In Defense of the Kardashians

There is plenty to dislike about the Kardashian family, from their hyper-sexualized appearance to their numerous plastic surgeries to so many other things. To be sure, Kim K got her start because of a sex tape, and her mother, Kris Jenner, saw fit to take advantage of that, in a sense "turning her out" for profit. 

As a Catholic, I also object to Kim's use of IVF and a surrogate for her last two children. Understandably, she had struggled with preclampsia in both her pregnancies, so one could see why she felt reluctant to go through another one. But she wanted more kids, so she saw a surrogate as the best solution. I wish she had used adoption, which other celebrities have done, to their credit. I also object to their celebration of unwed motherhood, which we saw with Kylie (who had her daughter last year) and even with oldest sister Kourtney, who has never married the father of her three kids. 

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You might think I'm some sort of Kardashian super-fan, but you'd be wrong. I've seen the show a bit, mainly for hair and makeup ideas, and some pretty travel scenes, but that's about it. I'm not one of those folks who is constantly posting about them on social media, and I don't follow any of them on Instagram.

So what are they doing right? A few things, as it happens.

First, they are each other's "ride or die" when it comes to family. While they bicker and argue a lot, and even disrespect each other and say nasty things to each other, they will also back each other up when it comes to family. They will support each other even when they don't necessarily like what their relative is doing, but they do so for the sake of family. You have to admire that.

Second, they have their babies. With all this talk about abortion as such a great, liberating thing for women, the Kardashian girls have their kids, even if they're not in ideal circumstances. Take Khloe for example. During her pregnancy, she learned that her boyfriend had been cheating on her quite a lot - many women would use that as an excuse to abort the pregnancy, or at least to think about it. But Khloe, thankfully, had her daughter (she still didn't marry the father...). Kim and her husband are on their fourth child, and Kourtney has three. Their mother, Kris, had a total of six children, so having lots of kids seems to be part of the family culture.

OK, they also have millions of dollars and tons of people working for them, unlike most of us, so it's a lot easier for them to have plenty of children. Still, their public persona in this regard is incredibly healthy, and it should stand as an inspiration for other families, that it's OK and even beneficial to have a lot of kids. 

Third, these are successful women in business, and they work hard for that. If you look carefully at them, you'll see that they are not just "famous for being famous" or "famous for nothing." Despite their shady start (see the part about the sex tape), they moved past that and ultimately have worked incredibly hard to develop a complex business. Granted, some of their business ventures have been epic fails, but at least they tried. Most of us are fine with working for someone else, so it's great to see a group of women taking control of their own financial life and succeeding at it.

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Finally, I like the fact that as women, they have defined their own future and made their own choices. I am especially impressed by Kim's current decision to become an attorney. That shows me that, while her start came from a pretty negative situation, she has evolved as a person and sees that she can be more than a pretty face. As a businesswoman and entrepreneur, she has developed the ability to make a bold move with confidence in her own powers, and so far, she seems to be succeeding. She found a way, as a mother of four with a lot of business efforts going at the same time, to find a path toward her goal. Heck, most of us just struggle to get up on time in the morning, so seeing Kim's efforts to improve her life and make a difference for other people is a great thing.

Again, there's plenty to criticize about the Kardashians, but I think that where it counts - family, business, goals, discipline - they have plenty to teach us and to give us some hope that with increased efforts and a healthy dose of ambition, we can find our own purpose and live our own dreams.

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