Are Kendall Jenner’s Mirror Selfies an Art Form? Yes. Yes They Are
Gigi Hadid has her disposable camera, Kylie Jenner now has her ultra-stylized poses with “Stassiebaby,” and Kendall Jenner has her mirror selfies. And yet, on the lattermost’s feed, said mirror selfies represent much, much more than what they initially present upon first impression. At this point, on the eve of her 24th birthday (November 3), it’s time to recognize how KJ has all but transformed mirror selfies into an art form, whether emphasizing contours and chiaroscuro or exploring the nuances of weighty themes like perfection, objectification, and voyeurism. Of course, that statement might be giving the budding artist Kendall Jenner too much credit, but in light of this week’s showcase of her acumen as a creative director—aka her 24th birthday party—it’s certainly worth examining. (By no means has this always been the case, however; as recently as 2016, Kendall was still using mirrors as a canvas for thirst traps that were universally—and arguably accurately—described, simply, as “sexy.”) In celebration of her 24th year amongst us, take a closer look at the model’s meta Insta-oeuvre, here.
1
Is this a memento mori, with Kendall Jenner subtly reminding her many millions of followers that there are more important things than whether or not she’s romantically involved with noted babushka wearer A$AP Rocky? Perhaps.
2
By obscuring both her face and iPhone, and captioning this September 2018 photo “technically this is just my torso…,” a disembodied Kendall Jenner explores the nuances of objectification.
3
This enigmatically captioned video—”i told you i’m ice cold”—from May 2019 sees the creator Kendall Jenner continue her exploration of the fragmented figure.
4
In April of 2017, Kendall Jenner brought Cubism to life—an accomplishment she modestly dismissed as “playing dress up.”
5
The artist Kendall Jenner’s convex back and so-called “classic alien hand” in this June 2019 portrait echo the slumped figure at the center of the most iconic portrait to be set in a bathtub: Jacques-Louis David’s The Death of Marat.
6
Kendall Jenner’s choice of caption—”don’t @ me”—for this September 2018 seems nonchalant. But upon closer analysis, it’s a theme that recurs throughout the photograph, from the all-caps “GOODBYE!” emblazoned on her phone case to her positioning of a lamp as a barrier in the foreground.
7
In blurring her bikini-clad figure, Jenner added a shaky, semi-diaphanous layer of possibility to this early April 2016 snapshot. Was she predicting the instability of the world to come? Maybe. Maybe.
8
In this “i love naps” post from October of 2018, KJ tricks the viewer into thinking that her life as 2018’s highest paid model is relatable.
9
Allow Kendall Jenner to demonstrate that a t-shirt that poses a very real threat to exposing its wearer’s nipples does indeed have a use.
10
Before topping off her latex leotard with a floral Richard Quinn gown and heading to the Emmys, a pants-less Jenner channeled David by posing contrapposto.
11
Here, Jenner adds literal depth to a simple bikini selfie by posing with an entropic background, complete with three separate fractured figures. We have already learned so much!
12
Jenner slyly left it up to interpretation as to whether it was 10:32 a.m. or p.m. when she captured this exaggerated A-line silhouette on a day—or night—in December of 2018. What will she think of next?
