I don't care about Kim Kardashian. Wait, that's not entirely true. I have to admit, I do look at pictures of her as if I were driving by a guy mooning someone on the street -- I can't help but look and wonder, why is this happening?
I hear yammers of an engagement on the morning news; her family members are splashed across every junk magazine on the rack with the words SPLIT and DISASTER stamped across; and every single move that is made is calculated, scripted and regulated. Isn't she bored of herself? She must be. Aren't we bored of her? And then, I wonder about our culture at large.
I read blog posts about working moms, stay-at-home moms and the battle they face, sometimes against each other, to feel validated and appreciated. There is all this pressure to do more, to handle more, to be more. For women and men.
Our new challenge is to drive without texting; to speak to our partners without glancing at the iPad screen on our lap; to be present with our kids for that puzzle that takes 10 minutes. We seem to be unable to focus on any one thing for too long because there is just too much going on.
Is this why Kim Kardashian has 18-million Twitter followers? As a subject, is she just simple and we don't have to think too hard? Maybe she provides some escape from the atrocities happening around the world.
When she tweets a butt selfie wearing a white uni-thong, do we escape even further from the fact that in many countries around the world, women are not entitled to own property or inherit land? Social exclusion, "honour" killings, female genital mutilation, trafficking, restricted mobility and early marriage, among others, is what many women around the world experience every day. Or is it a celebration of the freedom we have in this part of the world for a beautiful woman to freely publish a picture of her bare ass? Either way, I feel blessed to live where I do.
The thing is, I do enjoy celebrity coverage. Leafing through an US Weekly is like devouring a bag of ketchup chips for me. I may not care about Kim Kardashian, and I may make fun of her high pitched baby voice, but I certainly don't hate her. I just can't help but think how much more there is out there.
My brother-in-law said recently, "Do people know what life is like for a woman in North Korea? Iraq? Syria?" And I got to thinking about how much attention is paid to the important stories, or rather, how little. These stories that yes, involve emotion, cut so deep to the core that no matter what language you speak, you get it.
I started The Purple Fig to connect women. All women. All ages. All cultures. Through honest, personal stories we can connect; not through vapid, egomaniacal gossip. If one cannot relate to a story being told, maybe one can learn something instead.
Yes, looking at a butt selfie from Kim Kardashian is entertainment and sure, we need the escape sometimes, but I'm wondering if our society can make a little 2014 New Year's resolution: have a little more balance. Maybe a little less coverage of her and a bit more of someone we can relate to and learn from.
By Trish Bentley
The Purple Fig is a community where women share personal and relatable stories; no ego, no shame, no judgement. We're about life, love and all of the stuff that makes us yearn, squirm, and giggle. These stories make up the authentic and intriguing journey of a woman.
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