In February 2014, an 18 year old walked her first big runway show in New York. Her modeling card had no last name on it. She was trying to step out of her famous family’s shadow. Three years later, she ended a 15-year streak and became the highest paid model in the world.
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October 14, 2007. A new reality show called Keeping Up with the Kardashians premieres on E!. One of the kids on screen is Kendall Jenner. She is 11 years old.
Millions of people now know her face. That fame opens doors. It also builds a wall.
July 12, 2009. Wilhelmina Models signs her at age 13. Her first job, a Forever 21 campaign, follows that December. She leaves Sierra Canyon School for homeschooling so she can model full time.
en.wikipedia.org
But high fashion has a problem with reality TV. Casting directors see a famous family, not a model. Kendall later says her background often worked against her.
So she makes an unusual choice. She takes Jenner off her modeling cards. At castings, she goes by her first name only.
Here’s what makes it harder. She also asks her famous sisters to stay away from her runway shows. She wants every booking to be about her, not them.
refinery29.com
November 21, 2013. She signs with The Society Management in New York.
February 2014. She walks for Marc Jacobs at New York Fashion Week. It is her breakout runway debut. Chanel and Givenchy follow in Paris that same year.
November 15, 2014. Estée Lauder names her the face of its flagship brand. She is 19. Past faces of that brand include Elizabeth Hurley and Gwyneth Paltrow.
The brand sees something new in her. She has about 30 million social media followers. She is a model and a media channel at once.
time.com
Then comes the stumble.
April 4, 2017. Pepsi releases an ad starring Kendall. She leaves a photo shoot, joins a street protest, and hands a police officer a can of soda.
The backlash is instant. Critics say the ad makes light of real protests. In less than 24 hours, Pepsi pulls it and apologizes, including to Kendall herself.
Many careers would stall there. Hers does not.
November 2017. Forbes names her the world’s highest paid model, with an estimated $22 million in 12 months.
That ends a streak few thought could end. Gisele Bündchen had held the top spot every year since 2002. That is 15 straight years. Bündchen comes second with $17.5 million.
themoviedb.org
Kendall is 22.
But behind the magazine covers, another fight is going on.
Kendall says she has lived with anxiety since she was a little girl. Her panic attacks get so bad she sometimes feels her heart is failing. Doctors check her out. Physically, they find nothing wrong.
May 2021. She sits down with clinical psychologist Dr. Ramani Durvasula for a 4-part Vogue video series on anxiety. She speaks openly so others who struggle feel less alone.
beautynewsdaily.com
Here is the part most people miss. The girl written off as just a reality star fought for her career by hiding her own last name. And the woman who seemed to have it all spent those same years quietly fighting her own mind.
A famous name can open a door. It cannot walk you through it. And no amount of success makes anyone immune to struggle.
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