On Sunday, March 19, "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" aired the episode entitled "Paris" which documented the family’s time in the city for Paris Fashion Week and the horrific robbery that Kim was a victim of. When it was released that the show would document this horrific experience many dissenters attacked both the show and family calling them greedy, saying that they were trying to capitalize off of the situation and some even used it as proof to fan the theory that Kim staged the attack. I, however, believe that it was extremely brave of both Kim and her family to speak about such a traumatic experience and share it with the world through their own controlled platform.
After experiencing a traumatic event, the re-telling of that story multiple times makes you relive the event over and over each time. The fact that Kim was willing to make herself that vulnerable on camera to share her story with the world shows how strong she truly is as a human being. And even though her family was not directly involved in the robbery and attack, they had to relive that experience of not knowing what had happened to her or if she was all right all over again.
Yes, they could have chosen to not tell the story of Paris on their reality television show but they chose to for many reasons. Kim and the family were brave enough to tell their story and this could inspire people who have been through similar situations but are afraid to say anything to speak up, knowing they would be heard. Finally telling the story of the attack from their perspective on their own reality television show as opposed to doing an interview also gave them control over the situation. With an interview, the reporter could throw out any question that they wanted to and as the interviewee, you may get caught in a specific question and not be able to give the full story like you wanted to. Being able to show the events leading up to the attack, show comments from Kim and the family after the fact, and hear Kim’s first-hand account in her own words allowed all sides of the story to be covered without the possibility of misinterpretation or leaving anything out.
While the airing of the episode and the exclusivity of the content must have certainly done wonders for the ratings of the show, I cannot blame Kim or her family for choosing to tell the story in this fashion. They have access to a unique platform through their show where they do not need a middle man and can control major stories like this, and offer direct exclusive details as was done in the ‘Paris’ episode.
This was something that was truly heartbreaking and sickening to watch. To think that such cruelty exists in the world and that this is not even the cruelest thing out there is both heartbreaking and sickening. And to watch Kim explain how the robbery and attack went down, that she begged for her life for her kid's sake, and that at one point she was mentally preparing herself to be raped, it is heartbreaking that absolutely anyone should have to experience that. Yet Kim and her family made themselves vulnerable for a reason, to spread awareness and share their own story so others can be inspired to do so also. This is why I for one find them brave, and not selfish, in reliving that trauma and sharing it with the world.
