Here’s a lesson for every scroller that doesn’t get taught at 2am: fame and inspiration are two different things. One is a number. The other is a feeling. Some of the most iconic names on the planet today are, in fact, the least inspiring, most product-marketing, most creatively empty in the world that we have. Let’s be loving, let’s be with receipts, but let’s not be mean about it, and let’s talk about the most overrated influencers and celebrities going into 2027. I’m not coming here to pull someone’s facial hair or body hair. I’m here to pose a simple question: In what way do they give us something in return for all the noise we make?
Why “Overrated” Isn’t the Same as “Bad”
Don’t send me an angry DM before anyone. An overrated doesn’t necessarily mean a lack of talent or bad. It means that the publicity is more significant than the contribution. Many of these are really good at business, they’re really good at branding, they’re very good at being relevant. That’s a skill. However, self-selling abilities are not the same as being someone to look up to and Gen-Z deserves to know the difference.
Kylie Jenner
What she’s genuinely achieved
In 2015, Kylie created Kylie Cosmetics from a lip kit drop and it became a brand Coty acquired for hundreds of millions. Now she is managing a fashion brand called Khy, and a drinks brand called Sprinter – and even made her acting debut this year. That’s not nothing. The little girl is familiar with her customer.
Why she’s still overrated
The feeling is forever, “bored at a party I’m hosting”. Each photo, every caption and every launch is identical – it has a flat, shiny vibe – and the style hasn’t changed in years. Neutral bodycon, sleek hair, a pout, repeat. The product stream is there, too. A new drink flavour, a new collection, a new powder and a new primer in the same month—what’s going on with her? If someone with almost 400million followers uses that social media site as a checkout site, it’s not influence, it’s inventory.
Then what about the “relatable” moments? The “no make-up selfie”, the “cute mom” photo, the “I’m just like you” caption? They’re made with care, as if relatable was another SKU. Real relatability is a messy thing. Hers is equipped with ring lighting.
Kim Kardashian
What she’s genuinely achieved
I’m going to say it again: SKIMS is a real business success. It helped to solve a genuine problem, it was available in a greater range of sizes than many legacy brands and it is worth in the billions. Kim has also spent a lot of her time in criminal justice reform and helping people be released from prison, and that’s more important than any shapewear.
Why she’s still overrated
Somehow, it became an empire and Kim became famous from nothing. But what’s the cultural contribution? Do you remember contour tutorials, a reality show genre that turned performative family drama into a job and an aesthetic that encouraged a generation to embrace bodies that were “perfected” by surgery? It’s quite a burden. The drama of the law is a good illustration of image and reality. She completed California’s law office study program in 2025, but failed the bar exam that July and is believed to have taken no steps toward taking the exam in 2026, with plans to return in 2027. In the meantime, she portrays a high-powered lawyer on Hulu’s All’s Fair, criticized by many. I respect the grind of studying, I’m telling you. Playing the lawyer before the lawyer comes—what’s the Kim thing? The costume comes first.
Jennifer Lopez
What she’s genuinely achieved
J.No question about it, Lo’s is a legend. Iconic albums, the Versace dress that helped spawn Google images, Hustlers, a Super Bowl halftime show, decades of hard work in an industry that is so hard on women of color and women over 40. She deserved all her flowers.
Why she’s still overrated
The issue is that too much is too much. J.Lo is here, now, and the same message: I’m back. Recovering from the comeback is never ending. This Is Me… Now in 2024 had an album, a movie and a documentary about her love story, then the tour was cancelled and her marriage was dissolved. We’ve had hosting gigs, brand pushes, and a constant barrage of “new era” stories since then.
Her mythic aura and her performance are not the same. She’s a living icon to fans, but much of what she’s released lately is self promotion and nothing else. Honestly, she is one of the most overrated influencers and celebrities because the marketing is so far ahead of the art.
