40e anniversary
It all started with a sextape: this is how Kim Kardashian became the biggest reality TV star in the world
Kim Kardashian got a lot of attention at the 2018 Met Gala with this gold dress
© Sky Cinema / Shutterstock.com
Kim Kardashian's career began with intimate recordings. From the scandal, the star created an empire of millions for himself and his family.
What she touches turns to gold - or even more to silver. Reality star and beauty icon Kim Kardashian turned 40 on October 21. The daughter of famous lawyer Robert Kardashian (1994-2003) now has a fortune that “Forbes” estimated at around $ 900 million at the end of June 2020. She is therefore the highest paid reality TV star of all time. Her beauty brand “KKW Beauty” alone has a market value of US $ XNUMX billion. And yet, Kanye West's wife is underestimated by many - wrongly, as a closer look at her career reveals.
It was clear from the start that Robert Kardashian and Kris Jenner's second daughter would have a place in the limelight. In October 1980, she was born in a well-heeled home in the celebrity hotspot of Beverly Hills. In kindergarten, she already met millionaire heiress Paris Hilton.
When his father resumed the spectacular and high-profile murder trial of his good friend OJ Simpson in 1994, Kim was only 14 years old. Suddenly her father and thus the family were at the center of the public interest. At this point, Kardashian was attending a Catholic girls' school. Her parents had divorced three years earlier.
A breakthrough with a sextape
As a stylist and friend of Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, Kim Kardashian appeared in the media in 2003. But it was only a sextape made in 2002, made public in 2007, that made her known to the overnight and, in a way, helped her achieve the status she has in the present.
To date, it is rumored that the intimate video recordings between Kardashian and her ex-boyfriend, musician Ray J, have been deliberately released and used strategically by mother and manager Kris Jenner. The friend of the Paris Hilton family and her little film "A night in Paris" would have even served as a model. Just months after the scandal and newly aroused interest in the Kardashian clan, the reality show "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" (2007-2021) debuted.
Kardashian has left nothing to chance in her career. For her, there is "no lazy day," she said in a recent interview with Vogue. In addition to starting the reality show, she increased her notoriety with numerous television appearances. For example, she appeared on the US version of "Let's Dance", was a guest judge on "America's Next Top Model" and has appeared on shows such as "How I Met Your Mother" and "90210". As fame grew, she landed one lucrative advertising deal after another.
Kim Kardashian worked around the clock
"Keeping Up with the Kardashians" morphed over nearly 20 seasons into a lucrative, long-term spinoff commercial, in which the family increasingly announced their own plans. Under Kim's name alone, there are now plenty of perfumes, books, cosmetics, and clothing as well as a Kim Kardashian mobile game and even Kim emojis to buy. Forbes magazine wrote in 2015 that she had "monetized her fame better than anyone."
Kim Kardashian recognized the potential of social media early on and was way ahead of other celebrities. When the reality show's cameras were off, Kardashian could easily pick up her cell phone camera or use Twitter to keep fans in the loop. It's not for nothing that she's nicknamed the “Selfie Queen” and in 2015 she even published “Selfish”, a book filled with her self-portraits.
Kardashian was an influencer even before the term existed. Former Kardashians rep Brian Dow said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter: “Before more and more normal people became YouTubers from their bedrooms, there were people like that. [Kim]. She was the one who led the way and got companies to spend money in this industry because she had a proven track record in this area. This is why the revolution started. "
Kim Kardashian is a celebrity, a private person and a brand all at the same time
It is also the secret of the success of their products such as the “KKW” make-up line. Beauty marketing expert Alison Gaither explains the Kardashian phenomenon, according to the BBC: “Basically her whole life is on display all the time, and I think that makes her feel authentic and accessible to some consumers. Kim Kardashian and her family did what very few people did: they made their name a brand.
Unlike other celebrities, there is no division between the Kim Kardashian brand, the private person and the person who is in public. Even the sensitive topics and taboos that other stars don't talk about were made visible to the world from the start: the intimate sex tape, the failed short-term marriage to NBA player Kris Humphries, the marriage to the rapper. Kanye West, every family feud, every drama, every tear. Even the dramatic heist in Paris in 2016 was detailed on the show. This creates a great proximity with the spectator.
Lawyer instead of reality TV star
But things haven't always gone smoothly for the 40-year-old over the past 13 years. Kim Kardashian has often been criticized for her looks and the body cult she has sparked. Especially for the promotion of diet pills in 2018 and the launch of shapewear last year, there has been some negative feedback for the reality TV star. But another secret to her success is that she doesn't allow herself to be beaten down by setbacks like broken deals, crappy storms and negative press. She always continued unabated no matter what others thought of her.
At 40, Kardashian can look back a lot. But that doesn't stop the mother of four from chasing new dreams. “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” ends next year, but Kim still has her biggest goal ahead of her: Like her father, she wants to become a lawyer.
She's been working at a law firm in San Francisco since the summer of 2018, she told Vogue magazine. She wants to pass her bar exam in 2022. In the 16th season of her reality TV show, she made it clear how serious she is in this matter: “My goal is not to be Kim K in ten years. Instead, I want to focus on being a lawyer and for many people in need. combat. "
