Sidney Wu

GQ announced their 2023 Men of the Year list and people are shocked. This week GQ revealed that Kim Kardashian is being crowned “Tycoon of the Year.” On that, Kardashian will also be on the cover of the Men of the Year edition of GQ’s magazine which will drop on November 28th. The cover image released by GQ made Kardashian almost unrecognizable. Kardashian is known for being sexualized online however, the image used for the GQ cover depicts her in a new light. Kardashian can be seen wearing a suit, button-down, and tie while holding a bag of Cheetos. Unlike most of the photos she posts, Kardashian is pictured on the cover with light makeup and wet-looking hair. The juxtaposition of Kardashian’s appearance caught many people’s attention along with her new title. 

What Kim’s saying

Kardashian has been a “man” of few words since she revealed she was on the cover yesterday. Since the announcement, she has only posted a carousel of photos from the GQ photo shoot. However, GQ has posted a few pictures from the shoot with short facts about Kardashian’s accomplishments in her career.

While the full interview will be released in two weeks, GQ teased short videos of Kardashian answering questions on their Instagram. 

What do the pictures represent?

Kardashian’s GQ photo shoot may seem strange to the average person, but many of the photo shoot themes and outfits referenced memorable moments from her rise to fame.

One image from the shoot pictured Kardashian working out in her old “Dash” clothing brand. The Dash feature was a nice tribute to the first brand clothing brand she owned almost 20 years ago. The reminder of her brand, Dash, shows the progress she’s made up to now owning a clothing brand, perfume brand, and makeup brand. 

The cover of Kardashian with a bag of Cheetos also references what she tweeted in 2015, saying she was “craving Cheetos.” Many people responded negatively to her tweet and made fun of the pictures she posted at the time.

What are people saying?

Like most of Kardashian’s business ventures, many people had things to say about GQ’s decision to put Kardashian on the 2023 list. Most comments questioned why a woman was listed on a man’s list.

Was this a good PR move?

While a lot of the initial comments online are negative, from a PR perspective I think this was a powerful move on Kardashian’s part. I think her edition to GQ’s man of the year list is a stab at the gender inequalities that are going on right now. GQ’s decision to put Kardashian on the cover shows their solidarity for women and highlights that there are plenty of women that are just as successful as men that should be getting praise.

If Kardashian were to be featured on GQ’s Women of the Year list, I think there would be a lot less publicity about it, therefore this move was successful for not only Kardashian but for GQ.