The Peer Review is a collective review platform. This is 4/4 of The Kardashians correspondence. Catch up on the first three instalments here.
I Consider This One a Neutral
June 7 2022
Hey Quinn,
I guess I should have realized that a billionaire wouldn't have very high ethics. Every point you make checks out. I had no idea about the church as tax haven, which seems... evil?!
In reference to your other question, here is an incomplete list of Kardashian husbands and boyfriends, RANKED!
7. Scott Disick: Scott was Kourtney's longtime partner and father of her children, but their relationship was rocky even at the best of times. Nowadays, he can't seem to allow her freedom in her new marriage, despite the fact that he has been dating literal teenagers like Amelia Hamlin. Gross!
6. Tristan Thompson: Tristan has cheated on Khloe multiple times now, even though she's taken him back and they've worked on their marriage. It's very sad to me. They genuinely seem like they could be a good couple if only he could stop cheating on her. The only reason that Tristan isn't at the bottom of this list is that I find Scott more annoying.
5. Kanye West: I remember hearing all the way back around 2013 when Kanye and Kim got together. It was a pairing that just instantly made sense. One of the most famous men in the world partnered with one of the most famous women in the world. It seems like they genuinely did love each other. He did make her even more famous and respected than she was already, but I don't know how she personally feels about that kind of artist-muse relationship. Kanye's ego seems to have hurt Kim post-divorce though. Thinking about Kanye now mostly just makes me sad.
4. Travis Scott: I don't know much about Travis Scott, but he and Kylie do have two children together and despite taking a break, have reconciled and are still together. I guess I consider this one a neutral.
3. Travis Barker: I saw you mentioned in an earlier email that you saw a lot of red flags in Kourtney's and Travis' relationship, but I genuinely think it's sweet. Maybe I just have a soft spot for drummers, but they really seem to be very in love with each other. Their relationship is extremely over-the-top though. Every time the camera pans to them making out on the show I do laugh out loud. But they found love again in their 40s and I think that's nice. I also find Travis' influence on Kourtney's style to be hilarious. The first time a Kardashian has ever turned punk!
2. Pete Davidson: I don't know, he seems nice. He put pimple cream on Kim's zit while she was sleeping! I find this relationship to be extremely funny and weird, but again, it also kind of makes sense? He seems to be the polar opposite of Kanye, which I find kind of funny. I think this is a pleasant rebound relationship for her. There is no chance in hell this will last.
1. Corey Gamble: Kris' current boyfriend. He's not on the show much, but when he is, he seems like a nice, normal person. I think that's all you can ask for out of a celebrity partner.
I know you're a longtime fan, so you must have some serious thoughts on this too.
Take care,
Alanna
Parasocial Relationships
June 10 2022
Dear Alanna,
I love reading your reasoning behind each ranking because your list is so different from what mine would be. My feelings towards the Kardashian men (at least the ones who appear in the show/s) can change hugely from one day to the next, which I guess makes sense since I don't actually know any of them. That, or I'm just easily swayed. Either way, your justifications were convincing and actually made me rethink how I would organize my list. Going back to the concept of parasocial relationships with celebrities, I think it's easier (or more accurate?) for me to rank a reality show's characters according to level of entertainment instead of how much I like them, since I don't actually know them as people at all.
When reordered according to that logic, my list would go as follows (from most to least):
1. Scott
2. Kanye
3. Corey
4. Tristan
5. Travis (Barker)
6. Pete
7. Travis (Scott)
It's funny that it's almost the inverse of yours. Then again, it makes sense that a reality show's most entertaining characters (i.e., those who often bring the most drama) won't necessarily be the most "likeable". Yes, both Scott and Kanye are undeniably shown to be toxic. But Scott pretty much carried the show for a few years in terms of how much personal stuff he shared and Kanye, on the few occasions he appeared, brought a sort of self-aware hilarity to the show. Conversely, Travis (Scott) has never filmed and Pete hasn't made an actual appearance (yet), so I can only judge them by what I've heard/read outside of the show (and between Astroworld and Pete's social media antics, the opinions I do have are admittedly low).
With just one episode left of this season, I'm curious to see where the Kardashians go from here. I don't think they're at the peak of their popularity anymore (I'd say that was back in 2019 or 2020). With Kanye seeming to have moved on for good, the Kravis wedding over and done with, and the growing economic disparity in the US creating things like the TikTok trend "Eat the Rich", I don't know if they'll be able to adapt to the new climate we're currently living in. Then again, they've done it before, and I'm excited to see what Kris comes up with.
Best,
Quinn
P.S. Do you think Pete's really into skincare? (Re: Kim's story about him putting on the acne cream) Or was that just a convenient brand narrative used to help launch her new skin skincare line, SKKN? With them, you truly never know.
Alanna Why is a culture and fiction writer from Montreal. Her culture writing has been published in Minola Review, Canthius and PRISM, as well as in her newsletter, Why's World.
Quinn Mason’s writing has appeared in Lemon Hound, The Nashville Review, Cosmonauts Avenue, Maisonneuve magazine, and Michelin guidebooks. You can find more of her writing at www.quinnamason.com.
Véronique Darwin writes fiction and essays. She lives in Toronto and organizes The Peer Review collaborations. If you want to be a reviewer, contact her by replying to this email.