Kardashians drag act launches Professor's new book on campus

A drag act inspired by the Kardashians was a surprise guest at Brunel University London yesterday, appearing at Prof Meredith Jones’ book launch for her upcoming release, Kardashians: A Critical Anthology. The hotly anticipated title takes a deep dive into the global impact and influence of the Kardashian women and explores the phenomenon that has shaped a generation of cultural norms, fashion and the media – delving into race, relationships, physicality and celebrity. Through a collection of critical essays, written by 20 of the world’s leading cultural academics and analysts, the detailed anthology unpacks all things Kardashian and is available to pre-order from 3 July.

Krumpet KarKrashian, also known as Tiana Biscuit, a drag act from London, was a VIP secret guest at Prof Jones’ book launch in Brunel’s Hamilton Centre. The glamorous performer surprised guests partway through the evening, sashaying in with Kardashian sass and side-splitting gags before posing for selfies.

The fun-filled event took place during the Bodies Festival on campus, which was part of Brunel’s wider (Inter)Disciplinary Bodies Conference, which ran from 25 to 27 June.

The inaugural conference was jointly hosted by the Institute of Communities and Society, which Prof Jones is the director of, along with the Institute of Health, Medicine and Environments, and the Department of Arts and Humanities – all at Brunel.

The international event spotlighted new ways of thinking about bodies and the free festival was a community arts-led campus takeover, with collaborative workshops and activities from international artists and local residents. Guests attended film screenings, sampled food from South Asia and took part in drawing workshops.

Conference keynote session with Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh, Professor in Migration and Refugee Studies, University College London

Prof Meredith Jones, Professor of Culture and Gender at Brunel, is a Kardashians expert who has written academic papers about the reality stars – and has even hosted two Kimposiums, international events that explored the Kardashians’ impact on gender, body image, beauty and race.

Kardashians: A Critical Anthology shines a light on the five Kardashian women and is structured around six core thematic sections – Storytelling, Race, Fashion, Celebrity, Time and Embodiment. Each section contains an introduction written by Prof Jones, followed by chapters that collectively explore the high-profile family from multiple viewpoints.

Book cover

The book cover depicts the Kardashians as goddesses, and Prof Jones suggests they are indeed goddesses of our time, noting that Greco-Roman mythical goddesses were petty, envious (Athena turned Medusa into a gorgon for being more beautiful than her), promiscuous, and always unapologetic.

Topics in the book include blackfishing, social media, surrogacy, celebrity activism and the role of the matriarch ‘momager’. The Boston-based psychotherapist, Manuel Harpin, explores the Kardashians’ penchant for Black partners, and Prof Jones explores their Met Gala fashion and sophisticated exploitation of Black cultures and aesthetics.

“The Kardashian empire and dynasty are intertwined with some of the most important movements of the early twenty-first century,” said Prof Jones.

According to Kath Burton, a co-editor of the book, celebrity, cultural appropriation, new forms of feminism, social media, ideal bodies, evolving notions of physical beauty and the global fashion system have all been affected by the quintessential influencers in this family of matriarchs.

As well as appealing to fans and followers of the Kardashians, the anthology will also be of interest to scholars and students studying subjects such as popular culture, media studies and fashion.

“The book is the first of its kind and introduces the field of Kardashian studies through a collection of essays based on sociology, media studies, cultural studies, critical race theory and fashion theory,” said Prof Meredith Jones.

“The inclusion of discussion points at the end of each section also make it a useful resource for both study and teaching purposes.”

Kardashians: A Critical Anthology will be published on 24 July and is available to pre-order from 3 July as a paperback, hardback or eBook.

The book is edited by Meredith Jones, Kath Burton and Donna Lee Brien.