Kim Kardashian: A Businesswoman, Celebrity, and Influencer

Kim Kardashian is one of the most well-known social media influencers; you could say she is a household name, but a controversial one at that. It’s a slightly taboo subject of how she became the businesswoman we see today. From a sex scandal video and co-running Dash with her sisters to a net worth of 1.8 billion dollars, she has been an influence on many people throughout her years of fame and business. With a current Instagram following of 295 million, she reaches a huge audience, in return further influencing a large number of people.

Kim Kardashian right out of high school became Paris Hilton’s personal assistant. But she quickly became the front of attention after a video leaked of her and her boyfriend at the time, Ray J. Kim Kardashian used this attention to her advantage as Kim and her other two sisters co-founded a clothing store, Dash, and soon after started helping out at her mothers’ kids clothing store Smooch. This was her first major step in becoming an influencer, influencing the style and type of clothes people wear and buy. Her presence took off even more during the premier of Keep Up With The Kardashians in 2007. This show was “…one of E!’s most successful shows. And the family that is “famous for being famous” has not only perfected the art of fame but also successfully monetized their every high-profile move.” (Minelle, 2021). Following the airing of the TV show and the rising of her popularity, she has founded many companies such as Skims, KKW Beauty, KKW Fragrance, Kim Kardashian Hollywood the mobile app, and more. The heart of what makes Kim Kardashian an influencer is how she utilizes her social media following to promote her brands and lifestyle.

Kim Kardashian influences the 295 million people following her lifestyle on Instagram. The airing of the TV show Keeping Up With The Kardashians gave the viewers a more behind the scenes, raw, view of what Kim’s life was like which increased the audience’s liking of Kim K. In addition, her social media features a “picture perfect” lifestyle with perfect makeup, hair, and outfits almost every day. Kim Kardashian took advantage of the fact that her followers wanted to know the next new trendy outfit or make-up look, and looked to her for suggestions. This allowed her to take advantage of her followers’ wants and expectations. She’s known for her beautiful make-up and exotic features, what does she do? Release KKW Beauty. She’s also known for her figure, what does she do? Release a shape-wear line, SKIMS. She is able to generate interest in something, like one of her new products, by posting about it on her social media app. After lots of self-advertisement on her and her family’s socials, her shape-wear company “pushed $2 million in product” within the first few minutes after Skims’ launch, and almost the entire collection sold out”. (Bonner, 2021). On her SKIMS website, almost everything is sold out, all the time, and yet you see her wearing it almost every day on her social media. Every time she posts about one of her products it is a flawless photo with a caption advertising the link to the outfit she’s wearing from her own company. This is an effective way of profiting from the manipulation of supply and demand along with emotion, possibly making it propaganda. Which in return influences people’s attitudes and behaviors. Seeing a photo of what would be considered the ‘perfect body’ in today’s society and then Kim captioning it “Look! Buy this and you’ll look like me!” is a great business strategy but also controversial.

She is an effective communicator online, but may not be the best communicator in person. Online she takes social media algorithms to her advantage. While she has her main Instagram account, she also has Instagram accounts for all her different companies. She follows a small number of people on her main account, most of which being her own or her family’s companies. She likes all of the photos posted by her company’s Instagram, and she will also comment on the photos on her main account from her company accounts and pin the comment. This ensures it is the first comment/username the viewer will see is her company. She also uses social validation to her advantage; she capitalizes on her followers’ need for inclusion, and recognition by endorsing the idea that certain products are necessary to live a happy lavish lifestyle. This also can relate to the social comparison theory. While scrolling through Kim Kardashian’s social media, it becomes apparent that physical appearance is an important aspect of her life and her business. Someone may compare themselves to Kim Kardashian, which will most likely result in decreased self-esteem as many influencers set unrealistic expectations. This could also be an interesting area of research, questioning how social media affects self-esteem. Current studies are saying that the effect social media has on self-esteem is highly individualized, but research on this topic could be beneficial. (Cingel et al., 2022).

With that being said, Kim Kardashian utilizes the Parasocial Interactions Theory. Parasocial Interactions are “a kind of psychological relationship experienced by an audience in their mediated encounters with performers in the mass media.” (Camilleri, 2022). In other words, Parasocial Interactions are one-sided relationships where a follower may perceive a relationship with a social media figure, like Kim Kardashian. This journal article also states that these “parasocial relationships have a positive impact on consumers’ attitudes and their behaviors.” (Camilleri, 2022). Kim Kardashian has perfected this as she sprinkles in her company advertisements with photos of her family and on vacation with friends offering a relatable side of her life. These parasocial interactions may aid in the public viewing her more positively, in return increasing her influence.

Kim Kardashian influences people’s wants in regards to the clothes and make-up they want to buy, she also influences people’s behaviors by encouraging them to follow a lifestyle similar to her own, and she does this all through social media. All in all, Kim Kardashians’ strategic use of social media, parasocial interactions, and social validation, is what makes her a powerful and successful influencer.

References

Bonner, M. (2021, November 1). Kim Kardashian Makes $2 Million in MINUTES After Skims Launch. Cosmopolitan. Retrieved from https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a28997568/kim-kardashian-2-million-skims-launch/

Camilleri, M. A. (Ed.). (2022, March 2). Impact of Parasocial Interaction, Perceived Ad Message Authenticity, and Match-Up between Brand and Celebrity in Evaluation of Instagram Celebrity-Based Brand Endorsement. MDPI. Retrieved from https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/5/2928/htm

Cingel, D. P., Carter, M. C., & Krause, H.-V. (2022, February 2). Social Media and self-esteem. Current Opinion in Psychology. Retrieved March 25, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352250X22000069

Minelle, B. (2021, June 10). Keeping Up With The Kardashians: A look at the reality TV family who reinvented fame as the final episode airs. Sky News. Retrieved from https://news.sky.com/story/the-kardashians-the-reality-tv-family-who-reinvented-fame-12067422