How the Kardashians’ reality show changed the world…and themselves
WE’VE spent 13 years Keeping Up With The Kardashians, and now the show is coming to a klose – but not without leaving a lasting legacy on the world.
The Kardashian-Jenner family have impacted every inch of modern culture, from TV to beauty and fashion, and are without doubt the most powerful trendsetters of today.
In fact people who pooh-poohed the show and never watched it might be surprised to learn the influence the family has had on their own lives.
With hundreds of millions of Instagram followers between them, the famous clan are the original influencers and have made big bums, shapewear, selfies and living your life online mainstream — amassing a fortune in the process.
Calling time on the show that made her one of the world’s most famous women, Kim told fans: “Without Keeping Up With The Kardashians, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I am so incredibly grateful to everyone who has watched and supported me and my family.”
Over the years Kim has gone from fashion joke to style icon, with luxury brands such as Balmain and Karl Lagerfeld queuing to dress her. And in 2014 American Vogue made her its cover star.
In 2016, Kim’s husband Kanye West said: “She is breaking boundaries on so many levels. In fashion, designers weren’t trying to make clothes for women with shapes, and now they’re all about really em- bracing and empowering women.”
The Kardashians’ reality TV revolution has even been said by some to have aided the rise of Donald Trump — who starred in his own reality show The Apprentice — to become US President.
Kim has become Trump’s regular visitor at the Oval Office, lobbying for the early release of a number of prisoners, and she is now studying for a law degree and spearheads a criminal justice reform campaign.
It’s a far cry from when the show started in 2007, following the blended family of Kris Kardashian and Bruce Jenner — now Caitlyn — a former Olympic athlete.
Then there was Kris’s late ex-husband Robert, a lawyer who represented OJ Simpson, and Kim, and her infamous sex tape with rapper boyfriend Ray J.
We were also introduced to Kourtney and boyfriend Scott Disick, Khloe and Robert, plus pre-teens Kendall and Kylie.
While reality shows had first aired in the 1990s and early 2000s, the family mastered the scripted format that’s so familiar today.
Since their show launched, Towie, Love Island, Made In Chelsea and Geordie Shore have all become favourites on our screens — and all owe a debt to the Kardashians.
But the family always dreamed bigger than the small screen, and cashed in on their TV show off-air.
From the earliest episodes, original influencers Kim, Kourtney and Khloe have secured social media endorsement deals and partnerships for diet pills, shapewear and sweets.
But the Kardashians also got us talking about big issues, from Caitlyn’s transgender journey to how to co-parent in a modern family.
It’s no wonder that even those who have never watched an episode of the reality show are still able to keep up with the Kardashians. Here is how they left their mark.
Katchphrases
KIM claimed she “broke the internet” in 2014 with her extraordinary cover for Paper magazine – but she and her sisters have been dominating the web for much longer.
Quirky Kardashian catchphrases spread like wildfire through social media – and have remarkable staying power.
When Khloe went to jail (for all of two hours) in 2008 for violating her drink-driving probation, momager Kris scolded Kim for taking selfies en route.
She tearfully said: “Kim, would you stop taking pictures of yourself. Your sister’s going to jail.”
It is a phrase which has been shared repeatedly by fans ever since.
Similarly, Kim lost a diamond earring after then-boyfriend Kris Humphries threw her into the sea off the South Pacific island of Bora Bora.
As she wailed over the lost jewellery – which she soon found – sister Kourtney shouted: “Kim, there’s people that are dying.”
A clip of the phrase has been played more than 95,000 times on video app TikTok.
Transgender issues
WHEN Caitlyn Jenner – formerly Bruce Jenner – decided to transition to a female, the family shared the experience on camera.
In an emotional two-part episode in 2015, called About Bruce, Kris and her daughters discussed their father’s gender identity.
It showed Kris struggling to come to terms with Caitlyn’s new identity while the daughters helped her with her new wardrobe.
The episodes have been applauded for showing the reality of a family member going through gender transition.
Kim said after the episodes aired: “It’s really informative for other families who are going through this.
