In Your Relationship, Are You the Kanye or the Kim?
In Paris earlier today, Kim Kardashian debuted a new, radically blonde hairstyle—something that looks akin to a Rita Ora Real Doll starring in a Michael Bay space opera. She looks ravishing and mean and it suits her perfectly. And it's almost certainly thanks to Kanye.
Yes: The question of how Kim arrived at her new hairstyle will likely never be directly answered, but for scholars of the Kardashian-Wests, there is general agreement that Kanye played a key role in the change. Since the mogul and the entrepreneur first started dating in 2012, Kim has undergone a transformation, one that can be traced in large part to Kanye's thirstily high-fashion taste. As he pushes the boundaries of acceptable rap-star streetwear, so too has he pushed Kim to make the best possible use of her Tex Avery figure. And she wears it well. The two are the King and Queen of Style, whether Sarah Michelle Gellar wants to believe it or not.
But Kanye's influence on Kim's style is not just "crazy" Kanye bossing around his poor little wife. It is not necessary to run around screaming BUT(T) KIM IS A MOGUL, TOO. Yes. She is. She is a successful and lovable woman, executive, mother and much, much more. But the K-Ws have come together to form the perfect American Matrimony, wrapped up in a clean and rad and powerful aesthetic vision: Charisma. Ego. Genius. Dominance. Superficiality. Money. Vanity.
And, best of all, Love. Kim's new looks are a gift of love from Kanye that echoes this quote from their dual Vogue cover: "She's like a dream girl. And I think a dream girl should live in a dream world."
Good couples complete each other: One is dominant and one is submissive; one is loud and one is quiet; one is out there and one is in here; one is childlike and one is ice-cold. And these characteristics enable the two to flourish: Kanye is out here yelling about Beck while Kim made $43 million off a goddamn app.
But great Kouples elevate each other. Each member of a great Kouple brings something that pushes his or her companion to be the best version of themselves they can be. Kim gives Kanye a muse and a queen. Kanye gives Kim access to a new stratosphere of fame and power. And a gloved Riccardo Tisci gown at the Met Gala. It is a terrifyingly beautiful merging of territories, the likes of which haven't been seen since Hapsburg Europe.
Which brings me to my point. While there is little chance any of us will see the wealth or notoriety that both Kanye and Kim have accumulated in a million lifetimes, their hyperpublic relationship provides us with a model for our own. Perhaps part of the reason that the world is so fascinated by the pair—besides the global competition to be remembered as the biggest hater—is that they are us. In every relationship, there is a Kim and a Kanye—a beautiful and pliable muse and a neurotic tortured genius; a brilliant emotional wreck and a calm and collected social architect—and very little in between.
Try it on your friends, your parents, your significant other. It is a scarily accessibly form in which every couple fits quit snugly. Fight over who gets to be who, but really you'll both come out the winner.
If you recently ordered your boyfriend to change out of that gingham Uniqlo button-down that made him look like a square, you might be a Kanye. If you are going to every one of your girlfriend's art-punk shows, even though no one else is, you might be a Kim. If you're craving a Blooming Onion at 11 p.m., you might be a Kanye; but if you already ordered sushi for everyone in your squad, you might be a Kim.
This binary is gender-and-sexuality-fluid, but from an unscientific poll, it seems mostly unchanging within a relationship, as in you cannot one day be a Kanye and then the next be a Kim. (Can you be a Kanye in one relationship and a Kim in the next? Up to you to find out.)
Both are powerful. Both wield influence. Both do things in their own way, but both follow certain personality patterns. So which is it: in your relationship, are you a Kanye or a Kim?
[Images via Getty]