What one woman learned when she dressed like Kylie Jenner for a week

By Kit steinkellner

October 11, 2015

By Kit steinkellner

October 11, 2015

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the Kardashian-Jenner clan are a controversial, polarizing bunch. They get their fair share of hate, we all know that, but more than anything, they are subjects of fascination. We may not co-sign all their life choices, but we are fascinated by this family as a phenomenon, and moreover, we are intrigued by everybody else’s intrigue. In fact, this family is such a larger-than-life presence, it feels near-impossible to imagine what it would ACTUALLY be like to be a part of it. But that didn’t stop one woman from trying.

Brooke Shunatona, assistant fashion and beauty editor for Cosmopolitan, decided to place herself at the center of a social experiment by dressing and grooming herself like Kylie Jenner for one week. As Shunatona explains in her write-up of the week, she’s not, by nature, a selfie-Snapchatting-makeup-wearing kind of lady. By living la vida Kylie for a week, Shunatona discovered that Kylie’s life of leisure captured regularly on Instagram isn’t actually leisurely at all.

“Homegirl is busy,” Shunatona states in her piece. “I know this because I tried Kylie’s beauty routine, outfits, and lifestyle for a week and I was pretty drained by the end.”

Shunatona prepped for her week with a manicure, spray tan, and the procurement of a ton of wigs (she didn’t go for the lip fillers, which is a relief, but instead made do with lip-liner). Then she got to making herself up like Kylie and recreating her Instas, including wrestling on complicated footwear, contouring her makeup, and rocking a mint-green mane.

By Day 5, Shunatona was exhausted. She acknowledged that all she was doing was getting dressed up and taking snaps, but, as she realized, this lifestyle is most tiring.

And by the end of the experiment Shunatona had newfound respect for the 8th most-followed person on Instagram.

“I’ve always liked Kylie, but I gained much more respect for her after witnessing (on a much smaller scale) how much emotional energy goes into leading a very public life and how vulnerable a single selfie can make you feel to the world.”

We’re glad that Shunatona did this experiment (you know, so that we didn’t have to go through it ourselves) and we’re glad Shunatona concluded her experiment with some respect and empathy for her inspiration. Kylie has been open about her struggle with insecurity, and this experiment reveals just how nerve-wracking this public and image-based lifestyle can be. Again, we know that there are many people out there who don’t look kindly upon this girl and the members of her famous family. And we get it if you don’t feel much sympathy for Shunatona’s experiment (after all, there are worse things than pretending to be Kylie Jenner for a week).

But we’re glad Shunatona walked a week in Kylie’s shoes and helped us understand that the constant struggle to adhere to narrow beauty standards and being as public as possible in this pursuit might just be the most insecurity-inducing thing a person can do.

The whole piece is well-worth a read, and definitely check out Shunatona’s video diary of the experience below: