Kim Kardashian West has had plenty of head-turning moments in her 40 years!
As we all know by now, the Armenian stunner launched her lucrative career off a sex tape turned reality TV deal — with the help of Kris Jenner, of course! However, she did not let that moment define who she is today!
In the midst of all the TV notoriety, Kimmy Cakes found herself knee deep in multiple successful business ventures, and is currently raising the most adorable family — all on her own terms.
Related: In Defense Of Kourtney Kardashian
To celebrate this icon’s big 4-0 today, we’re looking back on how she’s kept her name on everyone’s lips, created an empire, and forged a path to a litigious future! Read on (below) for Kim’s most memorable wins in the last four decades:
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KKW Beauty
After collaborating with Kylie Jenner‘s brand Kylie Cosmetics, the makeup lover made her own mark on the beauty world with the launch of KKW Beauty. In June 2017, Mrs. West launched her brand, full of highlighting and contouring products, which sold out in minutes. She made exactly what she’s west best at! Later in 2017, Kim made the smart decision to expand her biz once more with the launch of KKW Fragrance in November.
All of that paid off, because in 2020 Kardashian-West sold a 20% stake in her cosmetics line to Coty Inc. in a $200 billion dollar deal, valuing it right around $1 billion. Cha-ching!! Like Stormi Webster‘s momma, who sold 51% to the exact same beauty company, Kim and her team are continuing to manage the creative side, while the conglomerate focuses on bigger picture opportunities.
She’s planting seeds for her future, and we respect that!
Bound 2
Remember this? How could you forget??
While Kim’s current career seems miles away from this, in 2013 she became the world’s most famous video vixen for then-fiancé Kanye West in the music video for Bound 2.
As ‘Ye rapped while pretending to drive a motorcycle, Kim straddled him backwards and in nothing but jeans and heels — and even managed to make it look comfortable!
The instant classic was so burned into the zeitgeist, it even got an A-list parody within a week as Seth Rogen and James Franco perfectly imitated Kimye!
Kimono & Skims
The makeup line was just the start of her mogul success!!
In June 2019, the momma announced her latest launch: Kimono, a new “shapewear and solutions” collection she had spent the last 15 years thinking about after having a hard time finding proper undergarments for her various red caret looks! While the idea is fantastic and the line offered new silhouettes which weren’t currently offered, the name was not cute. KKW faced swift backlash from critics, with many labeling the moniker as cultural appropriation. Because, like HELLO. It was.
She quickly responded in the WRONG WAY, explaining via the New York Times that Kimono was trademarked (btw she was asked to drop this by the mayor of Kyoto, Japan), and she’ll continue to use it:
“I understand and have deep respect for the significance of the kimono in Japanese culture and have no plans to design or release any garments that would any way resemble or dishonor the traditional garment. I made the decision to name my company Kimono, not to disassociate the word from its Japanese roots but as a nod to the beauty and detail that goes into a garment.”
However, fans weren’t satisfied with that response and took her to task to make things right! After continued backlash, she dropped the original name, telling WSJ:
“You would think we would have obviously thought it through a little bit deeper. I’m the first person to say, ‘Okay, of course, I can’t believe we didn’t think of this.’ I obviously had really innocent intentions. But, let’s listen. And I want to really listen. And I want to really take it all in.”
Skims has now become one of the KUWTK star’s most popular ventures, as they continue to release innovative shapewear, pajamas, lingerie, and more to satisfy their ravenous customer base. Despite the initial backlash, we have to hand it to Kim. She took negative feedback, listened, made meaningful changes… Now she’s making bank from it and totally stealing the thunder from other brands like Spanx!
Legal Studies
Kim is already a near-billionaire and could easily live an idyll life of luxury the rest of her days. But instead she spent her late 30s working to pursue a whole new career: law.
The beauty mogul is following in the footsteps of her famous father, Robert Kardashian, an attorney who worked on the so-called Dream Team, defending his longtime friend O.J. Simpson during his landmark 1994 murder trial.
