Kendall Jenner has somewhat embarked on a different path to her well-known family, the Kardashian-Jenners, and it could be argued she’s the ‘rebel’. Unlike her sisters sharing similar life trajectories, Kendall’s journey took her in the opposite direction.
We can track Kendall’s childhood through the first few seasons of Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
Born and raised in a famous family, she didn’t enjoy the fame brought on by her family as much as her older siblings. Instead of working as a media personality like her sisters, Kendall chose a more difficult path and became a professional model.
After accumulating a certain amount of wealth and fame, Kendall kept a low-key lifestyle. She appeared less in her family’s reality show and even established her own brand.
Growing up in a reality show, working as a professional model and launching her tequila brand, Kendall always had a clear mind on what to do with her own life story. She refused to follow her family tradition, and instead found her own. That’s why we believe Kendall Jenner deserves the rebel crown.
Growing up in the spotlight
Watching this clip, you may think Kendall is unrelatable. But growing up under the spotlight has never been easy for her.
In an interview, she did with The Wall Street Journal in 2015, Kendall talked about her not-so-good experience of growing up in a reality show.
She felt like she ‘grew up too fast’ with much older siblings around her and she matured more quickly than her peers. Living with a momager and siblings with tight working schedules gave young Kendall a sense that she had to be a ‘workaholic’ just like the rest of her family.
Kendall confessed in another interview made with Harper’s Bazaar, that she was raised in an ‘abnormal world’. She added kids who grow up in that world would ‘go crazy’.
Growing up in a reality show means growing up in a glass house. Each word and action will be magnified, and each imperfection will be captured. Kendall is a rich kid, for sure, but we can’t say she’s a happy being a famous kid.
Working as a Model
Kendall started to work as a model and signed a contract with Wilhelmina at the age of 13, in 2009. From 2009 to 2013, the young model campaigned for Forever 21 and had several covers in teenage magazines.
Since the end of 2013, Kendall has shifted her direction toward high fashion. She has walked for Balmain, Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, Fendi and Chanel.
In 2015 and 2016, Kendall rose to fame and was listed by Forbes Magazine as one of the highest-paid models in the industry.
At the same time, she shot covers for Vogue China, Vogue Brazil, W Korea and Harper’s Bazaar. Her campaigning brands also extended to Vera Wang, Versace, Alexander Wang, Estee Lauder and Miu Miu.
In 2017, Kendall surpassed Gisele Bundchen and became the No.1 top-earning model. Her first-place continued today.
Businesswoman Kendall
Kendall has started a new chapter of her life, which is being a successful businesswoman.
On 16 February 2021, Kendall made an official announcement on Instagram about launching her own tequila brand, called 818 Tequila.
Unlike her sisters who put much of their energy into beauty and styles, Kendall chose to start a brand that interested her the most and claimed to be working on it for almost four years. However, 818 Tequila has faced a lot of controversies since its launching.
Kendall Jenner being the ‘rebel’ out of the Kardashians
The Kardashian-Jenner family is an army. There is no doubt that Kris Jenner is leading the whole army and keeps taking more soldiers in. That’s why Kris Jenner has got eleven grandkids but she wouldn’t mind having a few more, it seems.
In an episode of the latest season of The Kardashians, during a conversation between Kendall and her mum, Kris advised her daughter to have a baby and start a family.
Kendall said ‘It’s my life. I don’t know if I’m ready or not’. However, Kris used a more direct approach by calling the family doctor. When the family doctor suggested Kendall freeze her eggs, she refused firmly with a constant ‘no’.
It’s not hard to find that Kendall Jenner is the ‘rebel’ in her family. For example, showing up least in the family reality show, having no kids and living a relatively low-key life. Since most people have found out how pushy Kris Jenner can be, Kendall has certainly been very brave in being herself and saying ‘no’ to her family.