A psychotherapist draws a connection between the Kardashians and OnlyFans content creators.
MJ Corey is a psychotherapist who has launched a provocative new study into the Kardashian family in her newly-released book, 'Deconstructing the Kardashians: A New Media Manifesto.' Corey is already quite known in digital circles as she operates the Instagram account, 'Kardashian Kolloquium.' Her work is dedicated to the rigorous study of the family through a scientific and media-theory lens.
Corey argues that the Kardashians do not just follow culture. Instead, Corey suggests the family traces and defines modern narratives.
She identified a specific turning point for the dynasty. Corey traces their meteoric rise back to an act of sex work, specifically highlighting the 2007 leaked sex tape of Kim Kardashian and R&B singer Ray J.
Corey emphasised that Kim became a household name almost overnight because of the sex scandal. Then, the family's flagship reality series, 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' premiered only months later.
In traditional media narratives, women were expected to respond to such leaks with shame or silence. The Kardashians took a different path. They chose to monetise the moment rather than retreat from it. Corey notes that this refusal to live in shame is exactly what fuels public resentment. By turning a perceived scandal into a global business empire, they challenged the established moral order.
'People have a different feeling towards female icons that are tragic or humiliated than the ones that are like, "No, I'm good, I'm gonna make money from it,'" Corey said in an interview withMashable.
'It's another nuance that people have been forced to sit with when it comes to the Kardashians and their relationship to sex — that the tape didn't break them,' she added.
Corey noted that the Kardashians' rise to otherworldly popularity is frequently framed as a masterclass in the 'cultural appropriation of race and ethnicity.' Yet, the narrative is missing a vital opening chapter.
According to Corey, the family's initial ascent was built on a different foundation. They did not just borrow from diverse cultures. In the beginning, they appropriated the aesthetics and labour of sex work.
Source: International Business Times UK
