Kardashians and the Power Elite

By Anonymous



https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2020/09/09/keeping-up-with-the-kardashians-may-be-leaving-but-the-familys-fortune-is-here-to-stay/?sh=2ac612a55411

These, in my opinion, are the faces of the power elite in Hollywood today. I see these women as people who control at least half of the media that “ordinary people” see and influence the culture in ways that their audience don’t realize. I plan to use Mills’ three major keys to analyze this power elite group. As sisters from a wealthy/famous family, these individuals have grown up with similar beliefs, ideologies, and situations. After Kim Kardashain raised the family to another level of fame, these sisters became somewhat of a status group of their own – part of their image is created around living luxurious lives and doing things that most Americans cannot do. Mills argues that the power elite consists of individuals whose “careers and… style of life are similar… there are psychological and social bases for their unity” (Mills :19). While their unity may originate from being sisters, there are other siblings that are not included within this power elite group: Rob Kardashian, Brody Jenner, and four other half/step siblings. There is a strategic reason why these ladies ended up being the face of the Kardashians over the others (possibly their shared ambition for fame). In the same way the sisters’ outfits in this promotional poster for their show are unique yet similar and on theme, all of these sisters have unique personalities and jobs but are generally all involved in similar beauty/fashion industries. Mill’s second major key analyzes how the scope and magnitudes that the power elite oversee are similar, meaning they have a similar domain of influence (Mills :19). This rings true for the Kardashians who all own businesses and are considered influencers to their many instagram fans. As a result, these sisters are also friends by choice who rely on each other’s social circles, careers, and expertise as they all participate in an industry where they are meant to entertain, set trends, and their whole reputations are constantly on the line. These sisters agreed to make a show where their elevated style of life that is separate from ordinary people are showcased, confirming their status as the power elite. Mills describes this voluntary agreement to work together in achieving a common goal as his third major key to analyze the power elite (Mills :19). These women are under immense pressure to grow their empire while appealing to the public eye, but as a result of them all working together and having access to each others’ resources, they have gained immense control over mainstream media. As audiences are exposed everyday to images on the media that are controlled by the power elite, they are only intaking a specific perspective that is reproducing one way of life. The power elite’s value judgments are spread throughout society as people internalize their way of life and absorb the information provided to them by the power elite. 

Mills, C. Wright. 1975. “The Higher Circles.” Pp. 1–21 in The Power Elite. London, England: Oxford University Press.


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