Kim Kardashian is taking Kanye West's last name. What she isn't doing, however, is hyphenating the thing but is instead adding an enigmatic, pregnant-with-possibility space between Kardashian and West. In fact, the choice of the non-hyphenated space is curious, because a dash seems to be her thing.
When asked about her choice of last name, it is as if Kim paused and decided on the spot that, yes, this was what she was doing. But, then she thought about it and responded, "Make it the middle." Do you see what is going on here? It is as if Kim is changing the concept of directionals entirely, rejiggering the way we think of space and how it is configured.
Yet, is the official joining of the West-Kardashian namesake a branding move, an identity reclamation, or a rejection of the inherent commercialism that is so coded in the Kardashian empire? Or is it all three, simultaneously? If a Kardashian West falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? As a reporter from The Cut writes, "The women's Internet momentarily considered what this decision means from a feminist standpoint. Then they collectively decided, ehh. Let's just let this one go." (The Cut)