I would doubt many of the 5 million people who tuned into the live broadcast of this year’s MTV Video Music Awards know Taylor Swift owned the night, considering how much attention was on stars Kylie Jenner and Gigi Hadid.
Nearly eight years after “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” premiered, Kylie and Kendall Jenner have become tabloid staples, quickly surpassing the fame of their sister Kim Kardashian, who was originally the show’s breakout star.
Models Gigi and Bella Hadid are quickly approaching the Jenners’ level of fame. The models are the daughters of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Yolanda Foster, and Gigi is best friends with Kendall, while Bella dates popular singer-songwriter The Weeknd.
After events like this year’s VMAs, entertainment outlets weren’t interested in who took home the Video of the Year Award or who fell flat in their performance, but rather which celebrities starlets took home.
New York Fashion Week’s 2015 coverage proved to be no exception, regarding the media’s fascination with the reality stars. With a quick online search of the event, one would have a hard time finding an article about the trends and fashions debuting at the shows.
A casual reader knows more about Bella Hadid and The Weeknd holding hands on the way to a fashion week show than what outfits Alexander Wang premiered on the runway. And Kylie’s infamous Snapchat story showing tons of affection with boyfriend and rapper Tyga garnered more conversation.
“They get the credit for being so fashionable, but they really just get stylists to dress them,” said fashion merchandising freshman Madison Rentz.
As the years go by, it seems the American fascination with young socialites is becoming more of an epidemic and less of a hobby.
Days before this year’s VMAs, a seating chart made its way online, noting that Kylie would be sitting in front of John Legend’s model wife Chrissy Teigen, and Gigi would be sitting behind singer and friend Swift.
The seating chart photos made the rounds on entertainment websites, such as People, with media outlets buzzing about who would sit next to Kylie.
Seating charts released prematurely can be seen on E! News segments, taking advantage of famous names to generate viewers.
The 2015 VMAs were almost heinously receiving publicity and viewers from names that weren’t even the show’s performers or nominees but mere associates of the musical acts being honored.
Kylie stole the show because of her relationship with Tyga and not her involvement in a music video.
While Gigi and Kendall didn’t sweep awards at the VMAs or design fashions for the runway, they were arguably some of the most publicized stars of the night.
The over-publication of both Gigi and Kylie was almost suffocating for a fan of both well-produced music videos and iconic performances.
I wish we could go back to a simpler time in VMA history when Britney Spears was shocking the world because of a snake around her neck — because at least it was about the music.
The Jenners and Hadids provide neither a talent nor a craft, and many media outlets and institutions fail to focus the coverage on more worthy issues.
“I don’t really pay attention to [Jenner] that much because I don’t think she’s a very important person,” said pre-med kinesiology sophomore Katie Parks.
While reality stars’ lives are an escapist paradise and have their importance in popular culture, I would prefer them to stay on E! or Bravo and not on award shows or events that still have respect for the craft.
Real talent is lost in a feed of scandal and reality fame, and it is now up to the viewers to demand a change.
Grayson Senner is a 19-year-old mass communication sophomore from New Orleans. You can reach him on Twitter @graysonsenner.
Gigi Hadid models fashion from the Jeremy Scott Spring 2016 collection during Fashion Week on Monday, Sept. 14, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
