Fashion MythBusters: Was Kendall Jenner Bullied at New York Fashion Week 2014?

The Jenner sisters have become household names, especially on social media. While Kylie is one of the most widely known “Instagram Models”, Kendall Jenner is famous for her appearance on the actual runway. Kendall was viewed as the ‘it’ model of New York Fashion Week SS15, with one magazine stating that this fashion week was “ALL about Kendall Jenner” (Edwards, 2014). Kendall could be seen modeling for Diane von Furstenberg, Tommy Hilfiger, Donna Karan, and more. However, rumors and gossip tell us a more desolate story about this particular fashion week.

Rumor has it that Kendall Jenner was “bullied” at the New York Fashion Week in 2014. An unnamed source told In Touch Weekly that other models thought it was unfair that Kendall had obtained spot on the runway given their own hard work and struggles (Gale, 2014). The source stated that other models started acting “bitchy” and some even put their cigarettes out in Kendall’s drink. Although this rumor did succeed in Kendall gaining some sympathy from the media, the Metro pointed out that she “can’t help having some seriously good genes”, these claims are not based on verifiable evidence. The suspiciously unidentified source that provided this information has no credibility that verifies accuracy of their statement. Without source credibility and evidence that proves this gossip to be truth, one cannot definitively assert that this event took place. Fortunately, Dazed magazine was able to acquire a statement directly from Kendall Jenner herself.

Kendall Jenner told Dazed Magazine that this incident never occurred, and she had “never had one girl be mean…yet” (Crisell, 2014). Kris Jenner, her mother, also renounced these rumors, stating that Kendall was “treated like gold”. Thus, both Kendall and her mother denied these rumors and painted Kendall’s experience in a more positive light. Unfortunately, this “gold” treatment did not last for long. Just a few months after these rumors surfaced, fellow model Arise Wanzer “slammed” Kendall in an open letter posted on The Bolt. Wanzer stated that she did not have to work for her career and that Kendall does not need more fame and money than she already has (Sarsfield, 2014).

Interestingly, Kendall Jenner has stated in previous interviews that her famous last name actually made becoming a model more difficult (Harvey-Jenner, 2014). She stated that she was not taken seriously in the model industry and lost casting jobs solely due to her last name (Gale, 2014). This led to Kendall dropping her last name and going by only Kendall in her modeling portfolio (John, 2014). Kendall’s claim that her famous last name made becoming a model more challenging contradicts Wanzer’s accusation that she did not have to work to gain a career in modeling. Nevertheless, Wanzer remains correct that Kendall did not need more fame and money, both of which she already had plenty of before becoming a model.

With all things considered, the rumors of Kendall Jener being bullied at the 2014 New York Fashion week have been busted. This does not mean that Kendall has never been or will not be mistreated in her career, but these crazed claims from this anonymous source have been proven to be false. These claims, however, can prove how harsh the modeling world can be and that it is not the easy life people might see it as from the outside. There is a lot we can learn about the modeling industry from this story and the different ways the industry can change so it is important to take every rumor you hear with a grain of salt because some things may just turn out to be a big myth.