Oversexualized tween and teenage girls, sexting and oversharing online, with “social media influencer” a viable career option — none of this would have happened without the Kardashians. Just as Lucille Ball set the template for the sitcom and Steve Allen the late-night talk show, the Kardashians invented a new kind of celebrity.
They’ve also acculturated us to plastic surgery; never before have so many teenagers sought nips and tucks. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons has reported an uptick in the amount of teenagers undergoing cosmetic procedures: In 2014, 64,000 patients were ages 13-19; in 2015, that number was 64,470, with an additional 161,700 less invasive procedures performed that year. Now it’s just a thing kids do before going back to school.
