It's all over the internet now-the news that Kim Kardashian is backing a new prepaid Mastercard that is targeted to YOUTH. I'm not a financially savvy person by any means (and I should probably learn to be especially now that I am in college), so I don't know a lot about prepaid credit cards except that the parent can put an amount of money on the card and the child cannot go into debt on these cards with only a fixed amount of money on them. However, it is the fact that marketers chose the Kardashians, particularly Kim, to market this new product.
If anyone who has seen the E Reality Show, "Keeping up with the Kardashians" (who hasn't?!) they see that this family spends most of the 20 minute time slot arguing, spewing obscenities, and acting overly sexual. Kim is known for making a sex tape and shopping. She wears so much make up and is rumored to have plastic surgery done on her face. She is the symbol of American pop culture: crassness, shopping, and degrading sexuality.
The last thing we need is some vapid celebrity being marketed to children and teenagers. Sure, with this card, teens cannot spend thousands of dollars on clothes the way Kim can with her regular credit card. However, as we know marketers use the "cradle to the grave" ploy, these kids may grow up and use regular credit cards the way Kim might.
There are a myriad of other ways to teach youth about financial responsibility. We don't need a trashy celebrity's help to raise our children. Let's do it ourselves!
Photo courtesy of: http://jezebel.com/5684516/awful-kardashian-prepaid-mastercard-targets-innocent-children
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