In her May 2019 Vogue cover story, she expanded on her intentions to become a lawyer by 2022:
“I just felt like I wanted to be able to fight for people who have paid their dues to society. I just felt like the system could be so different, and I wanted to fight to fix it, and if I knew more, I could do more.”
California is one of a few states which does not require a law degree as a prerequisite for taking the bar, meaning she doesn’t have to go back to school — just get educated on her own time and kick that exam’s ass!
The majority of the resistance she faced came not from the legal system but from internet trolls — who already have their minds made up about her limitations! In an Instagram caption following her Vogue interview, Kim addressed some of the backlash her decision received:
“I’ve seen some comments from people who are saying it’s my privilege or my money that got me here, but that’s not the case. One person actually said I should “stay in my lane.” I want people to understand that there is nothing that should limit your pursuit of your dreams, and the accomplishment of new goals. You can create your own lanes, just as I am. The state bar doesn’t care who you are. This option is available to anyone who’s state allows it.”
You got this, Kimmy!!
Criminal Justice Reform Work
So what got Kim so interested in the law anyway??
Prior to the announcement that she would be pursuing legal studies, Kim began work in the area of prison reform, specifically advocating for the commutation of sentences for those behind bars.
An internet video first brought Kim’s attention to the case of Alice Marie Johnson, a grandmother who had received a life sentence for a first-time drug offense. Kim was moved, and thanks to her efforts — using her star power to get an audience with Donald Trump — Johnson was granted clemency in June 2018.
Kardashian used her momentum to partner with Van Jones and Jared Kushner to pitch the bipartisan First Step Act to the President, which enacted major reforms in the US prison system after it was passed by a great majority in the Senate.
In early 2019, she largely funded the 90 Days to Freedom campaign, an initiative which releases nonviolent drug offenders from life sentences, which resulted in 17 people being released under provisions of the First Step Act. That same year, she announced that she had partnered with Oxygen to work on a documentary, Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project, which aired in early 2020.
All because gurl saw a video online. We guess this was an example of the internet breaking Kim Kardashian!
Kanye’s Mental Health Battle
In July 2020, Kanye absolutely humiliated Kim by talking about their discussions of terminating her pregnancy with North at a political rally. In the aftermath, he took to Twitter to blast his wife and in-laws in a rant that was shocking even for him.
So what did Kim do? She stood firm, in support of her husband and against the stigma of mental health struggles.
Regardless of what was said by the Grammy Award winner, the momma of four made it clear she would continue to stand firmly by her husband’s side, writing in part:
“As many of you know, Kanye has bi-polar disorder. Anyone who has this or has a loved one in their life who does, knows how incredibly complicated and painful it is to understand. I’ve never spoken publicly about how this has affected us at home because I am very protective of our children and Kanye’s right to privacy when it comes to his health. But today, I feel like I should comment on it because of the stigma and misconceptions about mental health.”
We can only assume she’ll continue to fight for her marriage, especially for the sake of North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm, regardless of their father’s Presidential aspirations and tweetstorms.
Paper Magazine Cover
We couldn’t not include this one!! Heck, we wouldn’t even still be using the phrase “break the internet” if not for these pics!
No, that saying was cemented in November 2014 when the entrepreneur appeared on the front of Paper Magazine with two equally iconic covers. In one, she bared her oiled up derrière, and in the second popped a bottle of champagne in her hands into a glass sitting on her backside.
The pics became instantly controversial both for their aesthetic boldness AND their overt use of photo-editing magic. They proved Kim doesn’t take herself too seriously — but that maybe the world should…
What’s YOUR favorite way Kim K broke the Internet??
[Imge via Kim Kardashian West/Instagram.]
The post Who Needs A Sex Tape?! 7 Times Kim Kardashian Broke The Internet On Her Own Terms! appeared first on Perez Hilton.