IT WAS NOT FEMINISM, BUT HER BODY THAT MADE HER FAMOUS: THE RISE OF BEYONCÉ AND KIM KARDASHIAN IN 2014

Abstract

This study explores the motivations of the public driving the popularity of celebrities Kim Kardashian and Beyoncé. Social Media today plays an integral and influential role in our lives, often holding the power to persuade and shape audiences. With feminism emerging in the year 2014, this study examines if the intentions driving the popularity of these celebrities are reflective of the feminism culture or just a facade. Through content analysis of 100 Tweets and 100 Facebook posts, I identified the main topics and subjects mentioned by the public driving the celebrities fame in 2014. Guided by theories like the presence of hegemonic masculinity and the male gaze, alongside with the rise in digital feminism, I used thematic analysis to determine the motivations driving the fame of both Kardashian and Beyoncé. This includes factors from the performance itself like the Display of Feminism and Artistic Recognition, to the audience’s response that includes Female Objectification, the Presumptions of Money and Fame as motivation, The role of Motherhood and Audience Hypocrisy. Overall, I argue that despite the presence of a feminist trend online, it was not the feminist ideals that drove both celebrity to fame, but their bodily physique.