Part of the prerequisite for “transcending” into a billionaire is that you have to surrender any part of what might be left of your beating human heart in exchange for a literal ticker (to be well-oiled and replaced whenever necessary) that counts off accumulating dollar amounts in your bank account. That clearly must have happened to Kylie Jenner quite some time ago, somewhere between the umpteenth cosmetic surgery procedure. Because, really, it’s no secret that a person has to essentially become totally amoral in order to make the kind of money that puts one in the billionaire tier. And yes, even beloved Rihanna is guilty of that despite her “success” being lauded as a triumph for Black female entrepreneurs everywhere.
But there is no triumph in “building an empire,” because it always means, ultimately, that it will be built on the backs of those who actually work harder (and for less) than their “master.” Kylie has been all too eager to use those backs to her advantage, wanting to ascend the fame ladder to the same heights as her older sister (and the one who set this whole “reality” TV chain in motion for their family), Kim. Kylie has even gone so far as to emulate “big sis” with regard to romantically tying herself to a “brilliant” but “complicated” rapper. One who encourages crowd surges at his concerts as a means to accent his “anti-establishment” “brand.” Anti-establishment, but still down for co-ventures with McDonald’s.
As for Kylie, she’s never been one for feigning a “rebellious” side, ready to jump at the mere mention of phrases like “corporate culture” and “synergistic opportunity.” Apparently, she found something of those two terms in the form of posting videos of the ambulance rolling through the crowd at the Astroworld Festival on the night of November 5th. And for those who would say that a lot of people posted disturbing videos from that evening, it’s pretty much guaranteed that none of them had the same kind of power as Jenner to actually get her voice heard by the man on the stage to stop the goddamn madness. But instead of using that voice for good, she decided a better use of her clout would be to put the atrocity on social media. “In the VIP section, there were so many bodies laid out,” said one concertgoer. In other words, the very section Kylie would be in despite her claims the following day that she and her baby daddy “weren’t aware” of the extent of the carnage. But, of course, we know that seeing an ambulance is probably a good tip-off. Or maybe Kylie was simply too distracted by the bright, shiny lights and their evident Instagram cachet to think too deeply about how wrong things were going in the crowd.
Giving Marie Antoinette a run for her money on a certain “let them eat cake” philosophy, Kylie (and her “bestie” sister, Kendall, who seems to be getting more of a pass in the scenario for not having Travis Scott’s spawn growing inside of her) must have been somewhat “aware” of the situation since people in the VIP section were escorted out (in the wake of paramedics appearing) due to the potential threat to their safety. Yet maybe Kylie should have thought twice about going to such an event while pregnant in the first place. At the same time, the rich person’s insulation from the hoi polloi at public events must have made her feel endlessly secure. Until the masses started calling out how fucked up it was for her to take the opportunity to post horror show imagery from the festival onto her Instagram.
And that’s when she decided to pull out the “thoughts and prayers” cliché after finally realizing that the lynch mob was getting too uppity. For we certainly can’t have them ceasing to shell out cash for her or Scott’s brand, least of all with another baby on the way to outfit in only the most expensive of designer clothes. Though hopefully they’ll abstain from an Astroworld-themed birthday party. Like the one they had for their then two-year-old, Stormi. Calling the party, what else, Stormiworld.
Obviously, the giant inflatable baby head and other associated décor from the “event” has been officially one-upped by the nightmare-inducing scenes from this year’s Astroworld Festival. Scenes that would perhaps even tear at Marie Antoinette’s heartstrings. Or at least make her toss out stale pieces of bread into the crowd with the same gusto as Donald Trump throwing paper towels at Puerto Ricans.
