Remember when Kim Kardashian invented butts? Paper Magazine sure would like us to. When they released their scintillating cover issue of Kim K in a sequinned dress, balancing a champagne glass on her formidable silicone buttocks, Paper Mag declared: “Break the Internet Kim Kardashian” And break it she did. In this episode, Hannah and Maia trace Kim Kardashian’s transformation from trashy reality star to fashionista de jour. Since the Paper cover, and with the help of Kanye West, Kim’s body has become the subject of a twisted performance art. But it’s also generated controversy - creating unhealthy trends, grifting from the natural features of Black women, and now disappearing into what we everyone has deemed a “skinny renaissance”. Digression includes: Maia getting riled up about Timothée and Kylie’s fabled romantic union.
SOURCES
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Justin Parkinson, “The Significance of Sarah Baartman” (07/01/16), BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35240987
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Cady Lang, “Keeping Up with the Kardashians Is Ending. But Their Exploitation of Black Women’s Aesthetics Continues”, (10/06/21), Time. https://time.com/6072750/kardashians-blackfishing-appropriation/
Kylie Gilbert, “Backing Away from BBLs” (11/08/22), InStyle https://www.instyle.com/lifestyle/bbl-reversal-trend