North West Is Growing Up So Fast

Growing up in the spotlight can't be easy. In fact, there are plenty of former child stars who met tragic fates to prove that being under constant public scrutiny and finding fame and fortune so young can be truly detrimental. Add to that two famous parents who can't seem to stay out of the news, and we imagine it becomes even harder. That's what Kim Kardashian and Kanye "Ye" West's eldest child, North West, has arguably had to contend with.

From the moment she was born in June 2013, North has drawn great interest, and it's only been fueled by Kardashian's apparent decision to actively push her daughter into the spotlight. The youngster has had many unforgettable media moments already, and yet, we can't help but be a bit concerned about her future. Young Nori is growing up before our eyes — and she's growing up fast. Indeed, some fans and experts alike worry it's too fast. Before Kim K and Ye's mini me even hit double digits, she was already modeling, attending lavish parties, and sporting luxe fashions made for fashionistas at least twice her age. 

Here's a closer look back at how quickly little North West is growing up.

It appears that long before she hit double digits, North West was already being subjected to scrupulous beauty standards. In 2018, while vacationing in Bali, Indonesia, Kim Kardashian shared a pool day snap of herself alongside young Nori and her younger brother, Saint West. It seemed like an innocent, sweet family picture — until folks compared it to the original shot taken by paparazzi. In a before and after GIF saved by Seventeen, a worrying revelation emerges. Comparing the two images closely, it looks like a then-5-year-old North had her waist slimmed and her head made to look smaller in her mom's version of the image.

While the reality star never addressed the controversy, it wouldn't be the last time she was accused of photoshopping her daughter. In April 2023, Kardashian Instagrammed a photo of her then-9-year-old daughter dressed like Janet Jackson, and critics on Reddit soon noticed North's chin seemingly looked distorted. "That is sooo sad, I really hope it's just some weird glitch or something," one user wrote, while many others dubbed it an alleged photoshop fail.

Back in 2019, Nori was famously added to the Kardashian-West holiday card in post-prod after she initially refused to pose with the rest of her family, as Kardashian admitted on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."

Despite TikTok's rules forbidding anyone under 13 from joining, North West made her debut on the platform in November 2021 when she was just 8 years old. Although she technically shares her account with mom Kim Kardashian under the handle @kimandnorth, dad Kanye "Ye" West was not having it. Kardashian's estranged ex slammed the decision publicly, and it seems the altercation came to a head following a holiday post in which Nori filmed herself doing her makeup to look like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. In an interview with Jason Lee for "Hollywood Unlocked," Ye claimed Kardashian was going against his wishes by letting their daughter use social media. "Don't have my daughter wearing lipstick on TikTok, or don't have her on TikTok at all, if I'm not gonna approve that," he said.

Indeed, North has since done some things which her mom hasn't approved of either. Like when she secretly went Live and gave viewers a full tour of their house in December 2021. When Kardashian realized what her 8-year-old was up to, she quickly shut it down, warning, "Stop, you know you're not allowed to." Northie similarly got in trouble in October 2023 when, then 10, she told folks she had dyslexia. "You just are really saying way too much," Kardashian admonished before closing the Live feed. "... I purposely don't talk about stuff that you're going through."

Kim Kardashian is apparently getting everything ready for her eldest daughter to follow in her footsteps, and it seems she's ready to become the next big momager à la Kris Jenner. Case in point: The U.S. Sun learned in March 2023 that the Skims founder had filed not one but four trademarks in North West's name. According to the outlet, these would give Nori the chance to build a beauty empire, as one trademark was for "non-medicated skin preparations," including moisturizers, cleansers, perfume, makeup, and even shower gel and bubble bath. There was also a trademark for toys that could potentially include dolls, action figures, bath toys, and others. The other two were for advertising services and "entertainment in the nature of providing information in means of a global computer network."

Folks were quick to shade Kardashian. In a lengthy Reddit thread that accused her of using her daughter, one critic quipped, "Imagine if they just let them be kids. Get them a trampoline or something." Another slammed, "Honestly sickening — just let her do what she wants she's a human being with her own life."

North West has been a fashionista from the moment she was born. In 2016, it was revealed (via The Sun) that the then-3-year-old had a closet filled with over 200 high-end pieces from the most exclusive designers, like Hermès and Balmain. Her mom even swore she was already picking her own outfits, and that hasn't changed. Since then, North's found her own style and has become her mom's toughest critic. As Kim Kardashian told Vogue in 2022, "North is very opinionated when it comes to what I'm wearing." That being said, Northie also draws plenty of inspiration from her parents. During Paris Fashion Week in 2022, for example, she twinned with her mama at the Jean-Paul Gaultier show and was spotted wearing a full leather face mask, just like dad Kanye West.

