Kardashian pregnancy trending

Walker Chuppe | Photo Editor | The USD Vista

Rumors swirl that three of the sisters are expecting

Kylie Jenner’s rumored pregnancy could be the next trend set by the Kardashian-Jenner family. From lip and contouring kits to Kanye West’s Yeezys, the Kardashians and Jenners have transformed their media presence into  a business empire. Whether people love them, hate them, or simply do their best to ignore them completely, it’s hard to deny the social and cultural impact of the Kardashian-Jenner family. 

First, let’s talk money. On Instagram alone, Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner reach over 200 million followers. That’s a lot of power to throw around for two people, especially when their influence on social media is immensely profitable for makers of all kinds of products. Forbes estimated Kim Kardashian’s annual earnings to be roughly $51 million and Kylie Jenner’s to be around $18 million. The other Kardashian and Jenner sisters, Khloe, Kourtney, and Kendall, all took home over $10 million in 2016. Their mother, Kris Jenner, the mastermind behind it all, totaled $11.5 million herself. 

Often criticized for simply becoming more famous by way of being famous already, the Kardashians do deserve credit for using their presence to the best of their advantage. Social media endorsements, television show appearances, and fashion campaigns are only a few of the lucrative projects the family has taken on over the years. Critics have accused the family of being money and power hungry, and although that can be left up for debate, it can be difficult at times to decipher what is real in the Kardashians’ lives and what is for the sake of advertisement and promotion.

 

Take Kylie Jenner’s pregnancy for example — there are rumors circulating in every direction about the validity of the information, and the Kardashian-Jenner clan has not issued an official statement on the subject. Reports on her pregnancy continue to flow in from “sources close to the family,” but in the entertainment world, it is hard to trust the integrity of statements published by tabloids when the family itself refuses to confirm or deny the rumors. Rapper and producer Travis Scott is rumored to be the father of Jenner’s child, and famously posted support for his child on a since-deleted Snapchat. When asked directly about the rumors during an interview, Kris Jenner gave a tactful non-answer — and declined to confirm any of the information.

 “I just woke up this morning,” Jenner replied. “She’s not confirmed anything. I think it’s kind of wild that everyone is just assuming that that’s just happening.” 

In rather suspiciously perfect timing, the Kardashians’ popular and controversial show, “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” premiered its fourteenth season on Oct. 1. Since its debut in 2007 on E!, the show is one of the main media avenues for the Kardashian-Jenner empire. To add to the media storm, Kim Kardashian is rumored to be expecting a child through a surrogate, and Khloe and Kylie have sources confirming their pregnancies as well. All the while, nobody from the family will confirm or debunk the rumors. However, Kim has found the time to post tweets promoting the new season of their show, and also give her own version of a non-answer to stir the pot.

“People who supposedly work with us “confirming” details they know nothing about! Especially when we haven’t even communicated with them SMH,” Kardashian tweeted. “Season 14 is gonna be wild. Tune in this Sunday!!! #KUWTK.”

If there’s one thing the Kardashians and Jenners are good at, it is using media frenzy to their advantage. It remains to be seen if Kylie Jenner is actually pregnant. There are rumors all over the place, but no official statements or quotes from credible, named sources. Most information is coming out of celebrity gossip sites such as TMZ or Us Weekly. With the Kardashians’ and Jenners’ non-responses, it seems they are hoping their followers will tune into their show’s premiere to find out what’s really going on. It is difficult to decipher if it is all real, or if is it a hoax created by the family to gain more attention. Either way Kylie’s rumored pregnancy has attracted considerable attention already. 

Senior Hailey Trawick shared her thoughts on the rumors, and believes that it may not be a black-and-white situation.

“Yes, I think Kylie is actually pregnant,” Trawick said. “I think that it’s real but also being used to generate more hype for the Kardashian show and Kylie’s individual show.”

Though fans and critics are heatedly arguing over speculation, the situation remains unconfirmed. At this point, it is still to be determined. However, creating pregnancy rumors to promote a television show would certainly be a new-age marketing technique, but if there’s one family who could pull it off, it’s the Kardashians.