C: Kardashians

I remember when I first heard the Kardashian name.  It was when OJ was big in the news. Remember the White Bronco chase?

Robert Kardashian was an attorney and a friend to OJ.  The Simpson trial was in 1995. 

Fast forward now to 2011.  It’s Robert’s daughters, Kourtney, Kim & Khloe, who are all the news now, apparently.

I must admit that I am somewhat interested how someone becomes famous and extremely well-paid in our society for doing…well, for doing….well, for being….Okay, I give up.  What are they famous for? 

Here’s the family portrait.  That’s Olympian Bruce Jenner on the right (stepdad to Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian and father to the two younger girls to the front) :

Missing from the photo is the Kardashian son (the focus is on the girls) and Bruce Jenner’s multiple children from his two past marriages.

I don’t mean to be critical, here, of the Kardashians, er, or the Jenners, er, or whomever they are.  They just live differently (much) than do I, and it’s not just because they have waaaaay more money than do I, which they do.

I have watched a couple of their reality shows.  (Okay, I admit it: I do watch sometimes as my brain is defusing from all-day real problems that are not seen on the K’s shows). 

Okay, enough back story.  The older three K girls live a fairly loose life style.  Kourtney is on-again-off-again with her baby daddy, Scott.  Kim is occasionally dragging some hunk in to spend the night—no shame on television.  Guess I”m out-moded.

Kendall is the one I’m thinking about this morning.  That’s Kylie to the front left of the picture above (in pink),  her sister Kendall next to her.

As I walked through the living room this morning, television playing for white noise in the background, I heard a Kardashian promo.  It seems that fifteen-year-old Kendall is on birth control pills.  The promo was “Tune in to find out why Kendall is on birth control….”  There is a short snippet of big-sister Khloe exclaiming, “I don’t think THAT’s the reason she’s taking them…”

Really?  Really?  Why would a fifteen-year-old girl take birth control pills?  I think, probably, it has to do with her monthly cycles.  (Gosh, I hope so!)  But what fifteen-year-old wants that plastered on television?

Look at sweet Kendall in the family photo above, and then compare to this photo shoot of her last year—at age fourteen:

What are we marketing, here?

Or how about this fourteen-year-old Kendall:

Yeah, I know, I’m a prude, but I have to ask: is this mother doing this girl favors?  She will be rich (already is, I suppose) beyond what I will ever be.  So, I guess it’s just Mom looking out for her daughter’s future.

Oh, by the way, her parents will be richer, as well, as Kendall’s wealth grows—they manage all the girls.  Do you think this has anything at all to do with Kendall’s going very public with all these personal aspects of her young life?

Should you sell your private life?

Do you think her parents exploit her?  She seems to want to do this…is it wise?    Just asking…

Not to worry, father Bruce, took the reins.  (That’s him to the left—how many plastic surgeries do you think he’s had, anyway?)

Here is his explanation of how he was watching out for his fourteen-year-old model/daughter:

I sat down with her and said 'If I see school slipping, that's not going  to work. You're going to stop until you're out of school,'" he said. "Last year she had her best year ever, so I encourage it. I think it builds a lot of character in a young person so I have no problem with them starting early.

Character building.  Right.

Does Kendall get any privacy?  Does she want it?  Do her parents want it for her?

I guess those of us who are interested will know all about Kendall and her hormonal problems and her many growing-up changes.  Very publicly.  No privacy.  At all…seems weird to me.  C.