With the rash of graduations occurring all over the country, former high schoolers are celebrating their newfound freedom in the form of joyous Instagram posts and Tweets. Most of them seem proud of themselves and their accomplishments, but some are discouraged and upset that their outstanding accomplishment is overshadowed by the accomplishments of others.
One of the most common such comparisons of accomplishments, and definitely the most upsetting, is the comparison of themselves to Kylie Jenner. Comments such as “Kylie Jenner got a luxury car when she graduated high school and all I got was this stupid diploma” and “Kylie Jenner just bought a multimillion dollar house and I can barely afford ramen” are frequent occurrences on social media nowadays. These lightheartedly self-deprecating remarks may seem inconsequential, but in fact, they are fairly harmful.
At 18 years old, Kylie Jenner may be similar in age to many of these graduates, but that is where the similarities stop completely. She was born into privilege, into a multimillion dollar family with high-society contacts and television show. Sure, Kylie got a $50,000 Rolex for her graduation, but the Kardashians make at least that much money in a day off of their television show and various clothing and makeup lines. She might have also bought a several million dollar mansion, but she also has her own wildly successful lip-gloss line, a line that only exists because of her family’s infamy and their various fashion and makeup related contacts.
These comparisons by regular teens on social media to Kylie Jenner are harmful because she’s not a regular teenager. She never had to grow up with with hand-me-down clothes and second-hand cars. She never had to pull all-nighters studying to get good grades because she probably isn’t going to go to college. Why would you if you can make millions off of your lip injections and family name?
There’s nothing wrong with being Kylie Jenner or wanting to be Kylie Jenner, but it’s pointless to compare yourself to her. Regular teenagers would have to go through endless struggles and hard work to get where she is today, only because Kylie has been handed everything in her life. She’s never had to work to make money to afford anything. She was born into money and into fame, her successes have nothing to do with her hard work, and everything to do with her family.
Kylie Jenner is not better than anyone because she bought a fancy car or an expensive mansion. She’s privileged. And comparisons to her and her life do more harm than good.
