Self ie-made billionaire
At 20, Kardashian dynasty’s youngest member Kylie Jenner – who uses social media with no advertising – is the richest of all, says Forbes
SHE blitzes her millions of fans with selfies as she cashes in on her family’s fame to promote her make-up business.
Now Kylie Jenner – at 20 the youngest member of America’s reality TV dynasty the Kardashians – is on the verge of becoming a billionaire.
According to Forbes magazine, Ms Jenner has already amassed a $900million (€770million) fortune. It claims she is on track to become the world’s youngest self-made billionaire by her 21st birthday next month.
However, Forbes’ description created a backlash on social media, with many questioning the label ‘self made’ as Ms Jenner has been surrounded by fame and fortune since birth.
Her mother, media mogul Kris Jenner, is the ex-wife of a wealthy lawyer – who defended OJ Simpson – and matriarch of the Kardashian clan that since 2007 has been famous for the reality show Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Her father is former Olympic decathlon gold medallist Bruce Jenner – now Caitlyn after undergoing gender reassignment surgery three years ago.
One critic wrote: ‘On what planet is Kylie Jenner self-made?’
Another said: ‘She grew up in a wealthy, famous family. Her success is commendable but it comes by virtue of her privilege.’ A third added: ‘Her story is not inspiring or motivating for anyone.’
Ms Jenner, who is dating rapper Travis Scott and gave birth to a daughter, Stormi, in February, claims she never pays to advertise her company’s products and admits she owes much of her astounding success to her social media presence, saying: ‘I have such easy access to my fans and my customers.’
She has 25.5million followers on Twitter and an incredible 110million fans on Instagram, where her account is a stream of carefully curated pictures of her, usually in minuscule crop tops with pouting lips. Her business Kylie Cosmetics, which she launched less than three years ago, focuses on selling ‘lip kits’, a combination of lip sticks, glossers and liners designed to plump up the wearer’s lips.
Forbes estimates that the company, which she owns outright and which has had sales of more than $630million (€540million), is worth $800million (€685million). It means that she will be a billionaire at a younger age than Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who was 23, and Microsoft mogul Bill Gates, who was 31.
Ms Jenner is already the wealthiest member of her family. Half-sister Kim Kardashian West, 37, is worth $350million.
In Forbes’ annual ranking of the 60 richest self-made women in America, Ms Jenner is at number 27, ahead of Madonna, Beyoncé, Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand. ‘What Kim Kardashian West did for booty [curvaceous bottoms], Jenner has done for full lips,’ says Forbes.
Ms Jenner has not been shy to flaunt her incredible wealth, regularly posting pictures of her fleet of supercars on social media.
She owns five Ferraris – including a $1.3million limited production LaFerrari.
‘She did for lips what Kim did for bottoms’