There is rarely an in-between feeling with Kylie Jenner. The polarizing teen usually elicits a clear ‘love her’ or ‘hate her’ feeling from people (with the occasional ‘love to hate her’ thrown in there).
We wanted to know what college women thought of the 18-year-old with a life so unlike their own so we asked 16 of them to share their thoughts.
“I am obsessed with Kylie! I have her app, I follow her on Snapchat and Instagram. I watch the Kardashians avidly. I think they are fashion moguls and I love their style. Everyone hates on Kylie, but I think she is the way she is because that is all she knows. She was raised that way; she was raised in the spotlight. I love her and always will.”
-Jazmyne, Boston University Class of 2018
“She is so annoying. I really don’t know why people are so obsessed with her!”
-Cynthia, NYU Class of 2019
“I’m personally not a fan of Kylie Jenner. I think she’s a smart businesswoman, and she has definitely built a brand for herself. However, I really feel uncomfortable with girls idolizing her the way they do. She got lip injections before she even turned 18, and that seems unnecessary to me. I think she teaches young girls who look up to her that if you’re insecure about something, you can go to a doctor and they’ll fix it for you. I’m not against plastic surgery, but she was very young when she got it. I also believe plastic surgery doesn’t fix the underlying issues of insecurity, but instead just changes your outward appearance.”
-Dana, Northeastern University Class of 2020
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“I hate her because I feel that she is extremely fake and a bad role model to girls and others who look up to her. I find it a little unhealthy that she has had lip fillers and may have had other surgeries. I like caring about beauty but the things she does are unhealthy. Surgeries like that at her age are extremely unhealthy in the long run. Plus she does not even look natural. Also, even though I don’t like meddling with others’ personal choices, I don’t like how she is dating Tyga. He is creepy as he hits on young girls, 14-year-olds even. Also, he cheated on her. So she sets a bad example by choosing the wrong people. I honestly like any Kardashian better than her, including Kim. They are much more admirable. She is also very mean to her sister, while the rest of her family values family a little more than her.”
-Camellia, University of Cincinnati Class of 2018
“I cannot stand the idea of Kylie Jenner, and I say that due to the fact that I don’t know her personally. However, how she portrays herself on social media is enough for me to not like the idea of her. I don’t follow her on social media, or watch the Kardashian shows, but that doesn’t mean I don’t hear about her constantly. From lip plumping, to her cornrows, she has a lot of growing up to do as well as enlightening herself on the issues on the people she’s trying to portray. You can’t choose the aspects of a race you deem beautiful and not stand up for those races.”
-Jessica, Virginia Commonwealth University Class of 2018
“I absolutely love Kylie Jenner. I follow her on every social media platform; I copy her makeup, style and her nails. Her nails might be my favorite part. I’ve been watching KUWTK since season 1 and think she and Kendall are hilarious. When her vine was in its prime, I would watch it all of the time. There’s just something about her and the whole family that interests me. I get some of the hate because of different controversies, but they still always stay on top. I think she is a very smart businesswoman, and honestly in that sense empowering. I am also anxiously awaiting her new lip kits.”
-Alani, Northwestern University Class of 2018
“I think she is overly sexual. She’s a beautiful girl but she feeds into society’s obsession with sexualized, thin women who wear a ton of makeup and have a large butt. I wish she spoke out more about mature topics like sexism, politics, education, etc.”
-Samantha, Kent State University Class of 2018
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“Kylie Jenner is someone most people tend to dislike, but they’re probably only jealous. I mean, this girl has the life… her own home, plenty of cars, and multiple businesses. Kylie Jenner is overall #goals.”
-Natalie, University of Iowa Class of 2018
“Truthfully, I think Kylie is a really pretty person and she’s entertaining whenever I watch their show, but I don’t see her going anywhere in life. She’s famous just because of her family, and she hasn’t really accomplished that much over her life. She’s very much an air head, and I don’t see her taking her life seriously. I do follow her on social media just because I am into all the celebrity stuff, but I don’t really follow her because I like her. Her other sisters are going out and promoting things and are really taking the Kardashian name beyond the fame and glitz and glam, and Kylie isn’t really doing anything meaningful I feel like. Is she in school? Is she going to go to college? What is she actually doing?”
-Ally, San Diego State University Class of 2017
“I love her because part of me wants to be her. At times I feel like wearing all that makeup and those wigs is so fake, but then I think how fun it would be to look so nice everyday. I use makeup already so why not everyday and 10 times as much?”
-Emma, University of Maryland College Park Class of 2017
“I love Kylie Jenner! I think she has amazing style and whatever she wears becomes the next cool thing. I know everyone loves to hate her and her million dollar lips but she’s a natural leader. In my opinion I think she can dethrone her infamous sister Kim Kardashian in a few years. I follow Kylie on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and if her mobile app was free I’d download that as well. She posts more frequently than her older sisters, which I think is her key to keeping her millions of followers connected. I do ‘Keep Up’ with the Kardashians; it’s honestly my guilty pleasure. I love that show because you don’t need to actually pay full attention to be entertained. They literally could be arguing about a purse and you just can’t stop watching because it’s oddly funny.”
-Rachel, Virginia Commonwealth University Class of 2016
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“I used to really like Kylie Jenner— her style, demeanor and her ability to achieve many different looks. Now, she just looks like a plastic doll. I don’t like all of the alterations she has done to her face and body, especially at her age. She was perfectly fine the way she was! In my eyes, Kylie would be a much more beautiful person if she wore less makeup and was more modest. The changes she’s making and behavior she is promoting don’t bode well for teenage girls. I’m the same age as her; I couldn’t imagine making the changes to my body that she has.”
-Hayley, Loyola University Chicago Class of 2019
“I definitely admire how clever the Kardashian family is in general — very business savvy and experts in controlling the media. And Kylie is no exception, despite being so young and having grown up in a world where a good chunk of her life is watched and scrutinized. I’ve also been very impressed by how she’s interacted with her fans online and tried to help those who feel bullied or different. She’s done a lot of good for someone just 18 years old and I’m not sure why she gets so much hate for when she makes little mistakes — like any normal teenager would.”
-Sarah, University of Nottingham Class of 2016
“The fact that she gets all ‘dolled-up’ just so she can get a good Instagram picture is baffling to me.”
-Lexi, University of Connecticut Class of 2018
“For the most part, I am indifferent to Kylie. I do kind of look down upon her and her family’s show, for the way they blow thousands of dollars and get attention from Kim’s sex tape when there are so many talented people in the world who deserve that same attention. However, after watching many interviews with Kylie and Kendall, I can’t help but feel bad for her because it is almost like you can tell that she is insecure next to Kendall. Kylie gets so much surgery done to her body and face, and I just think she is pretty naturally and shouldn’t have to feel pressured to get surgery to feel beautiful.”
-Chelsea, Bowling Green State University Class of 2019
“I do not like Kylie Jenner. I see her as super fake and the furthest thing from down-to-earth. She also sets an unrealistic beauty standard for many young girls. She uses social media to promote and maintain her hyper-sexualized image.”
-Hannah, University of Iowa Class of 2016