Supermodel Kendall Jenner mannequins [yes, AOC is making it a verb] the April 2023 cover story of Vogue Italia. Kate Phelan styles Jenner in Burberry, Chloe, Dior, Fendi, Hermes, JW Anderson, Loewe, Max Mara, Prada, . . . for images by Robin Galiegue [IG].

In her own words, Jenner’s main focus is her mental health and not posing in a fashion magazine. "The beginning of the year was emotionally difficult." Kendall Jenner, 27 years old in November, tells Vogue Italia. It’s not clear whether she means 2022 or 2023. I’m assuming 2022.

Kendall says that her period of difficult emotions is over and she is happy. You would never know it from these images, but there are some great shots on her IG where Kendall looks joyful.

If this fashion story is about “finally finding joy”, I am just lost.

“To come out and feel optimistic is reassuring. Everything is temporary, I feel intensely grateful and happy, ready for what's to come,” Kendall says, explaining that she is practicing "hope for something until it comes true, using the law of attraction.”

Apparently Kendall discusses her mental health practice on social media to her followers, although many trained mental health practitioners would advise against the practice.

“I can only hope that I’m happy and continue on my journey to be the best version of myself.”

Kendall’s new chapter began with the American Vogue series, available on YouTube, ‘Open Minded’. It consists of four episodes in which Kendall confides and confers with experts, addressing issues such as anxiety, social media addiction and panic attacks.

In this episode — posted a year ago and not part of the Vogue italia interview but Kendall’s mental health is all about the interview —Kendall sits down with Dr. Jorge Partida, Chief of Psychology at the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, to discuss social media addiction, our human need to feel connected, and how both of those things can contribute to feelings of anxiety.

Throughout the episode, Kendall and Dr. Partida discuss how to decrease social media addiction and tips for managing inferiority complexes that may develop from comparing our lives to those we see online.

Kendall feels very unfairly ‘judged’ by the savage [AOC’s word, not hers] comments that are made about her and her family.

I may watch the entire series of our episodes, wondering if it occurs to Kendall that much of the snark is not about her at all. As divided as our country is, as misogyny and racism are running rampant across America, as elites are under attack perhaps more than ever before, I wonder if Kendall ever steps away from herself — out of herself in a way that I believe sister Kim Kardashian does.

AOC and I personally do not criticize the Kardashians. Their accomplishments are too significant to me — and that includes their own sisterhood and adapting to a major change that formerly Bruce Jenner introduced into the family dynamic.

She may have thrown a few plates against the wall when the cameras weren’t running, but Kris Jenner has my major admiration for how she handled the Bruce to Caitlyn Jenner transition.

Anne doesn’t throw shade generally, and definitely not against the Kardashians. I do agree, however, that the Kardashians were agents of capitalizing and co-creating their lives in concert with heading towards a billion followers collectively. Yes, there is surely overlap. Will 500 million followers do? 700 million followers?

The Kardashians have been agents in creating the social media environment that Kendall finds so debilitating — but also addicting.

When I read comments about them — and I do regularly trying to understand Americans as a group by reading comments — these negative comments come from people I have little respect for.

In the case of the Kardashians, it’s a big league of people who loathe them . . . from all corners of the population.

Just as there are lefties who specialize in taking more conservative people down online, MAGA loves to trash people like the Kardashians.

This reality will not change, and the more they know they’ve got you weeping, the tougher they are you. Seeking validation from people who ‘love’ you in our divided America is a lost cause, and I hope that someone told Kendall this fact over her four episodes of ‘Open Minded’.

Meanwhile, all this mental anguish among our most successful young women in America is becoming tedious.

I hear I’m not supposed to say things like “Kendall, if you are this miserable with life, what is that young woman living on the street in LA supposed to do?” as Kendall’s pain is just as serious an issue for her as the homeless woman’s is in her life.

Bullpucky, as Rachel Maddow says. That young woman with no family backing her, living out of her car, has more challenges than Kendall Jenner. That is just the reality that I see when I look at our culture and economic system.

I don’t see any of these women — Kendall is 27, and I will stop calling her a young woman — questioning themselves about their own contributions to their own issues. With their financial balance sheets, they could invest in businesses or community projects that don’t require more social media involvement for success.

If promoting your vodka brand requires you to spend yet more time on social media with people trying to tear you apart, buy a chain of eco-friendly dry cleaners, where you are selling the environment and not Kendall’s fav vodka.

Kendall has choices, which is why I say this narrative is becoming tedious after 3-4 years.

Because I just read a comment on Kendall’s IG, saying that this fashion shoot is stupendously fabulous beyond words, I’ll zip it. I just hope that every April issue of Vogue Global isn’t dealing with the trauma of successful women under age 30. This may be the narrative, given what we know to date.

BUT, it may be good for Vogue if they can turn this tide of massive depression around.

I understand the Parkland generation struggling, and I can’t imagine the trauma of a growing number of young people who have been through two school shootings. And now Florida wants to become an open-carry state with no gun permits required. Now THAT is a trigger for young people in Florida and beyond.

Kendall ends her Vogue Italia interview with Sofia Vigano asking Kendall to give herself a compliment:

" I can handle anything ," she replied. " I am strong ".

Personally, I feel manipulated by that comment. Then I think of Sylvia Plath, and admonish myself for not feeling more empathy for Kendall Jenner. I’ve felt major empathy over the years, but my tank is close to empty. Enuf said. ~ Anne