14 DAY TRIAL // In early April this year, reality star Kim Kardashian added “author” to her long list of accomplishments, with the release of a book of selfies she called “Selfish.” Yes, maybe “author” is too strong a word here, since the book was the print version of her Instagram, but that’s what she called herself.
The announcement that she was releasing such a book was met with widespread mockery, but the book itself wasn’t completely trashed by critics. The fans, as expected, bought it and turned it into a bestseller.
Tim Gunn is very unhappy about this.
Tim Gunn laments the fate of mankind
The Project Runway judge has often distanced himself from the crowd by speaking his mind with what would often turn out to be an unpopular opinion. He is willing to be the voice of reason once more and risks enraging Kim’s Dolls (the fans) by pointing out how ridiculous, futile and downright dumbing her latest project is.
“Selfish,” as noted above, is a book comprising selfies from Kim. Some come with a caption explaining how and why they were taken, and some come with their original Instagram captions. So whether you choose to follow her on Instagram or you buy her book, you get pretty much the same kind of content and vapid commentary.
Gunn finds the act of putting the selfies in a book and calling herself an author “disgusting and vile.” He tells Us Weekly he can feel his IQ plummeting as he’s thumbing through the book, looking at pictures and reading the comments.
He would probably not be caught dead paying for the “pleasure” to own such an illustrative piece of contemporary culture.
Speaking of which, is this how we want future generations to remember us, he asks.
“Can I just say something? To all the young people out there in particular, banish this… This is disgusting and vile. What if this is the only thing that survives in the time capsule?” Gunn wonders.
It may be stupid, but this is our world today
Gunn makes a valid point: for all the advances we have made in recent years, it would be a shame if future generations remembered us for allowing Kim Kardashian to call herself an author after publishing a collection of her selfies as a “book.” The very notion is offensive for the traditional understanding of the term.
Still, this is the world we’re living in today, so raging against it is of no use. Kim Kardashian may be talentless, vapid and with no actual skill to show off for her fame (and everything else negative you can think of her), but she’s one of the biggest stars in showbiz right now.
She has a fanbase of millions and she has somehow found the “skill” to turn herself and her life into a spectacle to such an extent that she can command more attention than those who sing, act or create art.
She is a role model for millions of people for whom life takes place mostly online and is quantifiable in likes, retweets and the ability to snap and share the perfect selfie or food pic.
Kardashian’s selfie book might be ridiculous and dumb, but it’s also a reflection of where we are today as a society.