“People will learn a lot and understand it’s OK to have every emotion – and at the end of the day, I don’t know if you’d say ‘normal family’ but we’re a family that goes through so much.”
Side hustles
THE Kardashians are good at the business of business, too.
Kylie, 23, launched her own brand of lipstick kits after she caused controversy by getting lip fillers aged 15.
Kim released a range of shapewear, SKIMS, which sold out within minutes last year, while Khloe launched clothing line Good American in 2016 and brother Robert had sock brand Arthur George in 2012.
In their wake came Towie’s Amy Childs with a pushchair range and Love Island’s Maura Higgins, who partnered with Ann Summers.
Bums
THANKS to Kim, many women are now embracing their bigger behinds.
Her posterior caused a stir when the show first aired, with many accusing Kim of having had butt implants.
In 2011 she had an X-ray to prove her rear end is all natural.
Although the family have encouraged body positivity for young girls, many are going to dangerous lengths to copy Kim’s peachy bum.
In 2017, one surgeon reported a 500 per cent rise in consultations for risky Brazilian butt lift ops, which can cause blood clots and even death.
Fashion
NO ONE has dictated style in the last decade like the Kardashians.
From bodycon dresses with sky-high heels to sexy athleisure with chunky trainers, we all want to keep up with them.
The sisters certainly know how to stand out.
For the celebrity-studded New York Met Gala last year, Kendall and Kylie wore matching feathered outfits in purple and orange. In the same episode, Kim wore a rib-crushing corset under a clingy latex dress.
Soon, PVC dresses filled clothes shop rails as consumers wanted to look like Kim.
Momagers
WHEN Kim did her first Playboy shoot in 2007 she went with her “momager” – mother Kris. She took pictures as Kim posed, shouting: “You’re doing amazing, sweetie!”
Business-savvy Kris applied to trademark the phrase last month after it became a worldwide meme.
She had already coined “mom-ager” – and has trademarked that too. As “momager”, Kris still manages her six children and takes a ten per cent cut of everything they earn.
Not bad when two of them, Kim and Kylie, are said to be billionaires.
Difficult divorces
KIM caused a stir when she filed for divorce 72 days after marrying basketball star Kris Humphries in 2011 in a ceremony shown in a Kardashians TV special.
During the ceremony, Khloe whispered: “I give it six f***ing months.”
She and another basketball player, Lamar Odom, had married in 2009, a month after meeting.
But the marriage foundered amid cheating rumours and a struggle to conceive.
After they divorced, Lamar was hospitalised after being found unconscious in a brothel in 2015.
Secret pregnancies
LIPSTICK entrepreneur Kylie, 23, managed to keep her pregnancy a secret until her daughter Stormi Webster was born in 2018.
She took fans by surprise when she revealed the birth via a YouTube video and a KUWTK episode.
Since then, other celebrities have followed a similar line.
Katy Perry revealed her pregnancy by Orlando Bloom in a music video for Never Worn White in March this year. Baby Daisy was born last month.
In June, Iggy Azalea revealed on Instagram she had had a baby boy.
Modern parenting
THE cameras have been rolling while family members negotiated complicated parental arrangements.
When heavily pregnant Khloe found out boyfriend Tristan Thompson had cheated on her, the drama unfolded on KUWTK.
She tearfully told the camera: “I’m not just a TV show. Like, this is my life.”
After 12 years and three kids together, Kourtney and Scott Disick split up in 2017.
He started dating Lionel Richie’s daughter Sofia – and all three went on holiday together.
He and Sofia split in May this year.
Romantic gestures
KANYE West’s proposal to Kim in 2014 was unforgettable.
He got down on one knee at San Francisco’s AT&T Stadium and as a 50-piece orchestra played Lana del Rey’s Young And Beautiful, “PLEEEASE MARRY MEEE!!!” flashed on a giant screen.
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And he’s not the only family partner to enjoy wildly romantic gestures.
Kylie’s on-and-off-again partner Travis Scott filled her mansion with roses for Valentine’s Day last year.
This Valentine’s, Kylie’s house was full of sunflowers, but she would not say who they were from.
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