifically Kim Kardashian for her famously big buttock, which famously “broke the internet” in 2014. During the time their show aired (2007-2021), buttock lift surgery, a cosmetic surgical procedure to improve or increase the appearance of the buttocks, rose by 92% in women and 644% in men. Not to mention the numerous buttock enhancing cosmetic procedures that were introduced and popularized during the two decades, like buttock augmentation with fat grafting and buttock injections with fillers. Apart from unrealistic appearances, Keeping Up with the Kardashians is known to show the lavish lifestyle of the Kardashian family in a very obvious. These beauty trends can be attributed to America's most famous family's influence. They, for the most part, are frequently shown flying on private jet planes, eating in exclusive restaurants, dressing in expensive, designer clothes, and driving luxury cars all in one of the most expensive cities in the world - Los Angeles. Keeping in mind the cultivation theory, watching the Kardashians show off their mostly unattainable lifestyle and opulent wealth can promote materialism in the show’s audiences.

Materialism is not inherently bad, however, the majority of Americans are currently in debt and may suffer a further decline in their monetary status from being influenced by the consumerism message of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Promoting a lifestyle and beauty standards that are unachievable for the majority of people can be considered irresponsible by critics. Audiences trying to imitate the Kardashian's lifestyle portrayed on the show may end up falling into debt or undergoing cosmetic procedures to achieve the same look as Kardashians.