Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know Kim Kardashian-West was robbed at gunpoint in Paris recently. While I am by no means saying she deserved this, I am not surprised it happened. While she is just as much a human as the rest of us, albeit with a little more plastic than the normal person, this was bound to happen.
The entire family is often in the limelight for various reasons, but the main one is their lavish lifestyle portrayed on their television shows and social media accounts. No one would have known where she was or what she was doing if she hadn’t posted everything on Snapchat.
The issue is not unique to Kardashian and her family. Many celebrities have millions of followers on social media accounts, and they let all of their followers into their lives. This can be great — until they reveal too much.
A lot of celebrities flaunt their wealth — sometimes unknowingly. Take Paris Hilton, for example. An article by the New York Daily News in 2013 reported that Hilton’s home was robbed for the seventh time. She tweeted later that day, “I have bad luck when it comes to thieves.”
In May 2015, Chris Brown returned from a trip to find an obsessed fan basically living in his home. How would she have known anything about when he was gone and where he lived without his posts on the internet?
The list goes on and on.
Sure, Hilton may have bad luck, but if you mention the name Paris Hilton to nearly anyone and ask what comes to mind, the common answers may include: money, designer clothes, and the term “dumb blonde.” Those looking for some easy cash may target these celebrities based on these
stereotypes.
Perhaps celebrities are targeted not only because they flaunt their wealth all over the internet for everyone to see but because they are perceived as dumb or incompetent. Speaking for myself, when I think of people like the Kardashians and Hilton, I don’t think of intelligence.
If they want to seem more authentic, maybe celebrities should put their thoughts and opinions out there and advocate for more than going on exotic vacations, buying ridiculous amounts of Birkin bags and showing off their that seem void of any real troubles or responsibilities.
Their lives are put on display, which is admittedly fun to watch. It really just makes them seem like they have extra things that they don’t need. This nonchalant attitude is what contributes to a robbery. And yet when we see Kim Kardashian jetting off to Paris with her million dollar clothes and jewelry, we are somehow still shocked when she gets robbed.
Myia Hambrick is a 21-year-old mass communication junior from Temple, Georgia.