Kim Kardashian’s Brand Is Blankness; ‘All’s Fair’ Is a Tacky Mess

The Atlantic staff writer and Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves author Sophie Gilbert joins Amy to talk about All's Fair. The new Ryan Murphy show starring Kim Kardashian has received uniformly dire reviews — yet has triumphed in the face of its badness with pretty respectable ratings. Is this the end of competency in culture? Did All's Fair's creators intend for this show to be so terrible? Plus what Kardashian's captivating blankness, on unflinching view in All's Fair, says about the state of culture today. Chapters 00:00 Introduction: All's Fair and its reception 02:27 The show's themes and stars 05:02 Why the Kardashians took off as reality stars 06:53 All's Fair's depictions of plastic surgery and the Kardashian-Jenner influence on plastic surgery more broadly 11:54 Kris Jenner's 70th birthday party and depictions of extreme wealth in popular culture 20:02 Are we reaching the end of competence in culture, as we are in politics? 24:15 Why girlbossing is back 29:07 Comparing All's Fair's fashion to And Just Like That's 32:32 What does Ryan Murphy really think of women? 37:21 How Kim Kardashian is handling the show's scathing reviews 41:16 Sophie on the most surprising thing she found when researching her book 'Girl on Girl' 46:49 Sophie's thoughts on Lily Allen's astonishing new album about the dissolution of her marriage Links and resources: Get Sophie's book: Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves Read Sophie's All's Fair review in The Atlantic. Read Sophie's essay about how money is ruining television in The Atlantic. Read Jill Filipovic's essay, "The End of Competence." Read Amy's All's Fair fashion review or listen to it as a podcast in Spotify or Apple. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices