Obama Doesn’t Like the Kardashians
President Barack Obama doesn’t like the Kardashians! First Lady Michelle Obama revealed the President’s feelings in a roundtable interview with iVillage.com, in which she also discussed being a mom and trying to maintain a modicum of normalcy amidst life at the White House.
Michelle bans Sasha and Malia from watching TV during the week unless it’s for school – but they catch up on TV time during the weekend (and Keeping Up With the Kardashians airs on Sundays). “Barack really thinks some of the Kardashians — when they watch that stuff — he doesn’t like that as much,” Michelle said, “but I sort of feel like if we’re talking about it, and I’m more concerned with how they take it in — what did you learn when you watched that. And if they’re learning the right lessons, like, that was crazy, then I’m like, okay.”
Really, Obamz? You don’t want your daughters to make sex tapes so they can get in the wealthy 1%?
Time reports that the interview occurred just as a new survey from the Girl Scouts Research Institute found that 8 out of 10 girls who regularly watch “real-life” shows like Jersey Shore and The Hills or reality competitions like American Idol believe these programs are true to life, describing them as “mainly real and unscripted.” (No wonder we have so many aspiring Kardashians.)
Girls who watched reality TV also tended to accept and expect more aggression and bullying and place more emphasis on physical appearance. To the good, the reality TV watchers were more self-assured than non-viewers, aspiring to leadership positions; they also were conscious that shows often set a bad example.
Do you think it’s damaging for teen girls to watch shows like Keeping Up With the Kardashians? Like Michelle Obama, I think the accompanying discussion is vital.
