How Controversial is Kylie Jenner’s Youngest Self-Made Billionaire Status?

The Kardashian family is never far away from global controversy. So, it shouldn’t have been much of a surprise when Forbes recently named Kylie Jenner as ‘The World’s Youngest Self-Made Billionaire’ the arguments and debates came pouring in. Most of them claiming that the title of ‘self-made’ was not deserved.

The heart of the controversy comes from the huge wealth and celebrity status of Kylie’s family. Many have claimed that success and wealth for her was always guaranteed. Kylie reached global fame and recognition alongside her family and in particular her sister Kim, thanks to the reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians which has run for a considerable length of time. Her celebrity family also possesses a considerable amount of wealth, further fuelling the fire.

Forbes has defended its selection though, defining ‘self-made’ wealth as that which has been achieved by the individual and not as a direct result of inheritance. Kylie has herself backed this by claiming that her wealthy parents ‘cut her off’ at aged 15, encouraging her like her other siblings to start a business and earn for herself. Forbes also released financial details suggesting that Kylie’s major source of success has been her own make-up brand, Kylie Cosmetics which she started in 2015. This was set up using around $190,000 which she herself earned predominantly from modelling work and television earnings.

Despite this though, one of the clear paths Kylie has taken advantage of in her rise to riches is her expert use of social media. Across her various social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat, she has over 175million unique global followers. Hers is one of the greatest social media followings on the planet. Her Instagram account alone has over 125million followers. So powerful in fact is Kylie as a social media influencer, that her average cost per sponsored post on Instagram is said to be $750,000. Naturally it’s hard for her to turn that down when the right advertiser comes knocking but what Kylie has had the foresight to do is to cut back on taking on multiple sponsorships and instead primarily focussed on promoting her own cosmetic products instead.

So yes, in many ways Kylie’s fame and family name has certainly been a huge stepping stone for her success and earnings, but according to Forbes, her financial status and the sources of her earnings qualify her to beat Mark Zuckerberg as the youngest ever self-made billionaire.

It is however stark contrast to the likes of Oprah Winfrey considered extremely poor at the start of her career and others including Sarah Blakely who started her underwear brand Spanx using lifetime savings of around $5,000 (£3,800). Blakely was recognised by Forbes as the youngest self-made ‘female’ billionaire at the age of 41.

Which side of the fence do you sit on? Is Kylie’s use of her family name, fame, looks and the subsequent social media influence cunning enough for you to consider her ‘self-made’? Or has she just been gifted far too much to be considered? Let us know on our social media.