Without turning this into some kind of disheartening social commentary, in today's landscape, you're only as relevant as your social media following. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian, considered by many the reality star who pioneered the transition to social media stardom, know that only too well.
The entire Kardashian empire, which includes the Jenner side of the family, is built on exhibitionism and very careful branding. Kim and her sisters have come a long way from being the butt of jokes in the entire showbiz industry as they were when they first started out in reality television. They are now serious businesswomen, fashion influencers, discerning car collectors, billionaires.
They have an image to uphold, starting with Kim.
Relevant to our interests is Kim's garage. Right now, it's packed with spectacular, heavily customized vehicles ranging from Lamborghinis to Mercedes-Maybachs and Rolls-Royces, all of them painted a shade of gray called Ghost Gray, which Platinum Motorsports, Kim's go-to auto specialist, created especially for her.
Photo: Instagram/Kim Kardashian
Her latest addition to that garage stands out in more ways than one. In mid-February, Kim took delivery of a Tesla Cybertruck, the Founders Edition. These days, you only have to say the word Cybertruck, and people will know you're not talking about a standard car. Not only is it fully electric and built like a tank (in Elon Musk's words), but it looks out of this world – it's a beastly, angular, aggressive-looking, all-steel machine that looks somewhat out of place in any civilized context.
These are all things that make the Cybertruck the most awesome photo prop you can get today. In Kim Kardashian's case, she's even willing to let slide the fact that it can't be painted in her trademarked shade of gray.
Earlier this week and after a couple of teasers on social media that made Kim a hit with the very large and very supportive Tesla community, she finally offered a better look at her Cybertruck. She did it by turning it into a prop for a photo shoot, as was to be expected, and without as much as a single word about the truck itself.
Since deliveries for the first batch of Cybertrucks started late last year, something like this was to be expected. You didn't have to be a market analyst or auto expert to know that the e-truck would become the next status symbol, not just because of its high price or touted capabilities but because of the hype around it. You don't have to be one, either, to know that it will continue to remain so, at least until production ramps up and availability increases.
In so doing, the Cybertruck is proving that Elon Musk was right in taking the unlikely approach to sell cars without advertising. With friends like these, who needs enemiescelebrity ambassadors like these, who needs ads?
And even if anyone wanted to hate on Kim for turning the Cybertruck into a photo prop, they couldn't. Everyone else is doing it.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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