You’re twenty-years-old and have more money than you know what to do with. You’re the CEO of a multimillion-dollar cosmetics company. Your face is everywhere, from magazine covers to music videos. You’re inescapable: one of the most followed people on social media in the entire world. But here’s the catch- you’re miserable. This is the premise of Kylie Jenner’s much-anticipated E! television series, The Life of Kylie.
While the reality show isn’t nearly as entertaining as its infamous predecessor, it certainly is fascinating. We’re invited to watch one of the most famous teenagers of our generation lead a depressing existence. Of course, there’s little to no chance of someone who grows up behind a camera lens of becoming what most people perceive as being “normal”, but Kylie is far from what the public would expect.
The first few episodes focus largely on Kylie’s disdain for her fame (which is ironic, considering the platform in which chooses to express these feelings). But as the show goes on we begin to understand why Kylie might not want to be Kylie. Her daily routine consists of nothing but getting her hair and makeup done while she posts to her social media accounts. Her social circle consists only of “BFF” Jordan Woods and her various employees. We’re used to seeing Kylie bond with her family, but appearances from the Kardashian/Jenner clan are few and far between.
The show plays like one drawn out snapchat story, so much so that it relies on posts from Kylie’s social media to fill in the gaps. Many of the appearances she makes are not allowed to be filmed, so we’re left with clips of Kylie getting ready for “the music festival” (Coachella) and bickering with her “friends” (her employees). Much to the dismay of the show’s executive producer, she keeps her relationship “off limits.” Instead, we’re invited to watch Kylie shop for various luxury cars (such as a pink Bentley) while her “BFF” says things like “material things can make you feel so good.”
One particularly telling moment happens on Kylie’s way to the Met Gala (an event where filming is not permitted). She’s sitting in the back of a car talking on the phone with her sister Kim, who is headed to the same event. She bites down on her acrylic nails and relays to Kim how nervous she feels and how worried she is that she will have no one to talk to at the event. It’s an anxiety we’ve all experienced. I imagine that she felt like she was still in school, worried that no one would want to sit with her in the cafeteria.
We finally get an appearance from one of her famous siblings, when her sister Kendall meets Kylie in London. Fans of the family probably remember the inseparable bond the two appeared to have, but it’s clear that their relationship is strained. Kylie admits that “I don’t think we’d be friends if we weren’t sisters.” Most fans of the family would say that what drew them to the show in the first place was the family dynamic that played out on screen, so it's disappointing to see that bond has faded away.
