Kendall Jenner, a Sister Who Does More Than Keep Up

Kendall Jenner seemed stilted, perhaps because she was being aggressively managed.

Sitting in a small suite at a Midtown H๏τel, the 17-year-old was fidgeting her way through interview after pH๏τograph after interview, helped along by a roomful of zealous publicists and handlers.

“I think you always talk about how appreciative you are,” one of her publicists said.

“Yeah, how appreciative I am,” Ms. Jenner said, plucking at her tights.

“And that you enjoy the life you have,” the publicist said.

“I enjoy the life I have,” Ms. Jenner said, zipping and unzipping a sofa cushion.
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Kendall Jenner, a half sibling to the Kardashian sisters, is introducing a clothing line.Credit…Robert Caplin for The New York Times
A budding reality-TV star and fashion model, she was in New York recently for a series of media meet-and-greets to publicize one of her new projects, a clothing line for juniors. Despite her age-appropriate restlessness, she was sweet, well mannered and in no obvious need of reining-in.

But there was plenty at stake, because she is part of the Kardashian circle.

Her father is Bruce Jenner, an Olympic gold medalist. Her mother is Kris Jenner, formerly Kris Kardashian, which makes Kendall and her 15-year-old sister, Kylie, the half-siblings of Kim, Khloé and Kourtney. It also makes Kendall next in line for stardom on the family’s series, “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” which returned for its eighth season on E! last Sunday.

An article last Sunday about Kendall Jenner misstated her relationship to the Kardashian family. She has the same biological mother, Kris Jenner, as do the offspring of the late Robert Kardashian; but she is not a member of the Kardashian family by blood.

A budding reality-TV star and fashion model, she was in New York recently for a series of media meet-and-greets to publicize one of her new projects, a clothing line for juniors. Despite her age-appropriate restlessness, she was sweet, well mannered and in no obvious need of reining-in.

But there was plenty at stake, because she is part of the Kardashian circle.

Her father is Bruce Jenner, an Olympic gold medalist. Her mother is Kris Jenner, formerly Kris Kardashian, which makes Kendall and her 15-year-old sister, Kylie, the half-siblings of Kim, Khloé and Kourtney. It also makes Kendall next in line for stardom on the family’s series, “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” which returned for its eighth season on E! last Sunday.

Given the unflattering news-media coverage that has dogged other members of the clan, the Kardashian Industrial Complex can perhaps be forgiven for introducing Ms. Jenner gingerly. A grade-schooler when the reality show first appeared in 2007, Ms. Jenner made only brief appearances for the first few seasons.

But in 2011, the network broadcast “Kendall’s Sweet 16,” a special that showed her attending her birthday party and getting her driver’s license. Since then, she has shown up more frequently in the series. “I don’t know any different,” she said of growing up on TV. Still, she added: “I don’t want to be a big part of the show. Neither does my little sister, only because we want for a little while to keep our somewhat normal lives.”

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At New York Fashion Week in September.Credit…Taylor Hill/Getty Images
Normal life included cheerleading at Sierra Canyon School, a private school near her home in Calabasas, Calif. Ms. Jenner also rode horses seriously for about a decade, quit in ninth grade because “my plate got really full,” and recently started up again, riding with a trainer. “I just missed it a lot,” she said.

On the Kardashians’ series, the youngest girls’ story lines could be described as sitcom-y. In an episode last year, Kendall and Kylie spilled spaghetti on their mother’s rug and tried to steam-clean the evidence. But there have also been glimpses of Ms. Jenner’s foremost ambition: modeling.

In a 2011 episode called “Kim Becomes a Stage Mom,” Ms. Jenner headed to New York for a gig modeling prom dresses, only to storm out of a runway coaching session after her half-sister pushed too hard. “I was just like, I don’t know,” Ms. Jenner said, explaining her behavior. “My sister was being kind of annoying, and I was just overwhelmed.”

Among other things, she had been concerned about missing cheerleading practice. Both Jenner sisters have since left Sierra Canyon; at their request, they’re now home-schooled to allow them more time to focus on careers. “It’s fun,” Ms. Jenner said. “There’s so many just crazy opportunities. That’s the upside.”

Kendall, left, and Kylie Jenner on the cover of Seventeen last September.
She is taking her modeling seriously. The plot twist is that unlike other celebrity/aspiring models, Ms. Jenner actually has the raw material. She has big doe eyes, shiny dark hair and full lips. She is 5 feet 10 inches, very slender and very leggy. She has a real sH๏τ, even without her family connections. “She won the genetic lottery,” said Russell James, a fashion pH๏τographer who has worked with her.

Ms. Jenner is represented by Wilhelmina Models, though most of her jobs have been relatively minor and commercial. She was on the cover of American Cheerleader in June 2011 and, with Kylie, on the cover of Seventeen last September. She has posed in bobby socks and rompers for Forever 21. She and her sister also modeled for their own clothing line, Kendall & Kylie — a collaboration with PacSun that includes distressed-denim shorts and studded backpacks.

But her fashion profile has been on the rise recently. In November, she appeared on the cover of Miss Vogue, an offshoot of Vogue Australia, pH๏τographed by Mr. James in a backless black dress and Nicholas Kirkwood platform stilettos. In April, she wore Marc Jacobs on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar Arabia; in May, it was Louis Vuitton and Michael Kors in Cosmopolitan. “I hope to do more,” she said.

Her presence will also rise on “Keeping Up.” Ryan Seacrest, an executive producer of the series, said it’s a natural plot progression. “The original concept was the three primary sisters, but one of the things that we’ve noticed is the viewers have connected with Kendall growing up,” he said. “A coming-of-age story is always compelling.”

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With their parents, Bruce and Kris, in 2000.Credit…Scott Nelson/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Among the topics the show will explore? “There will be dating at some point,” he added.

But as Ms. Jenner surely knows, exposure can quickly turn to overexposure. Her sister Kim, who is pregnant by her boyfriend, Kanye West, has come under fire for things like her 72-day marriage to the basketball player Kris Humphries and her choice of maternity outfits, and has been accused of getting cosmetic injections while pregnant.

Bruce and Kris Jenner, married since 1991, are the subject of tabloid divorce rumors in part fueled by a story line on the show. On last week’s season premiere, Ms. Jenner appeared briefly to discuss the state of her parents’ marriage.

In the suite, in a rare unrehearsed moment, she said of the divorce rumor, “It’s just stupid; that’s not true.”

(Her mother, who famously manages her children’s careers, was not in the room.)

“I don’t feel anything about it,” Ms. Jenner said. “It doesn’t hurt me. It’s not something that gets to me. I know the truth. I live with my parents, and I know what’s going on — — ”

Her publicist made a surrepтιтious cutting motion with her hand.

Ms. Jenner stopped talking and resumed shredding a loose Kendall & Kylie hangtag she had discovered nearby. Soon afterward, she pleaded hunger and left to join Kylie, waiting in another room. She left behind her handlers and a small pile of torn cardboard.