The Stunning Transformation Of Kendall Jenner

Kendall Jenner has undergone a stunning transformation over the years. Ever since Keeping Up with the Kardashians debuted all the way back in 2007, the world has been the family's for the taking. The reality television juggernaut not only propelled the entire Kardashian-Jenner clan into mega-celebrity, but is also quite literally changed American culture, as noted by The New York Times. Pop culture, beauty, celebrity, gender norms, and entrepreneurship will never be the same, now that the Kardashians are perhaps the most famous family in the world.

When viewers in America (and around the world) started keeping up with the first family of reality TV, Kendall Jenner was just 11 years old, though her willowy and lithe frame was already apparent. Now one of the world's top models, the second-youngest of the Kardashian-Jenners is a powerful woman, with influence over her millions of Instagram followers. She's also a prime example of what happens when you win the genetic lottery.

While she is still young — something she's said herself many, many times — she's morphed and changed before our very eyes. From shy teen to international celebrity, this is the stunning transformation of Kendall Jenner.

Kendall Jenner may be one of the most famous models in the world now, but back when she was a child in the late '90s and early aughts, you'd have been hard-pressed to find her wearing the elegant clothing she does today. "I was a huge tomboy," she recalled in an interview with Harper's Bazaar. "I had a phase where I wore boys' clothes. I was always hanging out with guys. I've always connected with guys more." She even lived in a pair of camo shorts, which Kris Jenner had to remind her to launder.

Indeed, she has always connected more with her Jenner side than her Kardashian side, with less of a propensity to femme it up like her sisters do. "I've always been the different one," she continued. "I mean, I'm a girl and I like being a girl, but I've just never been into it like they have."

Jenner still doesn't enjoy dressing up in glamorous outfits as much as her sisters, but given her model lifestyle, it just comes with the territory.

In addition to being a tomboy growing up, Kendall Jenner was also a fan of athletics, much like her famous Olympian parent, Caitlyn Jenner. And thanks to the neighborhood she lived in, Hidden Hills, Kendall Jenner got especially interested in equestrian activities. "I like fell in love with horses, just being around them in our community," she shared in a chat with Poosh.

She was serious about horses, too, and spent a lot of time at a local riding school. "I would go all day long from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and I would ride every single one of the horses," she continued. "She probably had ... like 13 to 15 horses, and I would ride every single one for her."

However, as a child, Jenner also had some pretty serious struggles with anxiety, according to Good Morning America. Her issues were severe enough that her mother took her to the doctor to make sure she was okay. And while she was indeed okay, physically speaking, her mental health was a mystery to her for a long time.

Although Kendall Jenner was more interested in athletics than she was dresses growing up, she was ambitious out of the gate. Specifically, as a young girl, she already knew what she wanted to be when she grew up: a supermodel. "To be honest, this is exactly what I wanted to be," she told Interview magazine. "I was always looking up to supermodels. They were, like, my superheroes."

It helped that Kendall had some pretty incredible role models in her parents, who let her know that, if she wanted something, it was going to take some elbow grease. "I told her right from the beginning, the way you're going to be successful in this life is to work hard," Caitlyn Jenner explained to Harper's Bazaar. "No one is going to hand you anything." Well, being a Jenner certainly helped, but she's definitely a worker.

That's not to say that Kendall didn't have other professional aspirations, though, as she also dreamed of being a professional horseback rider or a vet (via Harper's Bazaar). 

It's safe to say that if Keeping Up With the Kardashians had never premiered and grown into the juggernaut it became, life for the Kardashian-Jenner clan would be much different than it is today. In fact, when the cameras started rolling, Kendall Jenner said her life was just like anyone else's. "We were normal kids," she revealed in an interview with Harper's Bazaar. "The cameras barely even fazed us."

Jenner was just 11 years old when KUWTK became a thing. And while she seemed at ease on the show, Jenner said she was painfully shy and had a hard time making eye contact with people — unless they were holding a camera. "I still have a hard time looking at someone when I'm talking to them, and I get nervous," she told Allure.

