Kendall Jenner lives a privileged life, and her choices often reflect that. It happened last October when Jenner was criticised for her Pepsi commercial (she's said that her first major scandal made her feel “so fucking stupid"). Prior to that, when the namesake clothing line she and her sister Kylie run was called out last summer for putting their faces over those of rappers Tupac and Biggie, the blame was placed on the figurative shoulders of the company that manufactured the T-shirts. Now, Jenner is (once again) backtracking on comments she made earlier this week that started World War III in the modelling industry.
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Last week, Love magazine shared a snippet of its interview with Jenner from its September issue on Instagram, where the 22-year-old explains why she had to take a brief hiatus from modelling. According to the post, Jenner is quoted saying: “Since the beginning, we’ve been super selective about what shows I would do. I was never one of those girls who would do like 30 shows a season or whatever the fuck those girls do. More power to ‘em. But I had a million jobs, not only catwalks but everything else. The whole combination was very overwhelming and I started to freak out a little bit and needed to take a step back.”
Naturally, it didn’t take long before models started responding to her comment, highlighting how most of them don't have the financial luxury to be so selective when it comes to booking jobs (in November 2017, Jenner was named Forbes' highest-paid model).
Following the backlash, Jenner responded to the criticism on Tuesday evening via Twitter. She wrote: “I was misrepresented in a recent interview over the wknd [sic] & it’s important to clarify the meaning. It was intended to be entirely complimentary but unfortunately, my words were twisted & taken out of context. I want to be clear. The respect that I have for my peers is immeasurable!”
I was misrepresented in a recent interview over the wknd & it’s important to clarify the meaning. It was intended to be entirely complimentary but unfortunately, my words were twisted & taken out of context.I want to be clear. The respect that I have for my peers is immeasurable!
— Kendall (@KendallJenner) August 21, 2018
I get to experience first hand their tireless commitment, their work ethic, the endless days, the lack of sleep, separation from family and friends, stress of traveling, the toll on physical and mental health, yet they still make it all look effortless and beautiful.
— Kendall (@KendallJenner) August 21, 2018
I’m inspired by so many of these people i have had the good fortune to work alongside! There’s no way i could EVER hate on that ❤️ i want everyone to win. SLAY ALWAYS.
— Kendall (@KendallJenner) August 21, 2018
The Model Alliance, an organisation that promotes the well-being and safety of models, entered the discussion on Wednesday to Tweet an open letter to Jenner, reminding her of how difficult an industry modelling can be, and that she should respect everyone’s journey towards a fulfilling career. "Many working and aspiring models — girls who aspire to have a career as successful as yours — struggle with various abuses on the job in what remains a largely unregulated industry," The Model Alliance's founder, Sarah Ziff, wrote. "Sexual harassment and assault, pressures to lose weight, late and nonpayment, relentless work hours, and excessive, unexplained fees that leave models working in debt to their agencies are among the many problems that models routinely face."
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In April, Jenner spoke out for the first time about the #MeToo movement, noting that she has never experienced such behavior on set. “Luckily, I haven’t been put into a situation like that ever in my life,” Jenner told Vogue. “I’ve heard about it for so long, I get it. I can try and understand it.”
Perhaps this latest controversy will be the push Jenner needs to remind her to take a stand for her fellow models, and for her to understand that her position in the industry is a unique and privileged one — one so many others don't, and will never have the opportunity to, experience.
We've reached out to Love magazine for comment and will update this piece if/when we hear back.
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