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Home / Entertainment

Kylie Jenner is the youngest self-made billionaire ever, but just what did it cost her?

By Rebekah Scanlan
news.com.au·
10 Mar, 2019 01:53 AM9 mins to read

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LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 10: Kylie Jenner attends the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on February 10, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The R

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 10: Kylie Jenner attends the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on February 10, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The R

Becoming a billionaire is the kind of dream most of us have — but will probably never experience.

But for the youngest member of the Kardashian-Jenner clan it's very much a reality, as Kylie Jenner was crowned the youngest self-made billionaire ever by Forbes earlier this week.

If it were you, you'd probably be popping champagne and jumping for joy.

Not Kylie though.

The 21-year-old mum only had one thing to say about her mega milestone on Tuesday.

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It consisted of two words: "Thank you".

While very gracious for a millennial, it's hardly the emotional reaction you'd expect from someone who is quite literally laughing all the way to the bank.

Her whopping great big accolade, which she earned thanks to her $1 billion fortune, barely made a ripple in her life.

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And as any great rap song will tell you, it's arguably because with big money comes big problems.

In the last few years the young mum — who has amassed most of her cash from her incredibly successful make-up line — has faced some huge personal struggles.

From dad Caitlin Jenner transitioning from a man to a woman, to hiding her pregnancy in a desperate attempt to enjoy a "normal" human experience, and most recently, her relationship with her baby daddy being tested with allegations of cheating; life is no walk in the park for Kylie.
Then there's the open struggles she's had with confidence, admitting to using fillers from just 16 and never being seen without a thick layer of Kylie Cosmetics on her face.

That's a lot to handle at her age.

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No wonder she's seemingly over having all that money.

SHE NEVER WANTED FAME

Kylie — who has one of the largest followings on Instagram, coming in at 128 million — appeared to be on to the heavy cost of fame from a young age.

Aged just 10 when Keeping Up With The Kardashians premiered in 2007, she wasn't even in her moody teen years yet, but was regularly grumpy in those early episodes.

Her on-screen snapping could be put down to those difficult young years, sure. But it also hints she wasn't happy about being followed by cameras 24/7.

She was just a kid when KUWTK first aired in 2007. Photo / Supplied
She was just a kid when KUWTK first aired in 2007. Photo / Supplied

The show captured every moment the family made, an idea generated by momager Kris Jenner and picked up by Hollywood producer Ryan Seacrest hot off the back of Kim Kardashian's leaked sex tape with Ray J.

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The incredibly talented — and often ruthless — Kris turned that sh*t storm into a cash cow for the family, who up until then had been surviving off the back of her husband Bruce Jenner's (now known as Caitlin Jenner) motivational speaking business.

Boy did they milk it. Kourtney, Kim, Khloe and even Rob put their names on anything that earned them fame and money.

The deals flowed, from pushing diet pills and tooth-whitening kits, to designing watches, shoes and socks, the Kardashians became a name with earning potential.

But Kylie didn't go near the deals.

She restricted her marketing to a bit of modelling she did for a clothing line she shared with Kendall, the funds of which she used to front the $250,000 needed to launch Kylie's Lip Kits in 2015, when she was 17.

Kris Jenner is Kylie's manager as well as all her famous siblings, being dubbed a "momager" by fans. Photo / Supplied
Kris Jenner is Kylie's manager as well as all her famous siblings, being dubbed a "momager" by fans. Photo / Supplied

LIP KITS LED TO A LIFE CHANGE

But the lip kits were no coincidence, they stemmed from her then-infamous lips, which she'd had plumped with filler at just 16 after a boyfriend commented on how thin her lips were.

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"From then on, I just felt like I saw guys staring at my lips. I felt like no one wanted to kiss me," she told Complexcon in 2016, confirming after months of speculation she had indeed enhanced them.

"I haven't done anything except my lips, but nobody seems to believe that, so I don't really care."

Finally being proud of her pout lead to the teen to rocking different lip looks on her then blossoming Instagram account. And voila, the lip kits were born.

Kylie has been open about how uncomfortable her "thin" lips made her feel before having fillers. Photo / Getty Images
Kylie has been open about how uncomfortable her "thin" lips made her feel before having fillers. Photo / Getty Images

Though she's always denied it, there has always been speculation around other tweaks Kylie may have had.

The fact millions of people have watched Kylie grow up means we've also seen her appearance dramatically change, with eagle-eyed fans spotting every tiny difference in her face and figure.

She's unrecognisable now when you flick back through the red carpet archives from her years in the limelight, with Kylie's jawline, nose and lips all appearing very different.

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In an interview last month with Paper magazine she said: "People think that I fully went under the knife and completely reconstructed my face, which is completely false.

"I'm terrified! I would never. They don't understand what good hair and make-up and, like, fillers, can really do. It's fillers. I'm not denying that."

Her dramatic change in appearance, pictured here with daughter Stormi, speaks volumes about the young mum's lack of self-confidence. Photo / Instagram
Her dramatic change in appearance, pictured here with daughter Stormi, speaks volumes about the young mum's lack of self-confidence. Photo / Instagram

The mum — who gave birth to Stormi Webster in February 2018, her daughter with rapper Travis Scott — has previously shut down claims she's had surgery on her body, crediting her bigger bust to age and weight gain.