By the time ninth grade rolled around, Jenner started getting acne, which, along with her braces, did a number on her confidence. "It was not a good time for me," she continued. "It just killed my self-esteem." Girl, we've all been there!

For as shy as Kendall Jenner was as a teenager, she wasn't destined to be awkward and lonely forever. That was a phase in her life that her mother, Kris Jenner, was happy to see left in the past. "Her life with her friends makes me smile, because in high school she had a few friends, but then she was homeschooled because we were filming Keeping Up," she explained to Vogue. "It was just she and her sisters."

So what was it that got her to come out of her shell? "When she started modeling, she made all these great new friends," her mom continued.

It was Kendall Jenner herself that made modeling a reality, as, when she was 14 years old, she compiled a book of her best photographs, according to Vogue. After giving it the title "Kendall Jenner Modeling Photos," she presented the DIY book to her mother — the ultimate momager. "If this is what Kendall really wants to do then I'm on board and I'll get the word out," she shared. The rest is history!

Thanks to a combination of ambition, good genes, a serious work ethic, and the right connections, Kendall Jenner broke into the modeling industry with a bang. In 2014, she walked the runway for the first time for Marc Jacobs, and she quickly ascended to the top of the modeling world. After that, she did everything from walk for Chanel to become the face of brands like Calvin Klein and Estée Lauder. Clearly she didn't need a backup plan if modeling didn't work out!

However, even with all of the privilege that Kendall Jenner has had, she still had her own hurdles to face in the industry, said renowned photographer Russell James. "Genetically she had everything to be a great model, but I told her it was going to be so hard to do because she already had a brand," he told Vogue. "In some ways the industry was especially harsh on her, because it's harder to rebrand than it is to brand, so she had an incredible challenge."

For Jenner, the challenge was accepted — and thus she became the supermodel she is today.

If there's one person that Kendall Jenner has always been close to, it's her father, Caitlyn Jenner. So what aspect of her parent's life would Kendall Jenner really want to see? "If I could go back in time, I would go back to watch my dad win the Olympics," she told Harper's Bazaar. "It's a huge part of her life, and I didn't get to be a part of it."

When Caitlyn transitioned to her true gender in 2015, it wasn't easy for Kendall Jenner and the family. But after a time, the model came to understand that things weren't going to be all that different — and that Caitlyn wasn't going to be a stranger. "This person is still here. They are still a blessing. They are still awesome," she continued. "I realized that I should just be thankful that I still have my dad." She added that eventually everything just felt normal, and harmony was restored.

While Kendall Jenner quickly rose to the top of the modeling industry without much resistance, she did (as anyone would) make a few gaffes during her ascension into beauty royalty. One of them happened in 2017, when she appeared in a controversial Pepsi ad — yes, that Pepsi ad. 

The ad didn't hit well, given how tone-deaf some people said it was. As noted by NBC News, people claimed Pepsi was "appropriating a nationwide protest movement following police shootings of African Americans." To that end, Kendall was mortified when folks were outright offended by it. "Obviously, my intention was not to hurt anyone," she revealed to Vogue, adding, "It hurt me that I hurt other people."

It's not like Jenner hasn't been bullied by the public before, either. "I've been yelled at before, stepped in controversy before, but nothing to that extent," she continued. "You can never really prepare for something like that." It's safe to say the entire mess was a learning experience.

Is there anything better than being part of the Kardashian-Jenner clan? After all, the entire world wants to know everything about you, from your beauty regimen to your best friends to your favorite foods. And who doesn't want to keep track of such a royal lifestyle on Instagram?

However, fame hasn't always been wine and roses for Kendall Jenner, as she's always struggled with anxiety. "I don't feel normal," she explained to Harper's Bazaar, in reference to how much security she has to hire. "And I like to feel as normal as I possibly can."

