It’s your last chance to get caught up with the Kardashians

In 2021, we’ll be bidding ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ goodbye

Image by: Jodie Grieve
The fan-favourite reality show is coming to an end.

Earlier this month, the Kardashians announced their hit reality show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, will finally be ending its 14-year run in early 2021.

If you’re anything like me, you’re getting condolence messages from your friends and mourning the loss of quality entertainment. If you fall on the other side of the spectrum, you’re probably thinking it’s about time this show came to an end.

But whether you’re a fan of the famous family or not, you have to admit: the Kardashians have kept themselves busy. It’s hard to argue with the facts—the family members have had numerous successful business ventures, from makeup to fashion, cosmetics, books, and television.

These fierce women haven’t stopped making money and building their personal brands over the run of the show. They’re constantly outdoing their past selves—and selfies—by taking on an endless stream of new projects and businesses. It’s because of their relentless work ethic, management, and controversial appeal that the Kardashians have remained on the front covers of magazines and in major headlines for almost a decade and a half.

The show’s demise may mark the end of an era for reality television—and not an entirely positive one. From appropriating Black culture to implying that police violence can be solved with a can of Pepsi, the family has faced more than their fair share of backlash. Being in the public eye means fame and money, but also scrutiny—all things they’ve accepted with the territory for the past 14 years.

The Kardashians have redefined how we think of famous families and become a sort of modern-day Brady Bunch for the social media era. Don’t get me wrong: the show is often staged and scripted, and with their full glam on 24/7, little the Kardashians do on their show seems genuine. But even the scripted moments, looking past their elaborate and bougie lifestyle, can be relatable.

Let’s stop pretending reality shows aren’t impactful just because they’re over-produced—if it wasn’t scripted, it’d probably be boring. Reality television, even at its worst, is meant to simulate real life and experiences. Just because we know some situations aren’t completely organic doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to take away from them.

Staged or not, no family is perfect, and the Kardashians are no exception. The family doesn’t always get along, but aside from making for fun television, their squabbling is relatable to a lot of viewers. At its core, Keeping Up with the Kardashians is a show about family relationships and how to—or, more often, how not to—navigate them.

Over the past months, thanks to the current pandemic, I’ve been spending more time with my family than ever before. Being in such close proximity, we’re bound to have some disagreements. Tuning into the Kardashians’ lives has made me feel better about the occasional argument or frustration—not only do they make it seem normal, but any dispute I have with my family pales in comparison to the drama they have in theirs.

Every family comes with their baggage, and while I once thought it lacked class to air out dirty laundry in public, the show has served as a reminder that no one has a perfect relationship with their family—and perhaps that’s something we all need to see from time to time. The sentiment that not even Hollywood’s ‘IT’ family is perfect is a comforting one.

Keeping Up with the Kardashians gave us a glimpse into a crazy and dysfunctional family. Not everything is picture-perfect, even in a family like the Kardashians; there’s drama, heartbreak, loss, jealously, and there’s love.

While I don’t want to say goodbye to Keeping Up with the Kardashians, I understand that even the most famous families need a break from the limelight. Plus, the end of the show doesn’t mean I won’t be able to continue to support the family that’s stuck together through some wild times. I have no doubt they’ll stay as busy and relevant as they have since 2007. Thank you for fourteen incredible seasons, dolls.

Tags

Kardashians, Television

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