Kendall Jenner is facing a tirade of criticism following the emotionally-charged lead-up to the announcement she is the new face of skincare brand Proactiv.
Yesterday, “mumager” Kris Jenner teased fans with a tweet which seemed to hint Kendall’s “brave announcement” would be something deeply personal. Many fans speculated it could be in relation to her sexuality – specifically the incessant rumours Kendall is bisexual.
“I’m so proud of my darling @KendallJenner for being so brave and vulnerable,” Kris posted.
“Seeing you share her most raw story in order to make a positive impact for so many people and help foster a positive dialogue is a testament to the incredible woman you’ve become.”
The tweet was accompanied by candid footage of Kendall assuring fans she’s “here to help” – seemingly offering support to those battling similar obstacles to the one she shared today… which turned out to be that she has suffered from acne.
This morning, Proactiv shared Kendall’s commercial, which showed the model explaining how online trolls had made negative comments about her skin in photos from an awards ceremony.
Understandably, some fans are confused as to why the announcement was hyped to be something of deeper substance, many of whom have accused Kris Jenner of queer-baiting by deliberately omitting details of the announcement and seeming to play on the constant rumours surrounding Kendall’s sexuality.
Others, rightly so, were simply peeved by the epic build-up:
Some even compared it to the 2017 Pepsi campaign, which was accused of attempting to profit off of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The ad, included below, portrayed Kendall joyfully joining a protest after tossing off a blonde wig and offering a can of Pepsi to a police officer.
Still, this time around, Kris Jenner certainly has drawn the greatest audience numbers to a Proactiv ad campaign perhaps in the history of the brand.
Proving, yet again, that Kris Jenner really is unstoppable and we are powerless against her marketing prowess.
Lord help us.
Top Comments
The whole ‘her being bisexual’ thing is mostly in people’s heads though, isn’t it? Has she ever said anything that would actually suggest she is? Or is it like the whole ‘Taylor Swift and Karlie Kloss are secret lovers’ thing, where it’s all just theories and supposition based on ‘hidden meanings’ in Instagram posts and so on? And come on, overhyping an announcement is what the Kardashians do best - and again, it worked, didn’t it!
Yeah, but there's a difference between "overhyping" and queer baiting for clicks.
There were other people who thought it might have been that she’d had an eating disorder, or that it was some sort of ‘#me too’ moment. Both equally plausible, given Kris’s comments. I can see why some people who wanted it to be about her sexuality would think that, but there’s not really anything there to back it up.
The fact that they thought it was an angle they could exploit is the (odious) issue, not whether the rumours have substance.
Wow all these years I've suffered from depression, anxiety, mania and psychosis and yet there are poor souls out there who are in the depths of despair due to the horrifying condition that is acne. I take my hat off to these amazing people and their willingness to soldier on. Such brave people. (sarcasm if you hadn't figured it out).
Oh, don't worry - I'm sure we'll be regaled with a follow up of how "depressed" poor brave Kendall is after she gets dragged for yet another tone-deaf advertisement.