From Reality TV to Reality Shapers: How the Kardashians Engineered Our Desires

When Keeping Up with the Kardashians first aired in 2007, few could have predicted that the show would become one of the most potent cultural forces of the 21st century. The small glimpse into the lives of a modern American family, quickly transformed into a multi-billion-dollar empire that redefined modern fame, beauty, femininity and ultimately the female body itself, in an industry that had, for decades, upheld extreme thinness as the gold standard of desirability.

Nearly two decades after the show's debut, the Kardashian family's influence shows no signs of waning. From headline-making brand collaborations and consistently sold-out products to booming companies in beauty, fashion, and wellness, which continue to shape the consumer behaviour on a global scale, unlike any other brand of the past. And yet, their uncanny ability to resonate with the public, again and again, remains something of a mystery. So, what is it about their branding and marketing strategy that keeps the world watching, wanting, and buying the Kardashian brand?

To understand the depth of the Kardashians’ cultural impact, one must turn to a key psychological principle: the Mere Exposure Effect. As outlined by Pilat and Sekoul (2021), this effect describes our tendency to develop a preference for things simply because they become familiar. Originally introduced by Zajonc (1968) and later supported by Harrison (1977), the theory suggests that repeated exposure to a stimulus makes it more cognitively accessible, thus shaping our preference and attachment. Over time, this repeated sensory exposure transforms the unfamiliar into the familiar, embedding it within our mental frameworks and shaping our perceptions and choices, often without us even realizing it (Nickerson, 2023).

Through the repeated exposure of the family in the consumer’s everyday life, particularly via their very own reality TV show, the consumer grew increasingly familiar with each member of the Kar-Jenner clan. In many ways, this mirrored the emotional investments people place in their own families, ultimately creating a powerful parasocial bond between the public and the family. Thus, within the eyes of each member, the consumer saw not just an individual, but rather a sister, a child, a mother; roles that mimicked their own family.  

Additionally, each sister, through their persistent visibility across various media as well as their very own brands, assumed an almost superhero-like persona: distinct, aspirational, and endowed with a unique form of cultural power that continues to captivate the public imagination. In that way, a diverse range of consumers found points of connection with the family—drawn in by each member’s unique personality, struggles, preferences, and aesthetic.

Kim, with her unique ability to transform her personal image into cultural capital, reshaped the general beauty standards, and thus shifting the ideal from the traditional blonde and slender archetype to a brunette icon full of personality. In that way, she redefined the previously neutral celebrity persona into one that is chaotic yet irresistibly lovable, powerful, and unmistakably talented—a true modern-day superhero who seemingly does it all.

A prime example of her branding power is clear within her shapewear brand, Skims. A brand founded on principles of inclusivity and diversity, as the brand offers a wide range of products in various sizes and colours, ensuring that is underwear, loungewear and shapewear cater to every body type and the needs of not a particular but rather all of consumers. And whilst embracing individuality, the brand’s mission is to revolutionise the world of underwear, by continuously developing innovative products that transform the market. One of these products? The Ultimate Butt-Enhancing shape wear, available to the public for only £116.

Now padded clothing is not a new concept, for centuries, shapewear and padded garments has shaped femineity and the female form. Form the 17th century corsets to the 80s shoulder pads. However, what Kim Kardashian did differently, was the ultimate subconscious conditioning of the consumers for over two decades to desire this specific item, during times when shapewear and the augmentation of the human body for aesthetic purposes had significantly declined in popularity.

During the time when thin was in, particularly from the mid 90s until around 2015, the Kardashians altered the standards of beauty to fit a more curvaceous body. This represents a marketing genius move, rooted in the early media speculation surrounding the sisters’ alleged body enhancements. But the villainization of the family by the media ironically fuelled their extraordinary ability to transform the negative press into a multi-billion-dollar empire once again.

Conditioning of the Consumer.

But what is conditioning? The idea can be characterised very simplisticly,Sensory conditioning refers to a specific type of learning in which an individual's response to a neutral stimulus is modified through repeated association with another stimulus, often leading to a conditioned sensory reaction (Pavlov as cited in Rehman et al., 2024) This process builds on the broader concept of conditioning, which involves the modification of an individual's reaction to particular stimuli through learning (Cherry, 2023). Therefore, it is evident that through repeated exposure to such stimuli, individuals can learn to respond differently.

