Kendall Jenner posted this video on her Instagram that caused quite the frenzy within the fashion world and beyond.
Kendall has attained what many would consider to be the pinnacle of any model’s career, landing a spot on Vogue’s coveted September issue cover. I don’t know why I was surprised, but much of the response I have seen online is overwhelmingly negative. At this point, I think I would go into shock if there came a time when hatred for anyone or anything even remotely related to the Kardashians wasn’t for the most part innate. One comment I saw on YouTube sums up just about every bitter person’s truly original and constructive feedback reading, “There’s no need to get excited for a Vogue cover anymore; this is the proof that literally any talentless, bland person without any accomplishments in life can get a cover these days...”
I love pop culture and fashion as much as the next person, but my first reaction to people’s outrage is that they should really take the passion they have for debating what does or does not constitute a person worthy of a magazine cover and put it toward something that, you know, actually matters. But beside that, I genuinely don’t understand how in 2016 people can argue that Kendall is not a true model. Apparently, “non-accomplishments” include having walked in countless shows for premiere designers like Chanel, Fendi and Balmain, many of whom consistently use her in their shows every Fashion Week. She is the face of Estée Lauder and has walked in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, both enormous honors for any model. If some of the most legendary and influential people in the fashion industry, like Karl Lagerfeld and Anna Wintour, like and see something in her, why wouldn’t she be good enough for everyone else, let alone Vogue?
The common argument is that Kendall would not be as successful as she is if not for her famous family, and in some ways, this may very well be true. Having a mother/manager as powerful as Kris Jenner certainly gave her an advantage starting out, but only to a certain extent. She could be like her sisters, whose work consists of filming a TV show, and picking up product endorsement and magazine spreads on the side, but the bulk of Kendall’s work is strictly within the fashion industry. Fashion greats have no reason to take someone like Kendall seriously and wouldn't want an association with a TV show to tarnish their brand, meaning she would have to work much harder to prove her worth as a serious model. Thinking about it logically, iconic designers and editors neither want nor need a reality star to sell their product, but isn’t that what a good model is supposed to do?
Even if in some way, Kendall's being on Vogue’s September issue is a strategic move to generate press and sell more magazines, then I think it’s an extremely positive thing. My hope is that it will hopefully spark an interest in fashion and/or fashion journalism in young girls who otherwise would never have thought to buy a copy of Vogue. My desire for everyone else is that they can learn to either be happy for others’ successes or mind their own business and move along with their lives.
Congrats, Kendall!
