Will Substack be the next brand base for the reality star influencers?

In a world where ever day people are becoming millionaires from putting their lives in the hands of the media, will Substack be the next landing place for this reality star phenomena?

When my daughter was about 9, she asked me ‘what is a Kardashian?’ I replied with the best of my knowledge, ‘They are a famous family, and they live in America’. Pre-empting her next question, I quickly followed up with, ‘I don’t know what they do’. Over a decade later, my answer remains the same.

In preparation for the post, I did some research (Wikipedia) and I’m still really none the wiser. From what I can gather, the late father of the family, Robert Kardashian, represented OJ Simpson in 1995 during his trial for the murder of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman in 1994. Simpson was found not guilty but three years later was found liable for the murders in a civil suit.

Robert and Kris divorced, and Kris went on to marry Bruce Jenner in 1991, who later transitioned into Caitlin Jenner in 2015. Kim Kardashian (daughter of Robert and Kris Kardashian) rose to fame after a sex tape of her found its way into the public domain in 2007, coincidently the same year the hugely popular reality TV series ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians’ was released. The show ran until 2021.

Throughout the show, various family members married and separated from other (sometime dubious) celebrities, had babies, had babies via surrogates and made a squillion bucks flogging everything from shapewear to emojis. Still doesn’t make any sense to me.

The Kardashians had clout and even my daughter did not escape their clever marketing skills. Six years after her original question, my then 15-year-old daughter persuaded me to buy some ‘Kylie’ make up online (Kylie is one of the daughters, so many begin with ‘K’ its hard to know which one she is). The make-up was a counterfeit and it took a week for my daughter’s eye infection to clear up. Such was the Kardashian pull, my daughter asked if we could try another online retailer as ‘Kylie’ was not available in the shops in Britain. I can’t print my reply.

So, no. I don’t know much about the Kardashians in the same way I don’t know much about any ‘reality celebrity’. I am not invested in the fact you showed your arse on Love Island and now have a guest spot on morning TV. I don’t care that you allowed yourself to be filmed, totally trollied in your hometown and now you have got a gig ‘writing’ in a woman’s magazine. Or that you once came second in a reality TV game show and now have a (heavily sponsored) podcast about parenting.

Similarly, I am not a follower of those whose fame and celebrity status is won by association. So, you are a model and ex wife of a footballer, why are you qualified to host a baking show? Or one of your parents had some discernible talents in music, acting or some other art. Why does that earn you a spot on ‘Strictly’? Or a place, centre stage at The Met Gala?

Not all ‘celebrities’ are created equal. Many have worked hard, served their time, played the crap gigs, sang to half empty halls, filled the acting gaps with bit parts in cringey commercials, faced rejection after rejection. Some have lived off baked beans and resentful handouts from despairing parents ‘You could have been a doctor already’! Some have sacrificed precious time with family, been on the road for months, lived permanently on the financial knife edge but they did it for their craft. Whether it be music, acting, writing, sports or any of their art forms, their commitment to their creativity is undeniable. Their celebrity status and therefore earning capacity is hard earned and fought for.

So, I ask you … How would you feel if Kim Kardashian/ any other Kardashian/ other reality TV stars/ or ‘what are they famous for?’ brigade joined Substack? More specifically, how would you feel if their posts were paid for (overtly or not) by their sponsors? ‘Today I want to write about how amazing these *Nike, *Adidas *whatever trainers are’. Or ‘Join me live when I will be showing you my awesome new *boohoo *walmart *whatever swimwear range.

I would like to believe that it wouldn’t happen. I would like to believe if Kim did find this special place, she would be more imbued in making connections and not currency. I would like to think that Substack will never be a vehicle for ‘protein shakes’ product placement or the like. But I am the woman who laughed when Trump said he was running for a second term in office. I am not laughing now.

You may be of the ‘more the merrier’, anything goes kind of Substacker. It’s a fair point. We are not the gatekeepers. You may enjoy ‘reels’, got to be honest I don’t know what they are, but I think they are Instagram related and therefore have a love or hate following. You may think, as a feminist, it’s a bit rich for me to be calling out another woman or any woman that has found a path into ‘celebritydom’ and is milking it for all it is worth. That’s why I like Substack. Its for people who want to think, not just consume.

As with so many parts of life, the individuals are not the problem. The system is. A system that knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. A system that will brand and produce anything from water to incontinence pads if there is a chance of a quick buck. No years of honing your talent or treading the boards required to flog this kind of merch, just inexplicable fame and a sizeable and devoted following. Where cash is King, creativity and integrity are compromised.

In a sane and just world, the fact that a woman’s father defended a man who was later found guilty of murder in a civil court, or the fact a sex tape of this woman became public property should not have been a precursor to a following of millions, an unchallenged influence and a hugely swollen bank account. I would like to think that Substack does not represent that corner of the internet. I would like to think that if Kim et al did happen upon Substack they would park their money-making tendencies and use the platform for advocacy and activism and not as a vehicle for more brand deals.

However, this is not a sane and just world. A known sexual abuser and convicted Felon is serving his second term in the White House while President Zelenskky is being blamed for not keeping the peace with Russia. All bets are off sanity wise. But I know this, I love Substack. I love this safe and cognisant space.

And yes, of course, all are welcome. But the destructive forces that encourage, particularly women, to aim for ‘celebrity’ status, often by demeaning themselves, is not. A system that rates higher (at least in terms of revenue) raw and naked exposure rather than actual skills, creativity, hard work and talent is not a force I wish to encourage on Substack. A system that puts profit over prose, cash over conscious, money over manners and revenue over revolution is not one I will be subscribing to. A system that does not value the individual, just their capacity to sell, sell, sell is not for my little corner of Substack.

Kim, my love, it’s nothing personal, come along and join the party. But come for the right reasons. Your shapewear will not be able to constrict the free thinkers here, but you may feel the relief (much like I do when I peel myself out of shapewear) to be free and open and to be your own, invaluable, priceless self.