When the hit reality TV show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” debuted in 2007 on the E! Network, few could have predicted what the show would do for the careers – and popularity – of its stars. That popularity is no more apparent than with model Kendall Jenner. Though she was only 12 years old at the time of the show’s debut, Jenner (now 22) has used the show as a launching pad to a lucrative career in modeling, landing contracts with Estee Lauder, as well as her own clothing and accessory line. In fact, according to Forbes Magazine, Jenner wasn’t just highly paid – she was the highest paid model in the world, unseating reigning champ Gisele Bundchen and raking in an estimated $22 million in 2017 alone.
Between Jenner’s social media following (she has 89.7 million followers on Instagram alone) and her face showing up in ad campaigns for everyone from Adidas to La Perla, it’s no wonder that women around the country are turning to Jenner – and her body – for inspiration. But a recent trend sweeping plastic surgery offices across the country has a lot of critics crying foul – and it may just be unfounded.
“Apparently, women are coming in to plastic surgeons’ offices and requesting Jenner’s nipples,” says Berkeley, Michigan-based plastic surgeon Dr. Bruce Chau.
This isn’t the first time Jenner’s famous assets have made headlines. Jenner is frequently photographed with nipple-baring tops, both professionally and even walking down the street in New York City in broad daylight. So to surgeons like Chau, it’s not really that surprising that her nipples are being requested.
“Requesting a specific nipple is pretty much the same thing as using someone’s nose for inspiration. The difference is that it’s a lot easier to see other people’s noses,” Chau says. “I’m pretty sure if more people dressed like Ms. Jenner, we’d have a wider variety of requests.”
As for critics who say that women are making decisions about their body due to jealousy or fanaticism, Chau disagrees.
“It’s very unlikely that looking at a celebrity could cause someone to get plastic surgery,” he says. “Most likely, the women having these surgeries were unhappy with how they looked before and are simply using Ms. Jenner’s body for inspiration. I don’t think very many people would just rush out and get plastic surgery on a whim.”