Dictionary.com didn't throw shade at Kylie Jenner. It actually made an important point.
There's a difference between throwing shade and making an important point.
When Dictionary.com tweeted out a definition of the word "self-made" it was accused of the former. But, was it really throwing shade, or was this simply a distinction that needed to be made?
On Wednesday, Kylie Jenner's first Forbes cover was unveiled. "At 21, she's set to be the youngest-ever self-made billionaire," reads the cover. "Welcome to the era of extreme fame leverage."
In the piece, Forbes discusses how Jenner — a member of the Kardashian-Jenner family — built a "900 million fortune in less than 3 years."
Not long after, Dictionary.com quote-tweeted Forbes alongside a definition of the word "self-made."
"Self-made means having succeeded in life unaided," reads the definition.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
People on Twitter were quick to call shade. But, was Dictionary.com really throwing shade at Jenner?
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Dictionary.com pointed out that searches of the word "self-made" were up by 18,628 percent on dictionary.com on Wednesday, suggesting curiosity might have been aroused about the word's true meaning.
Writer Roxane Gay stated that it wasn't actually shade to point out that Jenner "isn't self-made."
"She grew up in a wealthy, famous family," wrote Gay. "Her success is commendable but it comes by virtue of her privilege."
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
"Words have meanings and it behooves a dictionary to remind us of that," she added.
Gay has a very good point. What are dictionaries for, if not to inform us of words' correct meaning?
Topics Celebrities
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