The example Pavlov used involved a restrained dog that, when exposed to food, simultaneously heard the sound of a whistle. After a while, the dog began to salivate just from hearing the whistle, having been conditioned to associate the sound with food. This shows that conditioning is more complex than it seems, as physical responses like salivation occur due to the connection between two stimuli. In this case, the consumer’s desire for shapewear is the result of long-term exposure to the Kardashian body through media, now something they can ‘obtain’ without diet or exercise, simply by purchasing shapewear for £116.

                  But particularly how did the family capitalise on this idea of the augmented body through shapewear?

The Kardashians have long been a family influencing and shaping pop-culture through beauty ideals and the development of Skims has carried this legacy forward. With a NetWorth that surpasses $4 billion dollars the influence the brand has on the public is evident. Therefore, paying attention to Skims and what they promote, may also be paying attention to a broader societal conversation about beauty standards. To truly understand the significance of Skims, it’s essential to explore the broader cultural narratives surrounding body aesthetics, particularly through the lens of the erogenous zone theory.

Originally introduced by psychologist Edward G. Flugel in the 1920s, the erogenous zone theory suggests that women’s fashion does more than merely clothe the body, but rather, it strategically accentuates specific areas that become focal points of sensuality and desire. These highlighted zones do not necessarily remain stable but evolve over time, shaped by the general shifting cultural and social values. For instance, in the 1830s, women’s legs emerged as a powerful new symbol of erotic capital, a shift from the more modest standards of earlier eras. However, by the 1840s, attention moved upwards, emphasizing the neck and shoulders as centres of allure.

Fast forward to the 21st century, and this theory remains remarkably relevant. The Kardashians, particularly since the 2010s, have played a crucial role in redefining the erogenous zones of modern beauty. Social media posts featuring corsets, shapewear, and sculpted silhouettes have reinforced an ideal centered onto their exaggerated curves, their highlighted hips, waist, and, most notably, the buttocks as the epitome of desirability. This focus has sparked controversy and speculation, with frequent media debates about whether the sisters have allegedly undergone cosmetic enhancements such as buttock implants or injections. Regardless, their image has undeniably shifted the cultural perception of attractiveness towards a more curvaceous, voluptuous forms.

This cultural shift is measurable: a 2018 report revealed a staggering 256% increase in buttock-enhancement procedures since 2000, underscoring how deeply the Kardashian aesthetic has permeated societal beauty ideals. Public fascination with the Kardashian physique is often viewed through the framework of upward social comparison, where individuals measure themselves against those, they consider superior or aspirational. For many, the unattainable standards of beauty can lead to frustration, especially for those unable or unwilling to pursue costly cosmetic surgeries, extensive exercise routines or dieting.

Skims expertly taps into this emotional and cultural need of the consumer by offering products that promise to deliver the iconic “Kardashian physic” without the need for any drastic lifestyle changes.  In February 2025, the brand launched the Fairy-Butt Mother shapewear, which Kim Kardashian herself described as a “butt-enhancing solution achieved without a workout routine.” Priced at £116, this product allowed the consumer to approximate the coveted curvaceous silhouette with a simple purchase which increased the comapany’s value.

This approach resonates strongly with the Social Comparison Theory, which explains how individuals evaluate themselves by comparing to others. When faced with an idealized image, like that of the Kardashians, many experience a sense of inadequacy or frustration if they cannot meet those standards. Skims circumvents this emotional gap by making the desired look attainable through shapewear, allowing consumers to bridge the divide between aspiration and reality, and ultimately feel closer to the ideal they admire.

In this way, Skims doesn’t just sell underwear, it sells empowerment, accessibility, and a new chapter in the evolving dialogue about beauty, body image, and consumer desire. And the somewhat capitalisation of their own physic transformed into catering for the consumer’s need, thus, revolutionising shapewear forever.

Dislaimer: This is an an editorial critique and not affiliated with SKIMS

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