It’s always been kind of “cool” to not like the Kardashians. Refusing to tune into their reality show or follow their headlines was a way for people to align themselves with some sort of faux celebrity integrity and not move with the masses. No Ugg boots and pumpkin spice lattes for them. But now we’re in a time when even former Kardashian loyalists are playing it cool at the sight of a middle part and a big butt. If we are indeed on the precipice of a post-Kardashian era, I have a strong opinion about who put the nail in the coffin: Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna.
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The first sign of our waning favor toward the famous family was when we publicly declared Chyna to be the GOAT after she got with Rob, secured an engagement ring, and had his baby. For the Kardashian-Jenners, this was the pop culture equivalent of that moment in Mean Girls when Ms. Norbury asks, “How many of you have ever felt personally victimized by Regina George?” Apparently everyone was ready for someone to beat the Kardashians at their own game.
Except it didn’t work. It became painfully clear that there was trouble in paradise for BlacRob. In fact, many of us are wondering if they ever had a paradise in the first place. As human beings, Rob and Chyna are obviously entitled to have relationship problems that aren’t our business, and I hope they resolve them for the sake of cute Baby Dream. But as celebrities with brands that are intrinsically linked to their personalities, I have to say that their antics ruined it for me. Toward the end of last year, I couldn’t help but assess their social media antics as poorly executed publicity stunts that may have fattened their pockets, but did nothing for their public image.
Banking on bad press only works when you’ve built up a throne of positivity beforehand. Consider Kim Kardashian’s robbery: It was obviously a terrible personal tragedy. But part of the reason it was such a hot ticket media item is because Kim’s reputation has been built on her insane amount of wealth. How could it be that the same person who made the cover of Forbes after amassing over $50 million on just a mobile game fell victim to a robbery of all things? Beyoncé’s Lemonade was in the press for weeks because it’s one of the greatest albums ever made, and it alludes to marital problems between her and Jay Z. How can anything bad be happening to the literal definition of our #couplesgoals? Keeping us invested in the personal lives of celebrities requires them to create incredible highs so that their lows feel impactful, and we root for their success all over again.
All BlacRob managed to do was ruin the lows for everyone, and possibly bring down the whole Kardashian clan with them. We’re tired. And we’re over it.