Recently TIME Magazine, seemingly one of the world’s most prominently credited publications in the industry, released one of its annual list issues, "The 30 Most Influential Teens of 2015". The product that resulted was nothing less than sheer disappointment.
Notable praises in the article included various young athletes and business entrepreneurs, child geniuses, social and political issue activists, musicians, actors and actresses, even America’s First Daughter, but when two bratty pop culture icons were introduced, the entire list lost all of its credibility. Kylie and Kendall Jenner, more like “the toxic trend-setters of 2015.”
Who’s in charge of composing this list anyways? And what makes their opinions on youth leaders the be-all, end-all? Frankly, anyone who deems these two as poignant influences should probably consider re-evaluating their own life’s significance. Anyway, it’s probably some creepy 53 year-old divorcee who spends his time trolling twitter and making out with his right hand. Either that or some other famous public figure that works double time for the illuminati. While these suggestions are a bit imaginative, I still cannot shake the distaste I have for whoever believes in the alleged “positive” impact that the Jenner sisters have made on the millennial population.
There is no doubt that Kylie and Kendall have created a pop culture empire of their own, but at what cost? The other 28 esteemed individuals on TIME’s list have accomplished feats like breaking world records in sports events, designing new businesses, receiving Nobel Peace Prizes, even innovating new medical illness cures. And to what can we accredit the Jenner sisters? Perfecting the selfie? Right...
My bad review isn’t entirely one-sided. We know that Kylie and Kendall cannot be discounted for their successful modeling careers. At just 18 and 19 the striking two have established powerful images for themselves all over the map as faces for many different fashion labels, even creating their own brand. But at the end of the day they’re still the spoiled Kardashian trust fund babies that, inadvertently or not, promote superficial looks masked by their “be who you want to be” campaign. It’s easy to be who you want to be when everything is given to you. The “phenoma” of the #KylieJennerLipChallenge just doesn’t quite inspire me like Taliban victim and creator of Syrian refugee camp, Malala Yousafzai, does. I’m not sorry.
