Kendall Jenner's rise to fame in the fashion industry is not without its detractors.
The 19-year-old recently declared she worked hard and didn't capitalize on her fame to become a model, but fellow model Arisce Wanzer couldn't agree less, and slammed Jenner in a scathing open letter last week on The Blot.
"Take a moment and remove yourself from your current situation, if you can, to a life that isn't riddled with excess and only hearing the word 'yes' to your wants and requests," Wanzer wrote. "Now imagine you're from a small town and/or Third-World country where your only way to get out of your current social class, achieve your dreams, get a green card or just gain better work conditions is to become a high-fashion model."
Wanzer went on to detail the difficulty of breaking into the industry, and pointed out many models end up thousands of dollars in debt in pursuit of their dream. She declared Jenner didn't work as hard to achieve success, and attributed the star's career to her money and famous mother, Kris Jenner.
"[I] didn't realize that these coveted spots were for sale," she said. "The cost? The soul and dignity of a fashion house ... [whose] image will be forever tarnished by these real life Veruca Salts buying their way in with sleazy fame rights."
Jenner has walked for such brands as Marc Jacobs, Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana in New York, Paris and Milan Fashion Week. The burgeoning model recently landed campaigns with Estée Lauder and fashion house Karl Lagerfeld, while Wanzer is the former face of Kenneth Cole.