Marie-Antoinette Kardashian

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In a country where 95% of the population was starving, the people of the French Revolution were quick to attack Queen Marie-Antoinette. With top-notch Parisian designers clamoring to dress her and a house so large and beautiful that it was unimaginable to the large working class, her extravagant lifestyle was an easy target.
It's only been a little over a year since the Occupy movement swept the nation and it was common to find town squares clustered with people holding handmade signs and chanting, "We are the 99%!" The people were angry with the global wealth distribution that had created a small but thriving class of billionaires while millions of Americans were laid off from their jobs, evicted from their homes, and trapped in a struggle to recover from the Great Recession.

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Follow Kim Kardashian on Instagram and you'll see the same thing day after day: shots of designer shoes, friends on yachts, and views from luxurious hotel balconies. Despite the hundreds of thousands of likes each picture receives, the comments are full of upset. People criticize Kim for bragging about her many privileges. They point out that some can't even afford their next meal, let alone the pair of $5,000 stilettos Kim buys without a second thought.
The French royal family and the Kardashians have their parallels. While the Jenner mansion (where half of the large family lives) does not begin to compare to the palace in Versailles, it carries the same message to many poverty-struck Americans of unnecessary glamour.
There are the differences. Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI were the rulers of their country, charged with the task of caring for their people. The Kardashian family has no such burden. They no doubt do many hours of community service, visiting hospitals and using their status for good.
The contradiction is this: while the French royal family was sent to the guillotine for their excessive spending and "Let them cake" attitude, the Kardashians only get millions of viewers on their reality show, "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," and more and more endorsement deals, appearances, and clothing lines. But, why?