Economic Escapism

It occurred to me while watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians last week how different the show used to be. One of the main differences was the focus on extravagance. Newer episodes seem to focus much more on the spending habits and lavish lifestyle the Kardashians can afford. Part of that is because they have more money now, but it also seems that the public’s interest in their economic status has increased. This might have to do with the country’s current economic status. With a growing number of people living below the poverty line and even more in debt, economic struggle is a common worry in America. And this is reflected by the media. Instead of wanting to relate to the characters on that level, the audience would rather escape to a place where money isn’t an issue. Many other shows, both fictional and non-fictional, feature very rich or well to do families. Even the characters on Modern Family appear to be upper middle class and living in pricey Los Angeles, while the real modern family’s income is not nearly enough to cover that sort of lifestyle. It says a lot that some media outlets regarded Kim Kardashian’s wedding as the “American Royal Wedding.” At a time when financial struggle is commonplace, a lifestyle that can afford a $20,000 wedding cake is the modern day fairy tale.