Girl talk with Kim Kardashian West

“Yes, the Parisienne often comes from somewhere else. She wasn’t born in Paris, but she’s reborn there.”

(How to be Parisian, page 10)

Kim Kardashian West Live! at the Castro Theater in San Francisco

Kim Kardashian West possesses many Parisian qualities. She has the style, grace, and undeniable sex appeal. Underneath the contour and pregnancy Spanx she swears she can’t live without, she has the spirit of a Parisian: unapologetic for the way she is, whether you like it or not.

I had the pleasure of attending Kim Kardashian West Live! on Tuesday, June 30, at the Castro Theater in San Francisco. The event was put on by The Commonwealth Club of California as a part of its Inforum division. Mrs. West wore her signature body conscious black ensemble (Balmain) and strapped sandals (Manolo Blahnik).

Kim talked about almost everything you would want to know about her  — it was hard the believe the discussion was only an hour long. Judge LaDoris Cordell asked her stance on hot topics like Hillary Clinton’s campaign, feminism, body image, entrepreneurship, education, teaching her mixed-race children about racism and of course Caitlyn Jenner’s transition. The more lighthearted topics included sharing clothes with sisters, how to take a good selfie, what she loves about Kanye, and how nice the French paparazzi are.

The “Selfish” author teaches Judge Cordell how to take the best selfie. “It’s all about the lighting and finding your angle,” she said.

One of the things Kim emphasized was that she credits her enduring popularity for her openness, honesty and consistent interaction with her fans. I’ve been keeping up with Kim (pun intended) since Paris Hilton brought her on to the scene. My parasocial relationship with Kim reached its peak when I got to sit 50 feet away from her at this event. I can attest that the experience, in the intimate Castro Theater, was like talking to an old friend, along with a hundred other people. Seeing her in person was exactly how I always imagined it would be. Kim was thoughtful about her answers, playful, and giggled a lot whenever audience members shouted random things (“AT&T Park!”, “Balmain Army!”, “Caitlyn Jenner!”).  In regards to honesty, Kim knows, and she knows her dad would know, what we’re all thinking: “My dad would be really proud of our success…He’d kill me about some of the magazine covers though…among other things.” Obviously she’s referring to her sex tape. She also laughed, “I think my dad always knew I would end up with a black guy.”

Lastly, Kim was asked why there was so much backlash about her recent appearance on NPR and this Inforum interview. She paused for a while and then simply said, “I don’t know.” And I don’t know why either. She’s reached iconic fame, regardless of how it started. From observing the audience at the event, I thought it was interesting to see who chose to be there. It was a predominantly female crowd, but women (and a few men) of different cultures, ages, professions, came together to listen to Kim Kardashian West talk about herself for one hour. For myself and many others I spoke to, it was my first time attending an event by prestigious club. I wish I could describe it in a more intelligent way, but overall it was awesome, and I’ll be looking forward to attending more events in the future!