North appears to be in full control of her look, but even so, Kardashian has often been criticized for her daughter's sartorial choices, which many think are too grown up. Folks have called foul on a 6-year-old North wearing huge gold hoop earrings and donning a nude corset (although she layered it over a T-shirt) at age 8. "I can't understand why a child is wearing a corset," wrote one critic on Reddit. Many of her pieces are also far more high-end than what the average child would wear. In 2023 alone, North was seen rocking a $20,000 Gucci jacket, a $2,600 Chanel bag, a $3,500 Prada purse, and a vintage Christian Dior swimsuit worth $2,000.

Two months before her 10th birthday in June 2023, North West was crowned one of "the 20 most influential creators right now" by Rolling Stone. The outlet dubbed her "The Scion" and noted how, while she technically shares her TikTok account with mom Kim Kardashian, she's the one who draws in the eyeballs. Indeed, it seems Nori's already an expert in what will go viral with her 15.5 million followers and counting.

Not everyone is impressed with her penchant for social media, though. Kardashian has often been criticized for allowing her daughter to join the platform at such a young age, including by ex Kanye "Ye" West, as previously mentioned. What's more, a source told Life & Style that while Kim K has good intentions, she may be pushing her daughter too far. "The pressure she puts on her, which may be unintentional, is real," the insider claimed.

Even so, Kardashian doesn't seem to be backing down from what appears to be a master plan to turn North into the next "It girl" from the Kardashian-Jenner clan. As if to prove she was born to be a bona fide influencer, Northie landed her first ad campaign — for Fendi, no less! — at 5, was cast in a Skims ad at just 7, and snagged her debut film role in "Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie" at age 9.

North West is no stranger to going viral on TikTok, but when she did so in March 2023 by emulating her favorite rapper, Ice Spice, she arguably crossed a line. Donning a curly red wig and Juicy Couture sweatsuit, Nori danced to "Boy's a Liar, Pt. 2" while lip syncing many of its adult lyrics like, "Bet he blowin' her back / Thinkin' 'bout me 'cause he know that a** fat." Fans were quick to take issue with a 9-year-old bopping along to such a mature track, with one critic tweeting, "This is not age appropriate content." Another mused on X, formerly known as Twitter, "Kanye was right about not wanting [his] daughter on TikTok." Kanye "Ye" West previously publicly slammed his ex again for letting their tween join the app, saying in part, "I am not allowing my daughter to be used by TikTok, to be used by Disney."

Turns out, Kim Kardashian actually agreed. Speaking with TIME that June, she confessed, "Sometimes it's trial and error." Saying she took this particular video down as soon as she realized what the lyrics were saying, she mused, "I saw on the internet 'Kanye was right,' and maybe he was in that instance." That being said, Kardashian's not about to ban North from posting more content. "I will fight for her to be creative," the reality star vowed.

If you think Kanye West is confident, just wait until you hear what North West wants to be when she grows up. Nori is a young lady of many talents with a keen eye for fashion, a passion for singing and rapping, and she's even been known to dabble in gymnastics and play the piano. Not to mention she's a seriously talented painter and sketch artist. In fact, she excels at the latter so much that haters actually accused Kim Kardashian of posting fake artwork to social media in 2021 because they thought it was too good to have been created by North. Well, it was, and the proud mom was quick to clap back on her Instagram Story. "How dare you see children doing awesome things and then try to accuse them of NOT being awesome?!" she asked.

North West is certainly awesome, and she's not about to limit her possibilities. While attending Katy Perry's Las Vegas residency in April 2023, Nori was pulled up on stage for a chat. "You know, at 9 years old, I started singing, that's when I found my little spark," Perry told her, before asking, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Her response was so on-brand, it quickly went viral. "Everything," North replied.

North West sure looks and acts like an adult, and it's easy to forget she's not. Especially because she's often seen dressing much older and attending events you would expect Kim Kardashian to take a teenage daughter to. Like the 2023 Met Gala, which is technically an 18 and older affair, but which Nori went to at just 9 years old. Folks online took issue with her presence, asking why she can't have a "normal" childhood. "I think it's bizarre she's treating her like she's 16+ instead of under 10," wrote one critic on Reddit, while another accused the reality TV star of "us[ing] North as a prop."

Many commentators also worried about North's mental health, and they may have been right to share concerns. Parenting coach Natalie Costa told The U.S. Sun in May 2023 that a 9-year-old doesn't have a fully developed brain, and that Kardashian's actions could potentially be putting Nori in jeopardy. "By making children grow up too quickly and exposing them to events like the Met Gala or being on social media, they attach their self-worth to external validation," she said. And because they don't yet have the necessary tools to cope with such adult situations, Costa continued, "[It] can be really detrimental to their well-being, sense of self-worth, and how they feel about themselves as a person."