I’m not sure what exactly spurred the onslaught of interest in Kim Kardashian’s rear end about a month ago.
I can hardly think its the first time her assets had been on display, or earned her her share of the celebrity tokens available each week, month, year to anyone willing to participate in the scheme of pop culture.
So, what’s the big deal this time? Is it that her photo-shopped ass is in the buff? Or is it the blatant photo-shopping of the champagne glass balance that supposedly represented her talent? While personally, I think she could have balanced that champagne glass if she’d wanted to, I’m sure it was much easier on the photographers to just edit it in later. I admit, I don’t really see what all the fuss is about. Sure, society has made a celebrity out of a woman, almost solely on the fact that she has a beautiful ass, and a talent for obnoxious social media selfism and conformist couture. Did it really take this editorial for everyone to realize it?
More than that, is roasting Kim Kardashian on the flames of public scorn really fair? After all, we have created our celebrity gods and monsters. They wouldn’t be here without our scrutiny. We expect and hope that they are as sexy as possible in order to sell their celebrity, but when that is all that they prove able to do, or all we are willing to see of them, we are happy to throw them under the bus for giving us exactly what we asked for. As everyone from BuzzFeed to Russell Brand has already addressed.
Not to exempt myself from the blame, I’m not a Kim Kardashian, or any real pop culture figure “fan girl,” however that hardly leaves me guiltless. I am a performance artist. As such, I recognize a certain amount of self-publication, self-promotion, and self-obsession that exists in the attempt to take me from small time to sell-able as an artist. It is the effort that I choose to extend as my way of making a difference in the world. I’m not a protestor, a guerrilla, or an extremist. I wish that people would truly try to understand each other. I wish that people wouldn’t play the victim or the prosecution. Much of my art is about inspiring people to talk to each other. Whether that is through shock, the abstract, or spectacle, is just the means. I want people to try to understand each other. And I want people to believe that they can accomplish the impossible (which in our world, may very well be, simply having a meaningful and unselfish conversation with someone unlike ourselves).
Kim Kardashian’s ass seems to have accomplished this on a far larger scale. I wonder, if I could balance a champagne glass on my own not so shabby assets, would I also achieve my artistic goals? Would my voice as an artist, my opinions on fashion and the number of my Twitter followers suddenly skyrocket to Kardashian proportions? Well, let’s find out. Of course, as an aerialist, physical theater performer, and semi-acrobat (emphasis on semi), I had to do it my own way. I enlisted the help of Austin’s Crash Alchemy, and tried to recreate the shoot by actually balancing people on my ass while they held a champagne glass. If you think arching your back for a photo shoot is hard (and it is!), try also balancing people doing their own acrobatics for about 4 hours.
And, what did I find? Besides that photo-shopping champagne is really, really hard?!? Well, I’m not sure any of us trying to express ourselves as artists are immune to the call of the public. We can twist it, try to protest it, criticize it. But at the end of the day, we are looking for people to listen to our message as much as any other performance artist. Perhaps, we can be humble, and try to reflect on a purer purpose for our message. And perhaps, the public can attempt to hunger for knowledge rather than celebrity porn, even if it does make my kinds’ paychecks lighter. What do you think?
The rest of the photos are coming soon guys, because, yeah, photo-shopping champagne is really, really hard!
Leave a comment