photography – onevisionary

Old story, old news already – but let’s delve into it once more. Who am I speaking of, The Kardashians of course!

The latest which Kim Kardashian posted a photo to her Instagram account, baring her nude body again.

As Kim faced a backlash from not just outsiders but celebrities as well, she said she is proud of her body and wants to be a role model for females (paraphrasing). How is bearing your body over and over again being a role model for females? Let’s not forget, a sex tape was leaked prior to Kim’s media fame. Personally, I feel that wasn’t an accident, after all, she was friends with Paris Hilton and even appeared on Paris’s reality show- remember a sex tape was leaked of Paris too? Do you think the leak was accidental or good, yet sleazy marketing of her brand, the Hilton name, and her image?

Appalling

Seriously, I find it appalling that Kim is trying to promote her ‘brand’ by saying she wants to be a role model for other females because there is nothing to be ashamed about when it comes to your body (again, paraphrasing). Let’s face it, sex sells and Kim Kardashian knows this. Yet, Kim wants other females to believe she is promoting her body image to help others that have a negative body image. How many females have a body like Kim Kardashian’s to begin with? How many females have personal trainers? If I were younger and saw her body, I would feel even worse about myself. Do you feel Kim Kardashian is a good role model for females? Do you feel her body image is realistic as a goal for other females to strive for? Personally, I did some homework and compared her butt pictures over a period of years and in my eyes it’s quite apparent that Kim has had work done on her bunns. A bum just doesn’t grow and plump up as Kim’s has.

Which leads me to the Kardashian Brand

According to the Huffington Post, the Kardashian’s never had to work a day in their life. “According to the Trust Advisor, their father, Robert Kardashian, left his wife and kids a rumored $100 million estate in trust when he passed away from esophageal cancer in 2003. And while Kris Jenner is often accused of exploiting her family in the name of her 10 percent cut as their manager, it’s not exactly as if she has ever been hard up for cash since Bruce Jenner is reportedly worth $100 million on his own.

And with this enormous wealth, the Kardashian-Jenner family has gone on to make even more money. In fact in 2011, a rep for their lifestyle brands told Women’s Wear Daily, “the Kardashians could easily be a billion-dollar business worldwide in the next two years.”

While it’s impossible to know exactly how much the family is worth, Trust Advisor puts the Kardashian collective net worth at around $80 million. While that number seems a little low given that Kim herself is estimated to be worth $40 million alone, they also like to live large.”

Great Marketing or pure luck?

Caitlyn (formally known as Bruce) Jenner’s net worth is estimated to be around 100 million dollars. Understandably, Bruce earned his money in an honest manner, well that is until he became a reality TV *star* with his Wife Kris Jenner and their children. I realize all the Kardashian’s have their own businesses/brands now but would that have been possible without inheriting money from their father’s estate? Is the Kardashian lifestyle a reality for most people or a fantasy in which many wish they lived? I admit I have watched their show out of pure curiosity- I wanted to find out what made them so appealing. I found nothing appealing about the show and quite frankly, insulted. Yet, they have been able to market their name, bodies and yes, some fly by night clothing shops, Kim’s newest game, along with other side businesses they own. So maybe it’s better put that the glamor of a lifestyle and the beauty of a person’s body do sell. Would you follow their marketing ploys if you knew you could make mega millions on top of what you inherited?

Kardashian Reality and why it insults

Most of us do not make a million dollars a year, forget 100’s of millions. Most of us work long, hard hours and are hoping we have enough money to pay our bills each month. Most of us do not own Multi-Million dollar homes, let alone more than one multi-million dollar home. Most of us started from the ground on up and will never in our lifetime see an income that resembles that of the Kardashians. How many of you are working to pay down credit card debt, saving for a vacation, sweating income tax time, holding on to that second car long after it’s paid off, robbing Peter to pay Paul just to get by each month? How many of you can watch this show and say, wow- I’m so impressed because the Kardashians are so business savvy and I would like to model my own business after them? Is it even a reality to think, “If the Kardashians can continue to build their net worth,” I know it’s possible for me to become this rich too? Which leads me to a few final notes- Keeping up with the Kardashians is not a reality TV show, it’s a fantasy that many people wish they were living. That’s the only reason I can come up with when it comes to fans who loyally watch their show. Any ideas why people would watch the show, other than it takes their mind off of reality and allows people to dream for a future they will most likely never experience? I would love to hear your thoughts. I would also love to hear your thoughts about Kim Kardashian posting so many nude photos and then claiming she wants to be a role model for females?

