Kardashians A Critical Anthology

This interdisciplinary volume introduces the field of Kardashian Studies through collections of essays based in sociology, media studies, cultural studies, critical race theory, and fashion theory.

The Kardashian empire and dynasty is intertwined with some of the most important movements of the early 21st century. Celebrity, cultural appropriation, new forms of feminism, social media, ideal bodies, evolving notions of physical beauty, and the global fashion system have all been affected by the quintessential influencers in this family of matriarchs. The anthology is structured around core thematic sections. From Storytelling and Race through Fashion and Celebrity to Time and Embodiment, each section contains an accessible introduction followed by chapters that together take a unique approach to exploring the Kardashians from multiple viewpoints. The inclusion of discussion points suitable for classroom use enhances the utility of the anthology for both study and teaching purposes.

The first of its kind, Kardashians: A Critical Anthology positions Kardashian Studies at the forefront of critical inquiry around notions of authenticity, contemporary feminisms, visuality and social media. It will of interest to both scholars and students interested in popular culture, television, notions of authenticity, contemporary feminisms, visuality, race, and social media.

List of Contributors

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction: Kuriously Kritical: Kardashians as Cyborg Goddesses

Meredith Jones

Section 1: Storytelling

Introduction

Meredith Jones

Chapter 1: Family Brands: The Kardashian-Jenners and the Nelsons

Cynthia B. Meyers

Chapter 2: The performance of authorship in published books by the Kardashians and Jenners

Donna Lee Brien

Chapter 3: Selfish: a happy archive?

Laura Henderson Child

Section two: Race

Introduction

Meredith Jones

Chapter 4: There Is No Sexual Relation: The Kardashians and Black Masculinities

Manuel Harpin

Chapter 5: Kim Kardashian’s “Kimono”: The complexities of cultural appropriation

Jenny Hall

Chapter 6: White Multiracial Sentiment

Ren Ellis Neyra

Section Three: Fashion

Introduction

Meredith Jones

Chapter 7: SKIMS: Body-Positive or Kimspiraton?

Katherine Appleford

Chapter 8: Glitter and the Death Drive: Kim Kardashian’s Met Gala costumes

Meredith Jones

Section Four: Embodiment

Introduction

Meredith Jones

Chapter 9: The Corporeality of Reproduction, and Surrogate Pregnancy in Keeping Up with the Kardashians

Siri Lindholm

Chapter 10: “It’s super disgusting”: An analysis of famous cis-men responses to the Kardashian’s deviant femininity

Oline Eaton

Chapter 11: Where Has All the Affect Gone on Kardashian Reality TV?: Negotiating emotional labour and boundaries

Meera Govindasamy

Section Five: Celebrity

Introduction

Meredith Jones

Chapter 12: Debunking Celebrity Activism: Kim Kardashian and Prison Advocacy

Lida Papakonstantinou

Chapter 13: The role of transgender celebrities: the power of representation

Cavyn Mitchell

Chapter 14: In the lab with the Kardashians: how Kardashian-linked research finds its audience

Michael Taylor and Carlos Areia

Section Six: Time

Introduction

Meredith Jones

Chapter 15: The Kardashians Will Never Die: On Repetition and Infinity

Phoebe Kaufman

Chapter 16: Use of Artificial Intelligence and Holography: Robert Kardashian Resurrected?

Lida Papakonstantinou

Chapter 17: Keeping up with the past, present and future: How the Kardashians sustain relevancy by manipulating reality

Ruby Smith

Index

Meredith Jones is Professor of Gender and Cultural Studies at Brunel University London where she directs the Institute of Communities and Society. Apart from her work on the Kardashians she is best known for her research into cosmetic surgery and is currently contracted to Bloomsbury to produce a second edition of her book Skintight: A Cultural Anatomy of Cosmetic Surgery. She also enjoys writing about genitals and fashion.

Kath Burton is development lead for humanities journals at Routledge, Taylor & Francis. She is co-convener of Publishing and Publicly Engaged Humanities group who support the creation of dynamic publishing practices for the public humanities.

Donna Lee Brien is Emeritus Professor of Creative Industries at Central Queensland University, Australia, and teaches into graduate programs at the Australian Catholic University. Currently writing a history of Sydney's Bondi Beach, Donna’s most recent books are Paradox, Image and Identity: The Shadow Side of Nursing (co-authored with Margaret McAllister, 2020) and Speculative Biography: Opportunities, Experiments and Provocations(edited with Kiera Lindsey, 2022), both for Routledge.