GRAZIA HEALTH+BEAUTY
The Kardashian talks to Billie Bhatia about comparison culture, reality TV and a confidence-boosting collaboration
WE’VE ALL PLAYED the game, haven’t we? The one where you ask yourself which Kardashian you would be. Since the first airing of Keeping Up With The Kardashians in 2007 my answer has never wavered: Khloé. Across the 17 years that America’s adopted first family have dominated reality TV, her on-screen persona has remained consistently entertaining: fun, funny, endearing, unapologetic, necessarily dramatic, vulnerable and determined. While I can’t claim all those same adjectives, I would like to think as a fellow middle child I have an essence of Khloé about me. So, when we were introduced via Zoom earlier this spring to discuss her partnership with beauty brand Tatti Lashes – the UK’s number one lash brand – I was keen to decipher whether we were the twin flames I had hoped us to be.
After admitting that there was a period of my life where I would refuse to go on a night out without strip lashes, Khloé confirmed the twin flame was intact. ‘You’re my kind of girl Billie.’ *Adds to bio* ‘For me, there is nothing that completes your make-up look like the perfect pair of lashes. I’m a glam girl, I love to play with make-up, and this is one of the ways I do that. The thing with lashes is that they are not permanent and not that serious, you can adapt your look to your mood – it’s all about having fun.’
The omnipresence of the Kardashian/ Jenner sisters in the beauty sphere (and beyond) is undeniable and their power to influence is incomparable. Culture has shifted because of them, trends are born out of their every move, the beauty barometer of what’s hot and what’s not is measured by their taste. Love them or loathe them, the power this family has wielded is indisputably impressive.
Imposed beauty standards and social media go hand in hand and Khloé has certainly endured her share of scrutiny. In April 2021, after an unedited bikini picture circulated the internet, she shared a live video of her body on Instagram with a slide that read, ‘In truth, the pressure, constant ridicule and judgement my entire life to be perfect and to meet other’s standards of how I should look has been too much to bear.’ The post, which included examples of criticism she has received, has had more than 5 million likes. It serves as a reminder that even those who seemingly are in control of the metrics that we measure ourselves by are judged under the same lens.
Now, as Khloé enters a new decade, I ask her if she feels differently about those pressures? ‘Well, my first message is that when you don’t feel beautiful, you’re not alone in that feeling. Everybody has their own insecurities and doubts about themselves. You have to learn to drown out the noise. I have been there – I’ve felt super-low