Please note- It was next to impossible for me to find articles linking back to Kim Kardashian and the story of her most recent nude photo she posted on Instagram without linking to a page with naked photos.

One last note- As long as people continue to buy the Kardashian propaganda and tune in to “Meet The Kardashians,” it’s no different than watching a sports game, that’s how they make their money. It’s no different than paying constant homage to a news show, they too, make their money from the masses who are addicted. Our society is so media driven today and the media knows how to take advantage of this in order to line their wallets more.

What are you thoughts? I don’t expect everyone to agree with me.

*UPDATE* Please read the entire article. I have only watched the show 2 times out of pure curiosity. I do not seek them out, weed them out- yes! My Facebook and twitter timelines were flooded the past 2 days with news of Kim Kardashian’s latest nude photo posted on her Instagram account. Curious to hear how others feel about shows like this and the manner in which they conduct ‘business.’ Thanks!

Photo sources provided by: Google Images

I originally posted this on Linkedin.

In May we drove to the Outer Banks in North Carolina for a long over due vacation. I was was excited and hesitant at the same time, because we were doing a 4×4 vacation. This meant we had to rent a 4 wheel drive jeep, and drive 3.5 miles down the beach, and over dunes to get to our final destination, our vacation home for the week.

Driving down the beach for the first time felt a bit unnerving to put it mildly. We got in later in the afternoon and high tide was trickling in. High tide when on a 4×4 vacation means you must drive in deep ruts and yes, over dunes. As the passenger it felt like we were going to tip over more times than one. I kept yelling at my husband to slow down, while I held on to the roof as if that would stop us from rolling! He finally told me to get out my camera and redirect my anxiety, so I did!

The dunes were beautiful. My mind was beginning to change gears. I kept wondering as we drove in how I was going to handle being sort of stuck off the main beat and path for 7 days, due to time constraints due to the tides and you sure don’t want to be driving 3.5 miles down the beach after dark- there are no lights. However, once we got settled in I realized that this was my paradise for the week. Every vacation I’ve been on demanded plans from morning until evening. Sometimes you really do need time just to chill. I never dreamed that it was possible to enjoy time by ‘enjoying time.’ I never realized that sometimes when you take a vacation where you cook in more than out, walk the beach each day, see wild horses in your yard and trotting on the beach, watch the sand pipers, pelicans and more can bring you the most peace. It’s pretty cool to be taking a hike along the beach and suddenly see the Wild Mustangs come trotting right by you. It’s even better when you have your camera!

This was the ‘road’ going up and down the dune to our vacation rental, and it was much steeper than it appears in this photo below.

This Wild Mustang was on the side of the dune as I was walking down for my daily hike along the beach.

I have a camera with 30x Optial zoom and I was able to capture this fishing boat from shore. My husband estimated the boat was out at least 3-4 miles.

My husband surf fishing. The guys surf fished every afternoon until dusk. The gals… well we sat on the beach with our drinks in hand, and jamming to tunes. We pretended to share in our husbands thrill of surf fishing. All kidding aside, it was surreal watching the tides and sunset each evening.

A view of the beach and a storm was just beginning to brew. Nothing like a thunderstorm rolling in over the ocean!

I have been fortunate to vacation in many States over the years, but this by far was not only a fun vacation, but the most relaxing. Most people say they need a vacation from their vacation once they get home. For the first time we were able to say, it’s nice to be home, but I feel so renewed!

We stayed on Swan Beach. You enter the ‘beach road’ from Corolla. Route 12 ends on a beach ramp, and the beach road then becomes Route 12. If you drive down the entire beach road approximately 7 miles or so you will hit the Va border.

I can’t wait to go back, because I finally realized a vacation is what you make of it, and honestly I felt like a young child again without any agenda!

onevisionary

Category: photography

The Kardashian Brand- Good Marketing?

Down The Dunes We Went