Who is Kim Kardashian and what does she represent? From this photo and countless others where she is posed half or fully nude one would think that Kim is only a pretty face and body with no brains who has only become famous due to her unbelievable good looks and curvaceous body which she herself has exploited. Yet, E!’s reality TV show Keeping Up with the Kardashians has in some way, broken down this idea, however, I do not think Ariel Levy would agree with me.
For those of you who may not know who Kim Kardashian is (get yourself out from under the rock) she is most known for posing nude, sex tape leak, being the face for Bongo Jeans and Travis Barker’s Famous Stars and Straps clothing line, she has released workout DVD’s, she has her own perfume, and co-owns clothing boutique. Regardless of her accomplishments, I believe Levy would look at Kim as another girl who has just fed into raunch culture. Levy would say this because Kim has exploited her own body for her own personal goal and for her own fame. This according to Levy is not liberating. Kim Karadsian exudes sex and confidence, which is what raunch culture, is all about. She enjoys her body and showing it off. She is embracing the male dominant culture, as Levy sees it. According to Levy, Kim is playing in to this culture where showing your sexual preference or exuding sexuality is liberating-Kim is enjoying what men enjoy. Kim is working off of the minamizer theory, which ignores biological differences and sees men and women as equal. Anything a man can do a women can also do. The difference that Levy would point out is that you do not see men posing nude to exude confidence or sexuality. Women are supposedly equal to men, yet women and men are not doing the same things, and this is Levy’s problem.
I agree to some degree with Levy when it comes to what women choose to do to exude their sexuality. I think it is completely wrong to pose nude or exploit yourself in anyway if you are not doing it for your own pleasure. If you are getting something out of it, than who am I to say anything against it? In some ways I do play into this raunch culture, as Levy sees it. However, I think the difference is that when I dress up in skimpy outfits I do it for my own pleasure. I like the way I look and my confidence shines through. Yes, I am probably grabbing attention and the eye of men, yet my intention of the night is not to look promiscuous in order to bring home a guy at the end of the night, its to go out looking good and to have a good time with my friends. I think it is wrong of Levy to point fingers and say that these women are only posing. Yes, she does give good examples in her book, yet those are only a select group of people out of this category that she calls raunch culture.
Back to Kim, I think Kim is like me in regards to the fact that she participates in raunch culture for her own pleasure. You may disagree but I think her sex tape helps my claim. I assume that her sex tape was meant for her and her boyfriend at the time. I say this because when it was leaked to the media Kim took legal steps to sue those who leaked it. Eventually the suit was settled. Her sex tape is different than her nude modeling shots. She knowingly knows she is posing naked where everyone can see her, yet that does not mean she is only posing and performing sexiness.
Is Kim objectifying herself? Did she play upon her sexuality to promote herself and further her career? Kim comes from a wealthy family and really would have no need to do so. E!’s reality TV show Keeping up with the Kardasians illustrates that there is more to Kim than just a pretty face/body who is exploiting herself to reach a certain career path. In the show Kim is always with her family and the audience sees her and her family’s struggles and disputes as well as their compassion and love for one another. She has a strong background and good family values. The TV series also shows Kim in decision-making position when it comes to her co-owned clothing company as well as her modeling career. Levy would claim that she is acting like a man because when it comes making decisions because she is stating her ground and not letting anyone direct her against her gut. She is being powerful “like a man”, Levy would say this is a masculine trait. Yet, I do not agree with Levy. I think we need to strip ourselves away from masculine and feminine roles. Women can be powerful! I do not think this means women are losing themselves. In fact I think this mean that we are humans who have different emotions and exert those at different times and settings.
Overall, Levy has some really great points but I think she is narrow-minded and exerts her own opinions on the issues she discusses. I agree that women who participate in raunch culture can be exploiting themselves and may not be the best role models for young girls if they are just posing and not pleasing themselves. Yet, if women are happy then who is to say they are wrong? Why do we continue to see power as a male trait? I think raunch culture has in some ways allowed women to be sexually free and to express themselves and their sexuality. If participation in raunch culture is done for ones own pleasure than it definitely is sexually liberating and I think it does show that women can be sexy, confident and powerful on their own terms. Look at me I AM WOMAN!!!
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