Let’s talk about Kylie Jenner. The youngest Jenner-Kardashian sister has already accomplished more than most 21-year-olds in the world. This is not to say that only her accomplishments matter or that hers is a life to aspire to. We are all well aware of the fact that Kylie had numerous factors contributing to her success, not least the fact that her entire family has monetised the very act of living. Kylie, unlike the rest of humanity, has the powerful and brilliant Kris Jenner as a mother – as the saying goes on Twitter, “the devil works hard but Kris Jenner works harder”.
Yes, Kylie is unbelievably privileged. It always helps when you have Kim Kardashian as a sister and are a lead star in a show like Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Of course, she is not “self-made” but why should that take away from her hard work and success? The 21-year-old Jenner took the silver spoon she was born with and transformed it into a cosmetic company that is worth millions. She took the fame that was thrust upon her (and the hate that always seems to accompany fame these days) and under the guidance of her entrepreneurial sisters and iconic momager, used it to market her lip-kits.
Sure, there were some who had a hearty laugh regarding the fact that Kylie was born without ‘full’ lips and now has a lip-kit company that is worth $900 million according to Forbes magazine. I’m sure Kylie gave lots of fucks about the memes and snarky jokes – not.
Is the Kardashian family problematic? Hell, yes. Despite all the talk on cultural appropriation, the sisters are still seen with braids and cornrows. In fact, Kylie has been accused of plagiarism multiple times. The family deserves the backlash they get when such things surface. However, to hate on Kylie for her wealth is bizarre. Unless we bring in the fact that capitalism ensures that the rich get richer while the poor never make it out of the gutter – but that is a discussion for another time.
Kylie’s creation of a brand that takes inspiration from her insecurity (her lips) is a major power move. According to Forbes, Kylie used around $250,000 of the earnings she’d received from modelling gigs and funded the first bunch of 15,000 lip kits. They sold out within a minute.
In a world where people born into fame are intent on encashing it but fail miserably in their endeavour (hello, Bollywood), Miss Jenner has done remarkably well for herself. She’s on the cover of a renowned magazine not just because she’s a Kardashian-Jenner but because she has held her own in a family that is rolling in money and media attention.
So, on her birthday, we wish she makes wise choices and continues to ignore the haters while taking constructive criticism from her legion of fans. Oh, and here’s raising a toast to you, Kris Jenner – just because.
(Picture credits: Kylie Jenner on Instagram)
