Despite taking a trained and critical eye at pop culture, it is no big secret that I also consume aspects of pop culture with relish and delight. With that said, I try to make somewhat healthy choices off the pop culture menu, or at least consume the more toxic choices consciously and in moderation. So, I want to come clean about something: yes, when Kim Kardashian left Paris Hilton’s side and “launched” out on her own after her infamous sex tape was “leaked” I was slightly intrigued to see how her brush with fame would play out. As the years went on I became a sort of pop culture lookie-loo, peering at the expanding Kardashian empire, an empire that came to include her entire family, in the form of clothing lines, diet pills, perfume, nude photos and, of course, their various reality shows. It was horrifying to watch unfold on so many levels but I continued to peek with a bizarre fascination.

But, I can’t take much more. I am force fed so much Kardashian that I am ready to vomit. You practically can’t escape; billboards, commercials, tabloid and magazine covers at the checkout stands, television shows and advertisements. And, they’re usually in bikinis and stilettos talking about their bodies or their boyfriend (baby daddy or husband, as the case may be these days). Haven’t they ever heard the term “over-exposure?”

(more…)