"No people, I haven't gotten breast implants! Everyone is obsessed with that. Truth is, as I've gotten older, I've gained 15 pounds and my body has changed. I've definitely filled out," she wrote on her now defunct app in 2015.

Despite remaining adamant she's only ever had fillers, there's no denying she's undergone an intense transformation — which speaks volumes about her self-confidence, or lack of it.

Hardly the happiness you envisage when you imagine a life rolling in dough.

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HER HOME REFLECTS HER LIFE

Even behind closed doors life is far from normal for Kylie.

Ever since she bought her first home, aged 18, she's had wild tastes, which could be seen as a reflection of her chaotic life.

Using the famous interior designer who laid out Sir Elton John's home, the teenager created an extravagant living situation that included a dining room with a gold leaf ceiling.

She even has a dressing room decorated with platinum paper.

As well as her exxy walls, she has separate wardrobes for workout clothes, one for shoes and one for bags. There's even a humidity-controlled VIP storage for her most important designer pieces.

Her $3m mansion also has wrought-iron chandeliers and an opulent staircase that regularly appears on her Instagram.

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But it all just feels empty and forced, a possible indication she's going through the motions of being wealthy.

RISE OF KYLIE COSMETICS

Before Kylie released her first lip kit, people were so desperate for her pout, a viral challenge began where people would suction their lips into a small glass, causing them to swell.

It was dubbed the "Kylie Jenner Challenge" and caused chaos on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.

So it was little surprise her first lip kit sold out in less than a minute.

A frenzy began with people clambering over themselves to get hold of the kit, which just was a long-lasting matt colour and a matching liner pencil, that retailed at $29. People were so desperate to get hold of one of the three shades that were initially released, they were forking out over $300 for them on eBay.

A simple lip kit idea has spawned into a billion-dollar company, with Kylie expanding into palettes and blushers and collaborating with her siblings. Photo / Supplied
A simple lip kit idea has spawned into a billion-dollar company, with Kylie expanding into palettes and blushers and collaborating with her siblings. Photo / Supplied

Kylie used the hype to her advantage, posing on her booming social media account to let fans know when things were back in stock. Every time, she sold out.

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Despite her success, Kylie was facing one of the biggest challenges of her life at the same time — her dad transitioning into a woman.

"I dream about being normal," she famously said at the time, as the media scrutiny reached intensity peaks.

She pushed through the chaos, rebranding to Kylie Cosmetics as she added blushers, bronzers and palettes to her repertoire. She now has no end of different shades, even teaming up with her siblings Khloe, Kim and Kourtney to release collaboration collections together — who she's now eclipsed in success.

DESPERATE TO STOP SHARING HER LIFE

Despite life appearing to be rosy, trouble was never too far from the make-up queen. Being uncomfortable in her own skin led to Kylie reportedly wanting to quit the TV show that had made them a household name.

A source said she "struggled" with her life being on full display and "had no interest" in being a part of the series any more.

"People forget she's still just a kid. Sure, she's rich and famous and living the life, but … she gets terrible mood swings and there are lots of times when she feels like hiding from the cameras," the mystery friend said.

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Indeed, this was proved during her pregnancy with Stormi, now 12 months, that she hid from the media — unlike her other siblings who held nothing from the E! show.

Not long after Stormi arrived Kylie released a statement explaining becoming a mum was something she needed to "not do in front of the world".

Falling pregnant at 19, she chose to keep her pregnancy hidden from her fans. Photo / Instagram
Falling pregnant at 19, she chose to keep her pregnancy hidden from her fans. Photo / Instagram
View this post on Instagram

♥️

A post shared by Kylie 🤍 (@kyliejenner) on Feb 4, 2018 at 12:27pm PST

But the nine months she spent cooped up inside, hiding out in a desperate attempt at privacy hardly sounds dreamy.

It sounded more like living a prison sentence.

COSTLY STRUGGLES

One person she teamed up with was her longtime best friend Jordyn Woods, with the pair creating Kylie X Jordyn earlier this year.

Just weeks later, her BFF was caught up in a mega scandal with her big sister Khloe, as Jordyn was blamed for the breakdown of Khloe's relationship with Tristan Thompson, the father of her daughter True.

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Though the nightmare wasn't about Kylie, it featured her best friend who she's had to turn her back on — and has been playing out publicly in the media for weeks.

Her best friend Jordyn Woods has been caught in a "cheating" scandal with her sister Khloe's boyfriend and father of her baby. Photo / Getty Images
Her best friend Jordyn Woods has been caught in a "cheating" scandal with her sister Khloe's boyfriend and father of her baby. Photo / Getty Images

As a result, a spotlight has been shone on Kylie's own relationship, with claims last week emerging Travis, 26, had cheated on her.

He has furiously denied these claims, which came just weeks after the couple celebrated the bub's first birthday with a huge theme park celebration called Stormiworld.

But the scrutiny is no doubt a huge burden to bear.

It's no wonder, with her life constantly being analysed by others, she's not fussed in the slightest about being named the youngest ever billionaire, stealing the crown from Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg who made it there age 23.

It may seem like it's all sunshine and rainbows at the top, but the reality of life as a filthy rich person actually seems pretty grim when you get up close.

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No wonder Kylie is doing her best to keep her distance.

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