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Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Keeping Up With The Kardashians & other Social Media Shit


If you are Keeping up with the Kardashians where does that leave anyone that doesn't look like them?

I was having chat with a friend at #brunch about who is successful on social media in the beauty, fashion, and lifestyle communities and why. 

No surprise here, but the media impacts social media and influences interest based on who is most widely seen. 

The media = the blueprint
Social media emulates that blueprint 

You have probably seen that hashtag #representationmatters well, I hope you have seen it. Without representation, the underrepresented seep into the background and the message of not having someone who looks like you on TV, magazines, or movies causes a prodding "why is there no one who looks like me in the public eye?" question.

There is a gap in who is represented - kind of like when you can't find your correct foundation color. When I go to the explore page on Instagram, I am suddenly viewing non-poc ass cheeks and lip fillers. I love big lips and thick legs as much as the next person who enjoys a snack and I have no qualms with plastic surgery or enhancements but why is this trending so much now when it was looked down upon or overlooked just a few years ago? I truly feel that the majority of where this trend came from in American culture has been largely influenced by the Kardashians. I hate to call physical attributes a trend, but unfortunately that is what they have now become. 

If you don't want to read about race this is your chance to click away. 🙃

Physical attributes are not respective to any one particular ethnicity or race. However, whether you agree or not, black women have typically been categorized for having voluptuous bodies and fuller lips. Why did it take women who are not African American to make these attributes more widely acceptable and appear more high profile? 

The Kardashian women are gorgeous and their aesthetic is on lock. Kris Jenner knows she can make a profit but it is no secret that their brand has capitalized and gained huge profits from ripping off black culture. Bo Derek / boxer braids, Grills, Kendall's Pepsi commercial.
Come on.

Their aesthetic has created a blueprint for non-woc to emulate to on social media. Some of my favorite Instagram accounts with thousands or even a few million followers house beauties that mimic the look and aesthetic of Kylie or Kim. That is not to say they are not talented in their own respect, but looking like someone who is already famous definitely does not hurt their chances of social media success.

I am not here to bash the Kardashians or any social media stars who have gained success from an opportunity they have created but just to have a conversation on why is it important to keep challenging the images and ideas constantly being pushed in our faces.  

Still with me? 

I am loving Yara Shahidi, Zendaya, and Rihanna to name drop a few but they're all light skinned beauties. Since there is less representation of brown skinned women in the public eye, I feel we don't have a blueprint for social media so we do not look as familiar to people. I am not saying you have to copy someone else's image to be successful but less familiarity will be challenging for viewers because the underrepresented may be seen as less relatable. More importantly, lack of seeing someone who looks like you could create self esteem and mental health issues. 

There are so many factors of social media success and what I've written just touches on a few of those factors but one beautiful aspect of social media is that people who once may not have had a voice, now do. 

The solution seems be to create that blueprint that may not yet be in the eye of the media.  

It may sound cliche, but being the change you want to see is the only way to start something new.



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2 comments

  1. We are trend setters but can never figure out how to come up

    ReplyDelete
  2. it's a process for sure. keep at it! xo

    Taylor

    ReplyDelete

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