Kardashian T-Shirtgate

Kendall and Kylie Jenner insult MAJOR music icons with new T-shirt line.

The Kardashian Klan (KK) is at it again. This time disrespecting music world legends. On Wednesday, June 28th, Kendall and Kylie Jenner released a “vintage” T-Shirt line depicting images of well renowned musical artists including B.I.G., Kiss, Ozzy Osborne, Tupac Shakur, Black Sabbath, the Doors, Metallica, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin, overlaid with Instagram photos of themselves. The T-Shirts retail for $125.

The affected artist’s Reps were reeling with disgust. “I’m not sure who told @kyliejenner and @kendalljenner that they had the right to do this,” said Voletta Wallace, B.I.G.’s mother. She continues, “The disrespect of these girls to not even reach out to me or anyone connected to the estate baffles me.” TMZ reports Wallace’s lawyer sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Jenners.

Sharon Osborne, Ozzy Osborne’s wife, was equally outraged tweeting “Girls, you haven’t earned the right to put your face with musical icons,” she continued “stick with what you know…lip gloss.”

Kendall and Kylie Jenner released separate but duplicate statements which read, “These designs were not well thought out,” and offered further apologies to the artists and their families. As a standard protocol for the Kardashian Klan, the T-Shirts were ripped off the market, and what appeared as an obligatory apology was published online.

The question begs, who spearheaded this project? The KK has a team of advisors, attorneys, brand specialists and more. How could any of these professionals allow this to happen? A Rolling Stones article reports the shirts include the verbiage “Repurposed in the USA.” There is no definition of this statement.

The Jenner girls were raised with the KK and in front of America on the reality TV show “Keeping up with the Kardashians.” The show depicts numerous instances of complete disrespect for their parents, siblings and themselves.

Both teenagers left the family dwelling in their late teens. The TV show illustrates examples of the Jenner girls learning from the KK how shock value increases ratings, sales, and opportunities.

These two young women have been granted an amazing platform to set a positive example for Millennials. Principles of giving back, contributing to the community, committing themselves financially and with their time are mostly absent.

Instead of displaying the drama and chaos of their lives, the Jenners could create an impactful example of selflessness unlike ever seen before on reality TV. This approach isn’t as press worthy. However, it does lend to a greater legacy, and a lifetime of valuable achievement as opposed to the regular 15 minutes of fame they consistently seek.

Pepsi’s pulled a recent ad featuring Kendall Jenner as a result of the irreverence to the “Black Lives Matter” movement. The FDA pulled Kim Kardashian’s endorsement of the drug “Diclegis,” used to treat morning sickness, due to misleading information and Kim’s negligence of not revealing the risks. Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney were all sued for promoting “Quick Trim Diet Pills” for lying to the public via many media and social media outlets by not revealing the product’s main ingredient is caffeine. Unfortunately, the list goes on.

These media disasters seem to bring attention and strength to the Kardashian brand. Americans are accustomed to various versions of scandal and drama. The lessening of the FCC regulations on the television industry has desensitized people to certain behaviors, language, and actions.

If there were less fan-fair, nonsense, and thoughts about “self,” and more philanthropy, examples of “giving back” and thoughtfulness toward others, perhaps these incidents and the resulting media coverage would lessen.

On their show, the Kardashians periodically air instances of helping others. Are these examples for ratings and PR? Only the family can answer that question. Khloe, Kourtney, and Kim presented a combined $250,000 donation to the 2016 Angel Ball honoring their father. In total the ball raised $3.7 million.

As a business and family, there’s no clear or searchable charitable mission statement. Most organizations of this size are very transparent about their philanthropic efforts. Instead, the KK presents an enormous view of wealth, entitlement, questionable millennial behavior, and dysfunction.

Every family implements different problem-solving methods. The KK chooses to showcase their issues on national television for profit. Everyone needs to make a living. Everyone. Given the resources and fortune this family has amassed over the years, they possess a powerful opportunity to create positive change in our world. Supporting worthy causes, improving race relations, being role models to our youth and demonstrating how family members should treat one another are just a few examples.

If the KK exhibited more gratitude and a sense of remorse when appropriate, perhaps the paparazzi and news would share heart-warming and inspirational stories about a complex but tight family unit who display positivity rather than nonsensical drama.