fashion brands stop showing me kendall jenner
i can't go anywhere without seeing her face plastered to 5 different ads
Kendall Jenner seems to wear the exact same expression in every single modelling picture I’ve seen of her. L’Oreal, Calvin Klein, Miu Miu, Marc Jacobs, Chanel, Versace, Dior…. I know it’s not uncommon for models to have a sort of signature look and the like, but no matter what the vibe is of the shoot, she looks like she’s just been copy and pasted into the photos. I won’t pretend to know much (if anything at all) about modelling, but even I cringe when watching her awkwardly pace down the catwalk to close a show. Even disregarding talent, her face seems to betray her true feelings—she looks like she doesn’t want to be there. She is the highest paid supermodel in the world, and doesn’t seem to possess the charisma of the greats who are considered to be on a similar level (though that’s perhaps an insult to them) like Naomi Campbell, Gisele Bündchen, Cindy Crawford, Adriana Lima and the Hadid sisters. Kendall doesn’t even appear to try at least look like she’s putting in any effort. For example, every time I see Zendaya in a photoshoot, she looks like she actually understands the assignment.
She has also stated how she ‘was never one of those girls who would do, like, 30 shows a season or whatever the fuck those girls do’. While I suppose that is somewhat fair given her celebrity status, it also highlights her privilege that allows her to cherry pick what she does. I can’t help but feel the undercurrent of superiority and disrespect this statement evokes towards the models that go in with no name and no safety net of fame. When discussing Kendall Jenner, it’s impossible to ignore the significant help she’s had to get into the modelling industry in the first place. Her family and the sway of Kris Jenner has been one of the (if not the only) key factors that elevated Kendall’s career. As she said herself, at 14 she told her mother she was interested in modelling and then ‘she did her Kris Jenner things and made it come to life’. Without that, it’s likely she would’ve been dropped in favour of someone who put in the work, someone who was more determined to get the job than her.
As I noted in my article on Gracie Abrams, I don’t blame nepo babies for being wealthy and having access to resources and opportunities. That’s not my problem with them at all—if they’re successful and talented (with a little help from inside the industry, usually) then that’s great! For me, I find it more sceptical when there doesn’t seem to be much behind the face and the name. Kendall’s modelling is lacklustre in my humble opinion, and this is just by me contrasting her against other models (often on the same catwalks or even in the same photoshoots) as her, who look focused and committed. I mean, they probably would be, as modelling is their job they had to work hard for so that they can make a living. They don’t have the luxury of being famous but mid; a name that has the potential to bring hordes of customers through the doors to get the same clothes/handbag/shoes/etc as the celebrity slapped on as the face of the brand, no matter how she models. I’m sure she put in some hard work, but at the end of the day, Kendall doesn’t bring anything new to fashion. She fits the same mould of tall, skinny and white, but I’m not even going to get into her controversies like her weak, performative Pepsi ad or even her mocking treatment of her younger sister, Kylie.
At the end of the day, Kendall has one of the most recognisable faces, especially to the younger female audience that these brands often target. They use people who seem to have everything: the perfect body, wealth, fame, friends and so many who are enamoured with them—mining the insecurities of consumers. And who better to be the poster girl for this than Kendall Jenner? The prospect of money flooding in from women trying to emulate one of the people that society deems most attractive and aspirational (despite an ‘alleged’ history of plastic surgery) is much more appealing to a fair few brands, rather than hiring a model who knows how to serve. Yes, I was a little tough on her in this article, but I would like to see the world’s top model act like it. Especially since the hard part of her career was handed to her on a silver platter.
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hi! thank you for reading <3 i’d love to hear your thoughts—agreements, disagree, a bit of both, all of it! it’s you who makes this newsletter possible, thank you for your support. if you’d like to leave a like or a comment that’ll fuel me to write xoxo
Great article. Next time be tougher 🫶🏾
so niche yet needed… another serve…