*endnotes "May He Rest in Preference"
extra thoughts and insights that don’t fit on the main page but still matter, and that’s exactly what these are, just less formal.
I know that my latest Second Opinions piece was a tad cheeky but that doesn’t negate the truth that was in there. As with all of my *endnotes, I provide more context and citations.
Keeping up with the Past, Present and Future: How the Kardashians Sustain Relevance by Manipulating Reality by Ruby Smith
Abstract:
The Kardashians understand that relevance is currency. Over 16 years, they have transformed from reality TV stars into cultural powerhouses shaping trends, beauty standards, and society. This chapter explores how they sustain their brand by manipulating memory—creating, conserving, curating, and collapsing it. When personal memories become widely accessible content, they shift into public memory, reinforced through apps, memes, social media, and their show. Their control over narratives keeps their past, present, and future in flux, blurring reality and creating a hyperreal space where memories, untethered from context, exist indefinitely.
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped work globally, with its impact still evident in phenomena like the Great Resignation. Amid this upheaval, Kim Kardashian’s Variety statement—“Get your fucking ass up and work”—clashed starkly with reality, sparking widespread social media debate. This thesis examines how the Variety feature became a contested moment, highlighting the role of crisis in shaping media discourse and power. Focusing on post-pandemic work struggles, gendered labor narratives, and media backlash, the study employs Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis and Thematic Qualitative Text Analysis. Findings reveal how media contradictions expose both elite-serving mechanisms and public resistance, offering insight into deepening societal inequalities.
Do black men really love black women? : A qualitative study on how mass media shape black men's perception of black women for long-term romantic relationship -- or not by Daphne S. Valerius
abstract
Black women often experience feelings of rejection when seeing Black men in relationships with non-Black women, a topic often discussed privately for fear of being labeled an "angry Black woman." This stereotype is reinforced by media, particularly reality TV, which frequently depicts Black women as socially aggressive. This dissertation examines how colorism, media portrayals, and stereotypes influence perceptions of Black women as long-term partners, specifically among Black men. Through focus groups, the study reveals that while Black men recognize the harm of these portrayals, they still see Black women as ideal partners, despite the tension created by media-driven expectations of strength and hypermasculinity.
Partus sequitur ventrem: Law, Race, and Reproduction in Colonial Slavery by Jennifer L. Morgan
abstract
From the moment of its introduction into the Atlantic world, hereditary racial slavery depended on an understanding that enslaved women’s reproductive lives would be tethered to the institution of slavery. At the same time, few colonial slave codes explicitly defined the status of these children. This essay explores English slave codes regarding reproduction under slavery alongside the experience of reproduction to suggest that legislative silences are not the final word on race and reproduction. The presumption that their children would also be enslaved produced a visceral understanding of early modern racial formations for enslaved women. Using a seventeenth-century Virginia slave code as its anchor, this essay explores the explicit and implicit consequences of slaveowners’ efforts to control enslaved women’s reproductive lives.
The Kardashians and the Ruminating Strategy by Claudia Lisa Moeller
Abstract (why are the Kardashians even a thing and this successful)
Many have wondered in these years about the reason behind the huge success the Kardashian (‐Jenner) family raised and gained. Even if the reality show might not be one of the most innovative, nor original television products, it is impossible to see how the Kardashian’s clan managed to become something more than a family who likes to air their dirty (and maybe expansive) laundry in public. Albeit there are different reality shows that have portrayed almost every possible family: religious, heavy metal, gipsy, wealthy Californian, dysfunctional, party animals; the Kardashians celebrated in 2018 their 10 years of reality shows. This might appear a silly, and not even a big deal: TV shows have existed for longer time in the American (and not only) panorama, yet the Kardashian made it possible to conquest with their unique style, and communication strategy something that other reality shows families did not reach. What did the Kardashians do? The Kardashians created a new communication strategy that allowed them to be the most popular family on three different media: press, television, and social media.
Unapologetically Blackfishing: Being Black without the Consequences of Blackness by Patton & Synder-Yuly
Abstract
Kim Kardashian is a White female celebrity influencer who also blackfishes. Blackfishing refers to altering one’s appearance to appear Black, mixed-race, or racially ambiguous to appeal to a broader audience. In our case study, we examined blackfishing through the lens of celebrity and influencer, Kim Kardashian. We argue that blackfishers like Kardashian cosplay what they believe is Black womanhood for profit and fame at the expense of Black women. Using image repair theory and critical technocultural discourse analysis as our methodological approach, we explore how Kardashian uses social media to create and manage her image. Our study extends the concept of image repair theory by connecting the role social media with image repair, specifically through affordances and the “non-apology” apology. Our study shows the limits of image repair theory because there is little sanctioning of micro/celebrities due to their followers.