Are the Kardashians America's family? Plus, our skincare desires and delusions

The Kardashians. Whether you're into them or not, one thing is true: You can't avoid them. When they're not releasing new episodes of their long-running reality TV show, they're making headlines about Halloween costume reveals or ex-husbands who go on anti-Semitic rants. Because somehow, over the past decade, the Kardashian family went from Hollywood D-listers to American institution. <br/><br/>Host <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/1123917129/brittany-luse">Brittany Luse</a> unpacks that journey with MJ Corey, known by her social handle <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@kardashian_kolloquium?lang=en">Kardashian Kolloquium</a>. Corey, who also runs a <a href="https://dekonstructingthekardashians.substack.com/about?sort=people">newsletter</a> where she applies media theory to the Kardashians' antics, breaks down their rise to the heights of American society and power – and how they got there using beauty, traditional milestones and a media playbook that might look similar to another first family.<br/><br/>You can follow us on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/npritsbeenamin">@npritsbeenamin</a> and email us at <a href="mailto:ibam@npr.org">ibam@npr.org</a>.