Kim Kardashian is one of world’s most famous reality TV stars. The 32-year-old is of Armenian descent. So how do Armenians feel about her fame?
Photos of Kim Kardashian are splashed across the front pages of magazines and adorn billboards, the walls of car washes and car parks in Yerevan, the country’s capital, BBC monitoring journalist Armen Shahbazian, who was based in Armenia between 2007 and 2011, said to BBC, adding, however, that “that doesn’t mean the nation loves her.”
“Kim is an Armenian and famous in the world, so this is enough for every Armenian to be proud of Kim. But because of cultural and traditional issues, they do not want to accept that she is an Armenian,” he says.
“They always compare the Armenian French singer Charles Aznavour, who they are proud of, with Kim Kardashian, who is seen in a more negative light. They don’t want her to present their country,” he says.
The BBC advises those Armenians, who don’t like reality stars, to look to Levon Aronian, who is the world’s third-best chess player.