In fact, Jenner, who is just one of many celebs who suffer from anxiety, has to contend with straight-up panic attacks, which are about as jarring as you'd expect. "They wake me up from my sleep, and I need to stand up and I pace and I'm freaking out and crying," she continued. It's no wonder, then, that Kendall fights as much as she possibly can to maintain her privacy — which allows her to have just a tiny bit of mystery, too.

Given that Kendall Jenner is absolutely gorgeous, as well as internationally famous and super wealthy — she's worth $45 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth – it stands to reason that plenty of people would love to date her. But unlike her sister Kim Kardashian, who has a high-profile marriage to rapper Kanye West, Jenner prefers to keep her love life as private as possible.  "A relationship is only meant to be between two people, and the second you make it the world's business is when it starts messing with the two people mentally," she explained in a chat with Australian Vogue in 2019. "Like once everyone is let in, you're letting all these opinions into your relationships, and I don't think that's fair."

While Jenner has reportedly dated some pretty famous men, such as singer Harry Styles and basketball star Devin Booker (via Cosmopolitan), she is in no rush to get married and start a family. "I'm very young and right now I feel like relationships aren't always super-certain," she continued to Vogue. But when Mr. Right does finally come along, we'll probably know it.

Kendall Jenner found herself in hot water in 2018, when she made some comments that didn't go over very well with her peers. "I was never one of those girls who would do like 30 shows a season," she shared in interview with Love magazine (via the BBC).

Fellow model Leomie Anderson was quick to respond, pointing out that Jenner's privilege was showing. "It's not about being 'selective,' it's about not having to put the work in but still receiving all the campaigns and editorials," she tweeted. She added that she was "shocked but not surprised" by Jenner's attitude.

Kendall Jenner later walked her comments back, saying that she'd been grossly misunderstood. "It was intended to be entirely complimentary but unfortunately, my words were twisted [and] taken out of context," she explained in a tweet. "The respect that I have for my peers is immeasurable!"

One of the more bizarre aspects of Kendall Jenner's life is that she has a fictional fraternal twin named Kirby Jenner. The performance artist rose to fame on Instagram, where he posts photoshopped images of himself alongside members of the Kardashian-Jenner clan. "I discovered Kirby on Instagram," Kendall Jenner revealed in an interview with E! News. "He's amazing!"

Eventually producers from Quibi took notice of Kirby's work and decided to give him his own reality show, just like his fake famous siblings. Naturally, Kirby was absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to finally have his turn in the spotlight. "My show has a little bit of everything," he explained in a chat with CNN, adding, "I'm really excited to show the world what I do behind closed doors."

Thanks to his insane talent, Kendall Jenner was 100 percent on board with it, too. "This guy's amazing," she continued to E! News. "We had to do something with him."

Even though Kendall Jenner is a supermodel with all of the riches in the world, she's said she hasn't let it all go to her head. In fact, being real and authentic is paramount for Jenner, who's seen what happens when those values are tossed out the window. "I have friends who have gotten sucked up in something that is so not real, and that is what I never want to do," she told Vogue. "My whole goal in life is to stay as humble and grounded as I can be, doing things that I love." Girl, same!

Additionally, Jenner feels like she's just like everyone else, with a love for normal activities and pursuits. "I don't think of myself as anything special most days," she continued. "I am just a normal-a** kid who likes to hang out with her friends and likes pizza."

Kendall Jenner has accomplished a lot in her life and at a pretty breakneck pace, too. But that doesn't mean she's stressing out about what milestone is next or is worried about the trajectory of her career path. "I am still so young," she explained in an interview with Australian Vogue in 2019. "People are always asking me: 'What's next? What's next?' I'm like: 'Why do I have to have it all figured out right now?'" She added that the majority of her peers don't have it all together like she does anyway.

Indeed Jenner has plenty of time to calculate her next move in a world that is very clearly her oyster. "Everyone has their own path and their own way of letting the cards fall," she continued.

Whenever and whatever Kendall Jenner decides to do next in her already glamorous life, we can't wait to see it!