For awhile I really thought I hated the Kardashians. Earlier this year I unfollowed all of them on social media. I preached about the unimportance of their existence and encouraged others to follow my lead. I grew more and more frustrated each time they would show up on my news feed. Despite my efforts, they were still a common presence on my social feeds, and it drove me crazy. The more I heard their names, saw their photos, and skimmed their headlines, the angrier I got. Although in the past I was pretty indifferent about them, I joined the virtual mob of people who detested their very existence. They may not be worth the hype, but what I learned was that more so– they are not worth the HATE.

For my final “bad girls” sociology class final project I had to make a video to prove a theory about women in the media. I was determined to prove to people, once and for all, that although we find certain personalities attractive; we would be turned off if a non-famous person were to act similarly. Who better to study than the Kardashians?

Last month I spent a week dressed like, made-up like, and mimicking via social media the Kardashian klan. I posted revealing photos and gym mirror selfies while wearing a waist trainer. Although I dropped a small fortune at Sephora and had countless ankle sprain close-calls, I learned enough during the course of the social experiment to leave with a newfound outlook on the reality stars. The goal of the experiment was to attain a reaction, and that is exactly what happened.

It has become apparent that I haven’t given the Kardashian’s enough credit. Although superficial by everyone’s definition, they make a living out of looking like near perfection. The average amount of time I spent on my makeup over the course of the week was 45 minutes a day. Thank god Nicole posted an article on contouring earlier that week. With the help of a few Youtube tutorials that showed me how to use my Naked 2 pallet to get that Kardash-look, I can’t deny that I looked pretty good— but definitely overdone for my 9am classes. I had two friends jaws drop, both of which don’t have much of a filter. Thanks, Csaba.

Walking in heels daily was also an enormous challenge for me, as someone who has actively avoided pumps for a few years now. Although some people seemed suspicious of the amount of eye makeup I was wearing, they seem most confused by the stilettos. In NY/LA I may have fit in with the general over-dressers, but in Boston I had to tackle cobblestone streets at an incline….. people don’t casually wear heels here.

Yet people kept telling me how hot I looked. When they asked the occasion for my outfit I said a school project– not a lie. I love hoop earrings, but I probably wouldn’t give a business presentation while wearing one’s that rivaled the size of JLO’s circa 2002. My Instagram game was b-u-m-p-i-n-g. My outfits, filters, poses, and captions were all inspired by the KUWTKrew.

I felt abnormally confident. People kept telling me my makeup was on point. One of my guy friends who simply isn’t attracted to me (possibly because of my personality lol) told me that if he met me that day he’d be into me. It was hard not to be flattered by the positive attention, but it was slightly offensive that people took such an interest in my new look.

Each day I transformed into a brighter-eyed, bigger-lipped, bustier, thinner, version of myself. This may sound odd, but makeup is heavy. The boys stared, I smiled back, all that was missing was my rainbow Cadillac. Female strangers were less receptive towards me. I often stop people on the street to tell them I like what they’re wearing, but nobody seemed to care when I had octo-mom lips. My liquor store guy told me I looked really nice after my hour-long workout with a full face of makeup. I felt a strong sense of universal judgement all week. What does she have to hide behind all that black eyeshadow? Isn’t it odd that this chick is wearing a pencil skirt to class? 

(I learned an interesting tip regarding lipliner: if you first apply eyeshadow primer on your lips the color will stay on longer.)

Those who our society chooses to idolize often don’t represent most people’s basic values/morals/whatever. However, what I realized from taking time off from following these people, to implementing their (affordable) habits into my own life for the week, is that they are truly just people. Yes, Kim’s fame skyrocketed from a sex tape– big deal. Her family is incredibly marketable and considering she was friends with Paris Hilton prior to the birth of her empire, its likely that the Kardashian family would have experienced success with or without the uneventful naughty blockbuster.

Anyone can turn heads if they put in enough effort, but most of the time it isn’t worth it. Being a “glamazon” is not only expensive, but unbelievably time consuming. Reception varies, some people were really into it– to the extent where I actually considered adapting some of their beauty techniques into my own life. However, I cannot stress enough the importance of media literacy. Not everything Kim/Kylie/Khloe/gang does is in poor taste. With the exception of Rob who has been MIA for who knows how long, the family is extremely outspoken about their love and support for one another.

The week I dressed like Kim was the same week the Diane Sawyer interview with Bruce Jenner came out. Seeing as I was actively following the family at the time, I became unusually invested with the drama surrounding them. Just as many people were, I was extremely skeptical of Bruce’s transformation. I’m a supporter of the LGBT community, but historically a major critic of the E! stars. I thought it was a publicity stunt, but it wasn’t…. and a lot of it isn’t. I may not agree with all their decisions, nor can I accept that its socially acceptable for a 17 year old to have plastic surgery, but they don’t deserve the massive wave of hate they’ve received. Most of us cannot imagine being under the spotlight at all times, but most of us aren’t strong enough to survive millions of people hoping for us to fail.

I’m not going to start watching their TV show, and I don’t have the time nor energy to contour on a regular basis. Attention is attention, and as long as people are interested, the Kardashians will remain a celeb monarchy. Theres no need to click on every article written about them, but if you get frustrated by the existence of said articles, you’ll find yourself caring a lot more than you want to. While I still don’t get the hype, I’m now refusing to give in to the hate.