Kylie Jenner: an Industry Professional?

Photo by Hitesh Dewasi on Unsplash

Pop culture is a notoriously unpredictable and erratic staple in the world as we know it today; at its forefront remains a family we have all come to know much too well: the Kardashians. The family started to gain traction in the early 2000s, and have not had the chance to step out of the spotlight since then. From romantic drama to a binged television show, to having children, they have become the most-watched and entertaining family in America, and around the world. A fan-favorite, Kylie, the youngest of the bunch, has an astonishing net worth of roughly $1 billion at 24 years old, making her the youngest self-made billionaire. This leaves the middle class and viewers scratching their heads wondering “how did this come to be?”

The answer lies in her brilliant management and marketing of her makeup brand: “Kylie Cosmetics.” Although she has now sold 51% of her business to an external brand, Jenner built this successful beauty company from the ground up, founded in 2014, when she was merely 17 years old. With various photoshoots, press conferences, and marketing on her many social media accounts, the brand has managed to remain the spearhead of the makeup industry for almost a decade. In 2019, the brand’s earnings measured up to $200 million. It’s clear that Jenner knows how to play her cards right, as she also makes large sums of her earnings through press conferences, TV advertisements, and product endorsements on social media, managing to stay relevant almost 20 years after she and her family started to appear on America’s TV screen.

Although Jenner has proven her adaptation and her qualification on being a young entrepreneur, she finds that dealing with hate has become a necessary part of her daily routine, especially from anonymous audiences online. In one instance she states “the more people that love you, the more there’s going to be people that hate you.” But, the vast amount of hate comments she warrants by just having a presence online, it leaves many of her fans and mere spectators wondering “is this because she is a successful young entrepreneur, and she is a woman or is this something else?” According to many, there seems to be a theme on who is attacked on social media and who is not, with female celebrities getting unnecessarily berated every day. Not only is it important to remember that although celebrities and CEOs have what seems like endless amounts of money in front of the cameras, they are still people with feelings, but it is also incredibly crucial to support young female entrepreneurs whenever the chance presents itself.