Kanye's Fake Yeezy Paparazzi Shots Aren't Clever; They're Ridiculous

Whether or not you think he's genius or just looking to save a bit of cash, Kanye West's eschewing of the traditional runway show in favor of a paparazzi-style lookbook for Yeezy Season 6 turned out to be a great marketing move – because when you're married to one of the most seen women in the world, you might as well use her, right? The candid campaign was masterfully styled by Carine Roitfeld and shows Kim Kardashian out and about “running errands” in Yeezy's trademark body-con sweats.

Of course, paparazzi-style campaigns – like many of the “original” ideas and designs the Kardashian-Jenners have come out with – are really nothing new. And, as proven by the incredibly lucrative influencer business and our obsession with the off-duty lives of celebrities, we mere mortals are suckers for relatability. That's not to mention the increasing democratization of the fashion industry by means of the internet and social media which is sweeping away the cobwebs of elitism and arguably making runway shows obsolete. Kanye West is simply riding the zeitgeist – and rubbing his hands together while he's doing it.

What we have perhaps overlooked in all this, however, is the authenticity of this relatability. Rather than leveraging her typical selfies, Kim posted each look on Twitter with captions such as, “McDonalds run,” “Getting gas,” and “FedEx run,” which are, let's face it, utterly implausible and ridiculous. It's as if Kanye's marketing team got together and asked themselves the question, “what do normal people do?” Normal people – that is, people who aren't mega-rich celebrities with a horde of assistants – eat one-dollar burgers and pick up their own deliveries, obviously.

It all leaves a bad taste in your mouth when you think about it. So strong is the Kim Kardashian influence that we continue to bust our budgets on contouring kits and Kardashian-endorsed products, and bust our butts doing a hundred squats a day in the hope that it might somehow be possible to achieve her manufactured flawlessness. But now we aren't simply being sold an unattainable fantasy, but the fantasy of a mega-celebrity actually being like us – a marketing lie that is founded on the assumption that we are not only inadequate, but incredibly gullible. We're being fucked on both fronts. But like indoctrinated members of a nasty, superficial cult, we'll continue to worship at the alter regardless.

Bowing down #Yeezy.

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Preview image via dazeddigital.com