Opinion: Why we shouldn’t keep up with the Kardashians

Sunday nights at 9 p.m., America tunes into E! and zombifies over one family and their limitless amounts of drama. The Kardashian-Jenners have somehow created an empire that has Americans hooked. From Kylie’s infa­mous lip kits to Khloe’s crazy workout regimen, people everywhere consume their lifestyle as if it were their own.

Let’s cut to the chase: America has more things to worry about than the Kardashian dynasty.

A prime example of this has been the Kylie Jenner pregnancy. She hid her entire pregnancy, leaving social media in a frenzy. For the past nine months, every social media outlet was consumed with the curiosity of what was going on in Kylie’s life — but why? Kylie was just privatizing her life to focus on her preg­nancy, rather than the tabloids. Of course, instead of respecting that pri­vacy, America chose to interrogate and spy on her. Society is so used to know­ing this family’s every waking move that it became a scandal when Kylie began privatizing it.

To boot, the Kardashian-Jenner royalty are not even positive influ­ences to society. For example: sex tapes, body modifications and reality TV shows of their fame create unhealthy expectations to society. It is that Kar­dashian perfect look that leaves Amer­ican girls and women dissatisfied with their body image. Society is looking up to these unrealistic body standards and morphing body types to attain an un­healthy lifestyle.

Whether or not we tune in to “Keep­ing up with the Kardashians,” the Kar­dashian-Jenner family isn’t going any­where. They hold millions of followers on multiple social media platforms, several reality TV shows that millions watch and beauty product lines that alter appearances. And, in retrospect, these aren’t horrible acts either. I am a big fan of the show, and I own several of Kylie’s lip kits myself. There’s no shame in that.

However, I cannot look past all of the immoral values this family holds. As they are the most popular family in pop culture, they could do a lot of incredible things for society — but they waste their efforts on a materialistic level. Instead of sup­porting these women, we should be looking for role models in the world who are spokeswomen of great things, such as Emma Watson and her fight for the environment and feminism, or Beyoncé and her love for family and hard work ethic.

America holds so many influential role models, so why are we so focused on this one family? We all wish to live the Beverly Hills lifestyle, and this fam­ily taunts us with their endless supply of cash and luxury. We carefully watch the shows and dream of ways to live a Kardashian lifestyle — and this isn’t healthy! America has a lot happening, and we should be more focused on real­ity, rather than reality TV.

America needs more role models that teach society the value of hard work and sacrifice. Instead of obsessing over the Kardashian-Jenner clan, I chal­lenge the UWT community this week to pick another significant celebrity and research on what they are doing for society. It’s time to start focusing on serious matters going on throughout the world, rather than whether Kim has a fake rear end or not.