Fans have had a lot of things to say about Kendall Jenner lately.
She was under fire for over-hyping her partnership with Proactiv, and people were upset to discover that she had lied about how it cleared her skin.
Still, she shared a before and after photo for her 10-year challenge and the changes in her skin are still pretty impressive.
You might remember that not long ago, Kendall Jenner was hyping up a big announcement to her fans.
People thought it might have something to do with her anxiety or mental health.
Instead, it was announcing her partnership with the skin-care brand, Proactiv.
Fans were particularly upset because Kendall tried to say that Proactiv cleared her skin when she was a teenager, but people had dug up a few interviews from years prior where she claimed it was all thanks to a dermatologist.
The controversy was real.
People were upset because they felt that she was lying to sell the product, and it was pretty clear that she probably never used Proactiv.
Still, Kendall recently came forward with some photo evidence of her acne days.
And one thing is for sure —she definitely struggled with having clear skin.
Even Proactiv recently spoke out for the first time since this controversy broke, and they are standing with Kendall.
Marc Kravets, the general manager at proactive told WWD “Acne has a terrible impact on your self-esteem; it has a direct link to increases in depression and is a topic that shouldn’t be shamed.”
He went on to say that when it comes to people and their skin, “Kendall’s the perfect person to drive that relationship.”
“It should be an open conversation about getting your skin healthy. Some of that backlash we saw is exactly what we need to address this.”
The bigger issue within this controversy is one of authenticity, and how believable Kendall Jenner really is as the face of acne-prone people.
Erik Gordon, a marketing and business professor at the University of Michigan, suggests that Kendall as a spokesperson continues to feel disingenuous — AKA fake news AF.
“Whether it’s the Pepsi ad or [something else], she seems to have no sense that the public wants to hear the truth.” he said.
As it turns out, fans might tolerate their problematic faves through trials and tribulations, but endorsements seem to be where a line is drawn, and where celebrity experiences must align with those of the consumer.
RELATED STORIES
This really shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering Kendall’s failed Pepsi ad struggled with almost identical issues.
The ad, which leveraged the movement against police brutality and Black Lives Matter protests, came off as completely tone deaf — an appropriation of experiences Kendall has likely never had to endure.
In her Instagram caption, she acknowledges that “there are much bigger problems happening in the world,” but insists that suffering from acne was debilitating for her.
She continues to say “As humans, I don’t think we share our insecurities enough because we live in a time where being “perfect” is the standard.” and goes on to suggest her own new commitment to “skin positivity.”
But the facts remain static for Kendall.
She profits off of her collaboration with Proactiv, and while she may have suffered from acne at one point, the product she is pushing was likely only a sliver of the professional skin care she received as a celebrity and wealthy person.
That’s why there’s backlash, and that’s why Kendall’s endorsements continue to feel inauthentic.
Yes, it’s nice to see the before photos, and to see her minor run-in with acne.
But really it just shows that she was just like every other teenager out there who struggled with pimples.
In the end, all we can really do is hope, and trust that Kendall wouldn’t endorse a product that didn’t work.
‘Cause that’s just cruel to those who are living with acne, and who are still impressionable
We’re also just going to ignore the fact that most adults grow out of their teenage acne anyway.
TBH, though, her actual 10-year challenge is amazing.
Some people prefer to live in the moment and not look too harshly at their past. But being in the spotlight since she was a kid definitely shows an awesome transformation.
We love seeing how much people have changed and grown over the years!
Do you have an iconic 10-year challenge photo? We want to see it!