Influencer Kylie Jenner.How influential is she really?
On their hit reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kylie Jenner first came into the public eye as part of the Kardashian family. As the youngest of the Kardashian-Jenner clan, Kylie grew up on camera from age 10. While her older sisters Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney were the original stars, Kylie’s fame rose as she got older.
At age 25, Kylie Jenner has become one of the most followed celebrities on social media, with over 300 million followers across Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. However, many experts estimate that over half of these followers are likely fake or bought. So while her follower count appears impressively high, her real audience is likely much smaller.
Kylie Cosmetics’ Success
In 2015, Kylie Jenner launched her own cosmetics company, Kylie Cosmetics. Her first product launch, the Kylie Lip Kit, was a huge success and crashed the website from high demand. Kylie has since expanded her company to offer a full range of makeup products.
Forbes declared Kylie Jenner the world’s youngest self-made billionaire in 2019 due to the success of Kylie Cosmetics. However, given her family’s fame and wealth, her claim of being “self-made” is questionable. Kylie’s mom Kris Jenner likely provided significant guidance and connections to help launch the company.
Is Kylie Jenner’s Influence Meaningful?
When considering Kylie Jenner’s level of influence, an important question is – what kind of influence is she wielding? As a celebrity and cosmetics mogul, there’s no doubt she impacts beauty trends and pop culture. However, beyond these industries, her influence appears quite limited.
Unlike other high-profile celebrities, Kylie Jenner does not use her platform to advocate for social causes or bring awareness to world issues. She faces criticism for promoting unattainable beauty standards and excessive consumerism. Some argue that Kylie represents feminism as looking sexy and getting rich rather than empowering other women.
Attempts to Expand Brand Show Limits
Beyond her social media presence and cosmetics empire, Kylie Jenner has tried to expand her brand into other lifestyle areas with mixed results.
In 2019, she launched a skincare line called Kylie Skin. The products faced backlash for being basic and overpriced compared to specialty skincare brands. Kylie also doesn’t have a reputation as a skincare expert, so critics saw this as a cash grab relying solely on her fame to sell ordinary products.
Kylie also tried to enter the swimwear market in 2022 with Kylie Swim. However, the line needed help with serious quality control issues. Customers complained of poorly made suits that fell apart after one wear. Kylie Swim was blasted online for taking weeks to issue refunds. The whole endeavor seemed poorly planned and relied on Kylie’s fame rather than a quality product.
These extensions of Kylie’s brand show she sometimes needs more business sense and strategic vision of other celebrity moguls. While her cosmetics products have staying power, she needs to put the same care into new launches. It reveals a degree of shallowness to her branding beyond lip kits and glam.
In recent years, some have also criticized how much Kylie edits her photos on social media. With her hyper-curated feed of selfies, she presents an unrealistic standard of beauty. Yet she claims her looks are natural rather than enhanced through surgery, fillers, photoshop, and more. Fans call this deceitful and damaging to young girls comparing themselves.
Overall, Kylie Jenner has undoubtedly achieved enormous fame and success. But when examining her impact on the broader culture, she needs more substantial influence beyond beauty and entertainment. Her motivation is money and fame rather than creating positive change. For these reasons, many debate whether Kylie Jenner is as influential as the media portrays her.
