Kim Kardashian West is iconic for being at the pinnacle of the Kardashian/Jenner clan…or should I say empire. As a worldwide celebrity, she has changed the game when it comes to fame by broadcasting her private life via social media and her family’s hit reality TV show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
And while her face may be plastered across magazines and social media platforms, many people don’t quite get why she attracts so much attention – and that’s an understatement. After all, she is probably one of the biggest celebrities out there that people love to hate and hate to love.
I actually used to be one of those people: way back when, I loved to hate her, but later converted to hating to love her once I began watching KUWTK.
In more recent years, I’ve felt neutral-to-positive about the Kardashians, as I am impressed by the family’s business successes and the way they manage to stay in the limelight constantly. So, I was actually really excited for this season of KUWTK, which marks the show’s 10th anniversary – and the pregnancy rumors didn’t hurt.
And while the show thus far has yet to confirm Khloé and Kylie’s pregnancies, I’ve practically forgotten about that news because the real and rightful star of this season – on and off the show – is the one and only KKW. I feel like I get her now, and I respect her for it, but if you’re still skeptical, check out how she’s been killing the game below:
1. She knows how to handle media crises like a champ.
The first episode of the season showed the aftermath of the Pepsi commercial fiasco with Kendall Jenner, who was in tears over the outrage it caused. She turned to Kardashian West, a veteran at dealing with scandal in the media, for advice, and I have to applaud KKW for the way she responded. She defended her sister, saying she knows she would never intend to be insensitive, but then said this is not something Jenner could ignore. She advised her to be real and honest, and told her, “It should affect you in a way where you grow from it, and you’re like, ‘Okay, I’m a better person from it.’ ”
KKW took her own advice later in the season when she was accused of showing photos of herself in blackface to promote her makeup line (she explained she was just trying to show off her contour), saying it’s best to acknowledge the situation, apologize and remedy it as soon as possible.
2. She let herself be vulnerable on camera.
In the news, you might have seen photos of KKW on a beach in Mexico where she wasn’t looking her best, and she got some backlash for it. First of all, she’s had two kids, was on vacation and is a human being, so let’s not have unrealistic expectations, people (the photos weren’t even that bad). Nevertheless, a KUWTK episode addressed these images, and you could see KKW was devastated – I mean, who wants to be body-shamed by someone, let alone by millions? She was already anxious enough being in Mexico since the Paris incident, and some superficial matter is not something she needed to deal with. She expressed her insecurities, which, coming from someone renowned for her body, was very humanizing.
3. She is philanthropic – and instills such values upon her kids.
KKW took some serious action to raise awareness for homelessness in Los Angeles. With her sisters, she drove along Skid Row to show what a problem it is, and she and Khloé met workers at Union Rescue Mission to learn more about the matter. Kardashian West later drove around the city with councilwoman Nury Martinez, and literally got out of the car to speak to homeless people face to face. She then organized a party for women at the Alexandria House, a shelter for women and single moms.
She also volunteered with daughter North and sister Kourtney at the Los Angeles Food Bank, stressing the importance of giving back especially during the holidays
4. She handles even the most uncomfortable interview questions with grace.
Even off of KUWTK, Kardashian West has been handling herself on screen with total elegance. During an interview with actress Jennifer Lawrence, who took over as guest host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Lawrence blatantly asked KKW what she thinks about Blac Chyna. If you haven’t heard, Chyna has had quite some drama with ex-fiancée Rob Kardashian and the whole Kardashian/Jenner crew, but rather than getting into their feud, KKW politely responded, “Dream is gonna see this one day, and so I just think it’s super respectful to just not say anything about, you know, my niece’s mom.”
5. She launched her own beauty line.
As the queen of contour, KKW launched her very own beauty line, KKW Beauty, on June 21, and has been selling out and restocking like crazy since. Her most recent products, the Ultralight Beams powder and lip gloss kit, launched on December 1. By December 2, the $160 Ultralight Beams Collection, including all five colors of the powder/lip gloss duos, sold out, but as of December 3rd, the individual sets were still available.
6. She has shown off her sense of humor.
KKW appeared as a guest on The Late Late Show with James Corden, where the two played Corden’s infamous game, “Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts.” If you’re not familiar with this bit, it features Corden and a celebrity asking each other personal questions at a table, and if they do not want to answer, they have to eat one of the disgusting dishes, such as bird saliva or a scorpion, on the table. The two were hilarious together, and when Corden asked KKW about her sisters’ rumored pregnancies, rather than divulge anything, she took a sip of her sardine smoothie like a boss.
On The Ellen DeGeneres Show, KKW said in response to these pregnancy rumors that she and her family “respect each other’s rights to speak for themselves,” so she would let her sisters be the first to address the subject.
Keep in up, Kim K.