If you can’t see Kim Kardashian in a London pub as a PR stunt, get an urgent grip

Kim Kardashian, billionaire businesswoman and arguably the most famous celebrity in the world, decided to spend Saint Patrick’s Day in the same kind of pub you might find your grandad. Of course, it went viral – with the pic of Kimberly K clutching a pint and a baby Guinness becoming inescapable on any social media platform you fancy wasting an hour scrolling on. It’s a mildly amusing and bizarre sight, but what to me is even more bizarre than seeing someone so rich and famous have a pint in a London pub is that anyone thinks she’s doing so for any other reason than to further her profile and career. Kim Kardashian and her London pint was a PR stunt, and you know it.

May I direct you to this exact tweet:

Because the aspirational Instagram influencer era is dying in favour of the everyday normal person TikTok influencer era and she is doing things to try and appear more normal on purpose https://t.co/5FEVt5STdc

— Courtney Cox Coquette (@MonopolyPhonic) March 20, 2023

As an explanation for the now infamous picture, drag queen, DJ, musician (and good pal of mine) Monopoly Phonic tweeted the following the other day: “Because the aspirational Instagram influencer era is dying in favour of the everyday normal person TikTok influencer era and she is doing things to try and appear more normal on purpose.” Not only did I think this was uncontroversial, I thought it was extremely well put and obvious answer to why Kim Kardashian might be found in a boozer – a cultural shift which I’ll get into more shortly.

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What fascinated me about this was the Monopoly’s tweet did not go down with obvious head nods and retweets to all, with a scroll through the quote tweets revealing a surprising number of people who truly believed that Kim Kardashian just fancies a pint. A selection of the quotes read “This is so chronically online, she just wanted a pint” “I mean I think she was just having a Guinness because it was St Patrick’s day but go off…” and “Her entire career, tv show, and popularity was always centred on her and her family sharing their normal moments you fucking idiot.”

It’s completely fascinating to me that people take things online so earnestly. Even more so when the following image was shared of the pub setup, and clearly revealed how this was no casual, unplanned pint:

disappointed to learn that this was the insta vs reality of kim k in the pub pic.twitter.com/YxwGwhsidE

— leanne (@fantasy_snack) March 19, 2023

Funnily enough, the incensed quote tweets to Monopoly’s initial tweet had very little to say about the revealed picture when she shared it.

The shifting culture of influencer

When the Kardashians hit their prime, they kind of reinvented what it meant to be a celebrity. The rise of Keeping Up With the Kardashians paralleled the rise of Instagram and how we followed and idolised rich influencers living lives we do not lead. But as the last decade went on, and specifically through the societal shifts in the pandemic – we lost interest.

In increasingly harder times, seeing rich people being completely out of touch with us in lockdown or us in a cost of living crisis built up resentment. The majority of us are no longer arsed. But what rose in its place was TikTok, and its power in the UK to create big content creator names of the most mundane people doing the most mundane things.

Every day I log on to see what evil comments and blockings Nanna Bea has been up to, I smile in wholesome at the antics of Sevda, Ela and Sedat and my blood boils reading the Becki Jones comment sections. These working class women living completely normal lives soothe me and many of us in a way Kim Kardashian and influencers or celebs of her ilk could never.

Kim Kardashian knows that, her management knows that, and they know exactly what kind of impact lip syncing to Millie B’s grime send for Soph Aspin with ‘chav makeup’ and for going for a pint of Paddy’s Day Guinness with the lads in the boozer does for her image. Just don’t be the ones thick enough to take the bait.

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