The Kardashian Takeover

It's rare to go to the grocery store these days without seeing one of the Kardashian sister's on the front cover of a magazine. Kim, Kourtney and Khloe have taken over the world of public media with the empire they have created over the past several years. If you are unsure as to how the Kardashian family came to be in the public eye, you are not alone! Many people wonder how these girls became famous, as they don't seem to do much, other than own some businesses and appear on several reality shows. The truth is the girls are famous due to their father, Robert Kardashian, who was the defence lawyer in the OJ Simpson murder trial in 1995, sadly he passed away from esophageal cancer in 2003, but his family has managed to keep their name in the public eye.

Before they became known in the public eye the sister ran their own little boutique in Calabasas, California, known as DASH. It wasn't until the sisters, as well as their mother, stepfather and siblings signed on to do a reality TV series that the family became extremely famous. Keeping Up with the Kardashians has followed the family throughout the last six years, with several spin offs including Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami, Khloe and Lamar and Kourtney and Kim Take New York. Generally, I have watched all of these shows as a sort of guilty pleasure and I was completely aware of their involvement in the spotlight, but it didn't hit me until the other day when I was at work when I saw there faces on every single gossip magazine on the newsstands.

Each week there seems to be a new baby being added to the family, a new romance or a divorce occurring with at least one of the Kardashians. This week it seems that Kourntey and her long time boyfriend, Scott Disick, got into a huge argument after a marriage proposal that went terribly wrong. Kourtney had reportedly asked for a prenup to protect her fortune, which sent Scott on a rampage. This most certainly isn't the first, nor will it be the last, of the tabloid stories surrounding this couple. Kourtney isn't the only one who suffers from relationship stories spread throughout the media, Khloe has recently been the tabloids top pick when it comes to her relationship with husband Lamar Odom.
Every week they are one step closer to a divorce due to several different factors, such as distance and infidelity. Kim's highly profiled relationship with Kris Humphries is still a huge part of the media, as the two are going through a highly publicized divorce, all while Kim has began her new relationship with rapper, Kanye West. According to reports the two on the road to marriage and children, all before her divorce to Kris is finalized. Every member of the Kardashian family has found themselves in the tabloids week after week, but it seems these three just keep the stories coming.

Personally, I used to find their shows extremely entertaining, they were easy to watch and didn't take much energy to focus on, but I have found lately that as they get even more famous the show has begun to lose its appeal. All the shows do know is follow their lives around while they do their day-to-day photo shoots or interviews, and it really isn't all that exciting anymore. I don't mind watching Kourtney and Khloe, as they seem to have a more down-to-earth spirit, mainly focusing on their relationships and children, but Kim seems almost too caught up in her own celebrity to give anything beneficial to the show. I do still watch the show from time to time, but often find myself yelling at the TV when Kim is on another one of her hissy fits. Plus, why watch the show when you can read all about it in a magazine the next week.

The unfortunate thing about the stories these magazines put out, real or fiction, is that people die for them and will continue to pay for them until publishing stops. I'm not going to lie, I used to be that person that bought every tabloid each week and sit down and read them for hours, essentially living off the gossip that was being fed to me, but then I began to wonder: when does it stop? The stories these companies put out can be extremely absurd and I can't even imagine the effects they can have on the celebrities themselves, as well as their families. Could you imagine walking into a grocery store to see a magazine with your daughter on front claiming she had a quick marriage to her boyfriend of only two weeks? I would imagine that would break your heart a little each time you read such a ridiculous story, later finding out it wasn't true at all. I would have to say that the huge factor that caused me to stop purchasing these magazines was seeing the effect the paparazzi had on the life of Britney Spears. Although her breakdown was bound to happen, due to a mental disorder, the constant need for that "perfect" picture drove these individuals to follow her every move and I thought to myself, maybe if people stop paying for the gossip they produce, maybe it will all stop. It's hard to see such young stars being harassed by the media every day of their life, and I really hope the Kardashian family doesn't have to experience any heartbreak due to the works of the media, but unfortunately it often comes to that.

Overall, what do you guys think about the Kardashian family? Have you ever watched their shows or kept up with their stories? And if you have, when has the line been crossed with the lives of celebrities and their personal lives?