Cristiano Ronaldo
What he’s genuinely achieved
5 Ballon d’Ors, 5 Champions League medals, Euro 2016 with Portugal, a record 6 World Cups and more than 900 career goals. He is a disciplined man, a length of life matchless. At the age of 41, he finally won the Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr in 2026.
Why he’s still overrated
Ronaldo’s best invention is not one of his goals. It’s Ronaldo. The personal brand has been paramount: the celebrations, the stat chasing, the products for the hair, the hotel, the “Siuuu. Football is a team sport and he has treated it as if it were a solo career, with backup singers.
Saudi Arabia and other matters are of primary importance for him. It turned him into the highest-paid athlete in the world, and set his face on a nation with deep pockets to invest in sports to change their perception in the world. It’s easy to see how a player might want a big payday as the end of his playing days approaches. When the money is that loud, though, it’s more like a sporting mission. So, Portugal headed out to Spain in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, and his post-match analysis was a bear hug on what Portugal had won “before Cristiano Ronaldo. The ego doesn’t go on vacation.
Rihanna
What she’s genuinely achieved
Rihanna transformed the concept of beauty. In 2017, Fenty Beauty released 40 foundation shades which shook up the entire industry. Savage X Fenty showcased diverse bodies on the catwalk. She has a legion of game-changers in her back catalogue.
Why she’s still overrated
If you’ve yet to put out a studio record since Anti in 2016, are you still a great entertainer – or a great business woman that was? This has been 10 years ago. We got a Super Bowl show, a song for a Smurfs movie and all the jokes about R9 during that time. Lately, it’s been said she’s back in the studio and has around 170 unreleased songs on her plate. Okay, then release them.
Building companies is amazing if they are so brilliant. But, when we still dub her the queen of all pop culture is because of her reputation and not her output. With dignity, Navy has waited long enough.
Logan Paul
What he’s genuinely achieved
He has created his own YouTube mayhem and has actually got a good WWE ring going, and not to say anything bad about him, but that is a good thing. This was a lot of athletic effort.
Why he’s still overrated
His history with crypto projects that have left fans disappointed, and the hype around Prime that faded quickly after peaked in novelty, is a trend that was evident: hype up, launch, and move on. That kind of reach among the young and “trust me, buy this” energy is exactly what we don’t need.
What Genuinely Inspiring Stars Look Like
Then who gets it right? Those worth following have a few common attributes. They take creative risks which may fail. They create and create, they don’t sell and sell. They say things that are true, even at the cost of themselves.
Consider artists who work for a number of years before returning with work that doesn’t change the conversation, but a press cycle. Consider actors who choose odd and awkward parts over more lucrative roles. Imagine the little girls and boys at TikTok and YouTube who show you how to make the most of your money, how to sew up your clothes, how to budget, or how to speak your truth, and never give you a discount code. That is inspiration when you leave their page desiring to create something for yourself rather than wanting to purchase something from them.
The test is simple. Once you’ve seen them, do you feel better about yourself or do you feel better about making yourself better? If the second answer is the one you’re thinking of, regardless of the number of followers, you are probably dealing with some of the most hyped influencers and celebrities.
The itismandystyle Take
That’s why I began this blog. I’m not polished. My light is a window. My clothes are all used, borrowed, and sometimes questionable and I will always tell you if something I’ve tried didn’t work. I’m not trying to be the celebrity machine“. I’m trying to be the girl that says, “babe, that’s not your trend, and it’s okay.
Style is not something that you purchase in a drop. It’s something you create out of YOU that is weird, specific and unrepeatable! Be edgy, be original, be a little messy. Dress up as the hero, not the rich guy.
Final Thoughts
In 2027, their fame will continue to grow. Algorithms will continue to push the same faces and products. However, you are in control of who is given the room in your mind. Embrace what is real, challenge what is packaged, and keep in mind that the more overrated the influencer or celebrity, the more we need to give him or her our attention. Invest it in someone giving back, it’s not just about you.
