Old Kylie, New Kylie
I've caught enough episodes of Keeping Up with the Kardashians to be somewhat perplexed by the Kylie spinoff. However, I am not a part of the demographic that is tuning in each week, and I’m more interested in observing and studying the viewers who find the youngest of the Jenner-Kardashian clan fascinating. From what I’ve seen on the OG reality show, the extremely famous one that basically raised her, I can tell she is a loyal sister, extremely close with the slightly older supermodel sis Kendall, but more lacking in personality than the lackadaisical Kourtney who makes you scratch your head and wonder why she's been on reality TV so long herself. Then you remember Scott Disick AKA “The Lord,” his unique antics and tumultuous relationship with Kourt, a lengthier one than most Hollywood marriages. You think that there must be something to Kylie too, a lip kit mogul poised to become a billionaire in her 20s.
But, is there and what is it that would keep one riveted to Kylie?
The supporting characters on her new spinoff - like her best friend Jordyn Woods - don't ignite the same interest as a Malika Haqq, a Scott Disick or Grandma MJ on Keeping Up. There is the exception though: dad Caitlin Jenner. Some of us are still curious about the transgender former Olympian and proud Republican no matter how much we try to deny that fact. We may actively try to look away as we tut-tut about how she's proven to be a prideful ignoramus to her ex wife Kris, maligning her in a Vanity Fair article and then in a memoir.
Critics initially panned Life of Kylie calling it "fake" and "boring" which reportedly sent momager Kris into a tizzy, leading to the re-cutting of episodes to include more drama. Despite the boos, from its premiere episode, the show which has been labeled a “docuseries” had ratings that were respectable among 12-17 year olds. For Gen Xers like me, the allure of Kylie for kids who find themselves perched by their TVs on sweltering summer Sundays is mind-boggling. Actually, that may be an outdated reference because no one watches anything in real time anymore (do they?) and 12-17 year olds are probably Snapchatting simultaneously.
"I think people are fascinated by (the phenomenon of) Kylie because it's a bigger, better and younger version of Kim, Kylie and Khloe," opines Ryan Bailey, an actor, comedian and co-host of Realizing Stuff with Kara and Ryan, an Emotionally Broken Psychos podcast https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/realizing-stuff-with-kara-and-ryan/id1267630751?mt=2 . I have to admit that I haven't seen anything so captivating about Kylie to convince me of Ryan's assertion. "She has a multi multi million dollar lip kit business that is based around the idea and promise of being and looking cool." Incidentally, after I came up with the title of this article, I saw that one of Ryan and Kara’s episodes was titled The Next Jenner-ation too. I think we can all agree that there’s a catchy pool of play on words and titles when it comes to America’s First Family of Reality TV (I would be remiss if I failed to acknowledge that some would argue that title once belonged to the Osbournes).
If it is indeed true that Kris Jenner helped retool the Kardashian spinoff to endear us to her youngest daughter, I predict this will matter more to older viewers than to Gen Y and Gen Z Millennials. In a conversation with 16 year old girls, I extrapolated that the crux of the Jenner-Kardash-appeal is the continually evolving style and appearances of the sisters. Kylie is not a commercial model (neither is her sister Kendall, an actual supermodel) and while both sisters are varying degrees of highly attractive, there is something more aspirational about their looks than that of, say, 80s icon Christie Brinkley. Today's beauty standard is about discarding "standards" and stereotypes and eschewing what was once deemed too classically and too exclusionary as “perfection.” Kylie has had notable plastic surgery (the signature pucker, the boosted breasts, the apple bottom booty) and her face and body look completely different than they used to. That is what is fascinating to teens today.
"We saw her as this average looking little girl and we were excited to see how she developed into this sensation. Now she's got the lips, the body, the fashion, the love life....well, the last one is more complicated...maybe..." contemplates one 16 year old.
Maybe. I'll say this: If the quiet Kylie was louder and more intriguing (to me), I would want to know more from her about growing up on reality TV. I would want to know about how her father's transition may have impacted her own struggles with identity. I would probably not really care about her breakup with rapper Tyga (because nothing about his personality really grabbed my attention either) though I may want to know about the dynamics with Rob and Chyna and how awkward Kylie really feels about the absurd familial connections in that relationship. I would be curious about the evolution of her taste in guys and want to know more about her penchant for long term and serious relationships at a young age (she just turned 20 but seemed nearly-betrothed to Tyga at 18). Most importantly, I would want to know what really goes on between all the siblings - Kardashian and Jenner - including those we don't see on TV (We’ve seen little of Burt and nothing on reality TV of Cassandra Jenner).
Burt and Bruce Jenner, Cassandra Jenner
One 40something friend remarks: "Life of Kylie is terrible. She prances around with people that work for her - those are her 'friends.' That is her life. I'm not sure what the show is supposed to be about."
But Ryan Bailey argues that that is exactly the point and the reason he cohosts a podcast devoted to the docuseries: "Kylie has no discernible personality or one that we've been able to pick up on through her Snapchat and social media presence, so I think people are tuning in to see who she really is and who she might become. I mean, she's only 20 for Gods’ sake. I was working at a blockbuster video at 20 and barely knew how to dress myself."
The 16 year olds in my discussion group echo the unspoken in Ryan's commentary. "It's kind of fascinating to see someone so wealthy who has a whole different set of problems than we do," one of them says. "We have to figure out who we are and what we want to be when we grow up. She’s still so young and has a business and her own house - a mansion that she got when she was under 20 - and everyone thinks they have her figured out already. Are people's opinions about her true or just assumptions? Who does she really want to be? Who is Kylie?"
“Kylie is the perfect combination of breeding and timing,” says Ryan’s funny cohost Kara Berry, “She had a master class in how to parlay vanity into fame and how to be a personality without having a discernible skill right at her doorstep. Her lifestyle may be unattainable, but she's very relatable in the sense that you can emulate her by taking a picture at the right angle or lip syncing some song into your phone. People love celebrities to be just untouchable enough and she cultivates that like no one else.”
Tricia McAlpin of the Kar Dishin’ It: All Things Kardashian podcast https://www.podcastchart.com/podcasts/kar-dishin-it-all-things-kardashian says: “Kylie’s show is basically like a Snapchat come to life. It's kind of nothing, it's shiny, and you don't really miss anything if you're also scrolling through your phone while you watch. Also she's clearly keyed into what cool teens are into fashion and makeup wise, something we as thirty-something dorks can't pretend to comprehend.”
“She isn't giving us the goods,” adds her co-host Marcy Jarreau, “We want to see what a night out with Kylie is like. I don't care about her boring, very successful business.”
E! seems to think that for someone who grew up being on reality television, more reality television would be the way to go for the type of Kylie Jenner exploration Millennials crave. There is not enough research in this day and age to support whether the network's approach is a solid one, but we do know that Caitlin came into her own off-camera before appearing in the special I am Cait. Her transition somewhat miraculously escaped the full-on scrutiny it could have incurred on Keeping Up. Can Caitlin’s monotone and seemingly mellow daughter carry a show? Fortunately, preteens and teens are accustomed to the unfathomable fame and huge following of a low-energy female in the social media age. They are watching this show and perhaps, to figure out the intrigue and anthropologically observe modern pop culture, so should we.
...Or should we? You can tune in to Life of Kylie Sundays at 9PM on E! to decide for yourselves.