Something I’ve recently been struggling to hear and read about is the youngest girl of the Kardashian/Jenner clan, Kylie Jenner. If you somehow don’t know who she is, check out her Instagram.
You’ll be inundated with photos of Kylie, the majority of them showing her wearing heavy eye make-up, plenty of lipstick and styling her hair differently in every single image. I can’t actually keep up with what hair colour/cut she has right now.
Recently, two of my best friends brought her up in conversation on separate occasions. One of them said “I just don’t understand why she’s painting on her lips. Or if she’s had surgery just own up to it. It isn’t that big of a deal.” My other friend said “Man, what is she doing? Before I thought she was uber cool but now she’s swaying to the slooty side”. When they both voiced these opinions to me, I was a little shocked.
There’s been a lot of speculation on various social media platforms about whether Kylie has had plastic surgery to make her lips appear fuller. There’s also been plenty of criticism over the clothes and the amount of make-up she wears, and all I want to say about the issue is: we should probably be leaving Kylie Jenner alone.
She is 17 years old. The age I was in my first year of sixth form. Did I make questionable fashion choices? Yes. Did I wear my make-up the same way I do now? No. I had no idea who I was, and if you did when you were 17 then I’m not sure I believe you. Hell, I’m still evolving year after year and I’m 21 now. Why some people expect a 17 year old girl to have her shit together, be the image we want or expect her to be, is beyond me – especially as she was born into a family that immediately thrust her into the limelight. Handling 14.7 million followers on Instagram, watching you grow up, is unthinkable. If I put myself in her shoes, the overriding feeling I would have is pressure. Whether you think they’re talented or not, it’s undeniable that her three half-sisters (the Kardashians) and her older sister Kendall are all highly successful and beautiful women with power and money. Kendall is the new global face of Esteé Lauder for crying out loud. As a youngest sibling with two intimidatingly successful older sisters, I have a sneaky feeling that perhaps Kylie does feel like she’s ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians’.
Left to right: Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner, Khloe Kardashian
Now, I don’t mean to say “poor Kylie Jenner”, suffering from the crippling pressures of being in the public eye. She seems to have tried to use it to her advantage, co-writing a young adult science fiction novel with her sister, co-designing a fashion line (also with her sister) and recently bringing out her own line of hair extensions. I don’t doubt for a second she’s drawn on the great contacts that she’s lucky to have in the industry to help her achieve all this. Wouldn’t you?
Aside from that, such personal questions about the issue of her supposed lip enhancement really disturb me. Whose business is it if she has had plastic surgery? If she has, maybe it’s given her confidence that she really needed. Maybe she’ll regret it. Maybe she won’t. I don’t feel like I have any right to know, although for the record, I don’t think she’s had any plastic surgery. I personally feel like she’s merely passionate about make-up and beauty, and just enjoys painting herself up. And as for the ‘Kylie Jenner is a slut’ campaign – it’s appalling. Wearing a crop top and pouting in a photo does NOT equal slut. Since when has it been alright to label other women sluts anyway? It feels so basic and obvious saying it, but clearly people aren’t agreeing with that. Let Kylie wear whatever she wants. Let her make as many mistakes as she wants. If she starts doing something that seriously harms another person, or does something so detrimental towards society, then I’ll gladly sit up and criticise her behaviour. Until then, I’m going to carry on admiring her confidence and support a sista.
Sources
http://instagram.com/kyliejenner
http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/kylie-jenner-hits-coachella-second-3433054
Edited by Sam Carey