The running joke about how the devil works harder but Kris Jenner works harder is funny because it’s undeniably true. Kim Kardashian and the rest of the family have learned from their matriarch Kris on how to cash in on their trendsetting and pivot in order to maintain their relevance and create a new revenue stream.

We just never thought that the pivot would be away from big butts.

While Brazilian Butt Lifts, commonly known as BBLs, have been around since the 1990s, it was not until the late 2010s and the rise of influencer culture that it started to infiltrate our social media feeds. BBLs became big business and it can easily be traced back to Kim and her famous derriere, and during the last year alone, videos that showed dozens of wheelchairs lining airline terminals filled with women returning from destinations like the Dominican Republic for lower cost BBLs went viral.

The Kardashian effect on the American standard of beauty had somehow even impacted the average American traveler who was just trying to catch a flight... is this when Kris privately declared that the BBL was too mainstream?

Recently, pictures have been circulating that seem to show the slimmed down behinds of Kim and Khloe. Theories abound that the two have had their butt implants removed, or the filler inside them dissolved. The rumors will never be confirmed, though, since the duo has never admitted to work being done on their bottoms in the first place, but the pictures speak for themselves.

But when we talk about the Kardashian beauty standard of bronzed skin, full lips, and a cartoonish like hourglass figure with exaggerated hips and butt, we must mention that these are features that resemble traits typically found on Black women. Features that, before the Kardashians came along, were not considered an aspirational beauty standard by mainstream America.

The Kardashians proximity to Black culture has always been widely debated and with four of the six siblings now having biracial children with a Black parent, it has become an even touchier subject.

Blackfishing is a term that is used to describe non-Black people (usually white women) who use makeup, tanning products, etc. to manipulate their features to appear as if they are Black or racially ambiguous. The Kardashians have been accused of blackfishing and have been referred to as “culture vultures” many times over the years for their appropriation of fashion and looks lifted from other cultures. (When asked how she navigated criticism around things like blackfishing, Kim’s response in an interview with i-D was, “Obviously, I would never do anything to appropriate any culture.”)

If Kim and co. have decided to change the look of their famous butts, it can't be because they want to appropriate less, right? There has to be another reason.

And the reason may be as simple as: it’s just not cool anymore. The Kardashians are not the type to get caught being the last person to leave a party and as trendsetters, they believe that once everyone else is doing it, it’s not cool anymore. It may sound too rudimentary, but when you've made billions off your image, it's of the utmost importance.

But as TikToker @kierabreaugh points out, moving away from a trend is slightly more complicated when your body parts are the trend (as opposed to say, your hairstyle)... but that’s of no concern when you’re some of the wealthiest people in the world with access to the best doctors in the world. If you’ve got a big butt and you cannot lie about how out of date it is, you can just … erase it digitally then erase it physically.

Kardashian TikToker @kardashian_kolloquim points out that the shifts in class and race consciousness in a post-pandemic society could have something to do with the smaller butts, too. As the world continues to struggle and rebuild, our tolerance for showboating of excessive wealth (by way of costly plastic surgery and overt opulence) has diminished significantly, and the Kardahsians know that in order to appear relatable, they need to shift their optics, as well.

Or, it could be that instead of trendsetting, this time – and perhaps this is an early sign of their decline in relevancy – they're adapting one. The Kardashians' proximity to Black culture might be falling out of style as East Asian culture gains more popularity, and they may want in. With the decline of BBLs comes the rise of another plastic surgery trend: the cat-eye.

Kendall Jenner, the second youngest of Kris' brood, might know a thing or two about it. Her appearance and eye shape has changed recently to appear more cat-like, and so has Ariana Grande's.

Recently, Grande came under fire for a picture she posted in which people believed she was “asianfishing” that she has since deleted, and model Bella Hadid has been accused of asian-fishing with her supposed cat-eye surgery, as well.

K-Pop has dominated the world over the last few years and Asia has become the leader in defining trends. TikToker @tanakafromtheinternet points out this evolution away from the American standard of trends could be another reason we are seeing changes in the Kardashians. The allure of the Hollywood celebrity isn’t what it used to be and our easier access to and visibility of other cultures outside of the U.S. has broadened our mind and expectations for celebrity. It’s global now, not national.

And on a global scale, there are hundreds of millions of K-Pop fans.. an no one probably understands this better than Kris Jenner. We’re in for a new era of Kardashian with smaller butts and bigger followings… but for the next gen. The popularity of North and Penelope’s TikTok accounts are gaining disciples by the minute.

Image: KhloeKardashian/Instagram