Kylie Jenner’s followers outnumber most countries’ population. Let that sink in for a second. There are countries smaller than her Instagram following, and yet, somehow, she somehow has an audience as large as a small continent, but she’s one of the least inspirational people to follow online. What people keep saying “is Kylie Jenner a boring influencer” at 1am in Google because they’re half expecting it to confirm it. Spoiler: It kind of does.
I should note: this is not a “hit” on anyone. Kylie created an empire, she is a mom and she is definitely good at business and most of us can’t say the same. There’s a difference between being good at business and being interesting to watch and only one of those abilities is featured on a “For You” page.
The Case for the Boredom
Look through Kylie’s posts for 10 minutes and you’ll see a trend. The pout. Staring into the camera. The captions which were supposed to be generated by autocomplete. Rarely laughs in front of the camera, rarely gives you any unscripted word, rarely gives you any reason to hang around after three seconds. For years, people have been asking if Kylie Jenner is a boring influencer, as her online persona feels less like a person and more like a mood board that sometimes blinks.
It’s not only social media. Interviewers have publicly characterized her as guarded, short-answered and visibly uncomfortable the second a question goes off-script. This was the case even with her personal moment in Vanity Fair, where she was supposed to be on a big stage for her cover photo, and gave mostly one-word answers when she was asked a real question. Flustered is cute. Compelling is not the same as flustered.
What The Kardashians Says About Her
But if you need proof, you can only watch the actual reality show that is supposed to be rooted in her family being, well, dramatic and expressive. Kardashian fans and commentators have noted that Kylie is always the flattest character in any particular scene on The Kardashians. Kim is crying, Khloé is joking, Kris is like, “I’m running a war room here,” and Kylie is sitting there with her sunglasses on, singing one-liners instead of thinking anything, giving one-liners, with her arms folded, like, “I’m in a war room here.
There have been entire recap articles written about the times Kylie cries over comments she receives on the internet about her face, which is a very human and heart-wrenching thing to watch, but it’s one of the only times that she seems present. Throughout the remainder of the film, she’s a lovely, well-dressed background character in her own narrative. The reason people are still searching for an answer to the question, “Why is Kylie Jenner a boring influencer?” is because it’s the very issue. Reality TV is supposed to provide personality at will and hers only really comes out when she’s mad.
Her Style, Explained in One Word: Safe
Let’s speak fashion since it is a style blog and I’d be doing you a disservice if I skipped it. Kylie’s style is over-priced, slick, and rarely authentic. Depending on who she’s dating, it’s bike shorts, streetwear, quiet-luxury minimalism, or it’s now kind of “old money meets Timothée Chalamet’s arm candy,” since she began dating him. Basically, she’s a highly-paid mood ring for her relationships.
It’s cool to look good. She has a great look on her at all times. Looking good is one thing and taking a risk is another, and Kylie isn’t a big risk taker. She waits till everyone else has gotten in on a trend, which means that she tends to be more of a trend confirmer rather than a trendsetter.
Where She Fits in the Family
Now she’s compared to her sisters, and the difference is apparent. Kim is a crazy, memebranding protagonist whose conduct in interviews is crazy, and who somehow manages to pull it off. Khloé’s funny, she’s fun to be around, and she’s definitely the most “normal” in the family of super celebs. But Kendall is a quiet girl, too, and her quietness is mysterious, not checked-out. Kylie takes the term quiet reads literally: she considers it to be disinterested.
Why Vogue and Elle Still Love Her Anyway
But here’s the thing, all this is irrelevant to the pages of the fashion magazines as boring or not Kylie moves numbers. A Vogue cover is for sale. Whether or not the interview itself is captivating, an Elle feature attracts clicks. She’s not being covered because she’s interesting, she’s being covered because she’s profitable, and in media, profitable beats interesting. It is not about the inspiration, it’s about the traffic.
Kylie Cosmetics and Kylie Skin: Brand or Product?
Well, the truth is that a bit of both. Kylie Cosmetics was founded on a line of lip kits that were decent, but not revolutionary, and were mostly sold based on Kylie’s name and face. Kylie Skin garnered varied feedback from dermatologists and skin care enthusiasts, with some of the skin care products being described as “the basics” for the price point. There is nothing wrong with none of them – really. It’s just not innovative. The Kylie stamp isn’t as much for a better formula as it is for the effort required.
What Actual Inspiration Looks Like
Now compare that to creators who take risks, who show up messy, who are funny, who are opinionated, who post the failed recipe, wear the outfit that didn’t fit, or the rant about the thing they actually care about without any filters. Those are the stories that make you feel that way, that make you want to go further, be stranger, be more you. Inspiration does not look like a “selfie” with an inspirational caption. It is someone who is showing you how they think.
The itismandystyle Take
I will be quite honest with you, I have been very much against the Kylie vibe and created this whole blog with that in mind. Real over polished. Edgy over safe. Original over this months “trending. Never ever will I copy another person’s boyfriend’s style as my very own. I get asked often, is Kylie Jenner a boring influencer, and I’m going to just straight up say, “No, Kylie Jenner isn’t a boring business woman, she’s a boring follower. These are actually two entirely different report cards.
She’s good on both accounts. Her bank account doesn’t go to bed at night in fear of a blog post. If you’re in for personality, actual risk taking, actual “watch this person be a whole weird human being” energy you’re going to have to look elsewhere. Well that’s what this blog is all about really.
