Elizabeth Taylor Walked So Kim Kardashian Could Run as a Modern Influencer

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission.

In 2023, Kim Kardashian is considered one of the biggest global influencers, but there is someone who carved a wide path before her. That woman is Elizabeth Taylor. The two-time Oscar-winning actress, pop culture icon, philanthropist, romantic, and smart businesswoman, who took charge of her own empire, was way ahead of her time. She paved the way for SKIMS, Goop, and Fenty — and just about every other celebrity-driven brand these days. The late actress is who Kate Andersen Brower, author of Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon, loves to describe as “the original influencer.”

More from SheKnows

• Meghan Markle's Royal Experience Might Have Been Even More Horrific Than Fans Ever Knew

Brower notes the “parallels” between the two women in their political passion projects. Taylor took on the AIDS crisis at a time when “people were burning crosses in front of AIDS patients’ houses.” She says in an exclusive interview with SheKnows, “There was a huge stigma that was also rooted in homophobia and people were treated like lepers who no one would touch.” During Donald Trump’s administration, fans watched Kardashian tackle prison reform to not only get Alice Marie Johnson’s life sentence for cocaine trafficking commuted, but to also assist in getting her pardoned in 2020.

Taylor also blazed a trail for Kardashian when it comes to “the business side” of the entertainment industry. “White Diamonds was the most successful celebrity perfume for quite a long time,” Brower reminisces. “I grew up watching the White Diamonds commercial filmed in black and white where Elizabeth looked so glamorous.” The late actress was extremely “involved in picking out the fragrances and was obsessive about getting it right.” She believes that “Kim Kardashian is like that too when it comes to her business ventures like SKIMS.”

The Cleopatra star empowered women to dream that “you can have it all, that there are no limits to what your power can do in this position,” and Brower says that “Kim is definitely building on what Elizabeth started.” Kardashian has often aligned herself with her idols — her 2022 Met Gala look wearing Marilyn Monroe’s dress is a great example — but her blueprint in life seems to mirror Taylor’s journey more.

That brings us to the inevitable comparison to Taylor’s love life. The actress married eight times, twice to Richard Burton, while Kardashian has only been married three times — so far. But they both seem to crave that perfect love which can be hard to find when you are one of the world’s most famous women. “It’s really interesting,” says Brower. “She was Kim Kardashian West for a long time, right? And the idea that Elizabeth Taylor was Mrs. Burton, Mrs. [John] Warner, and Mrs. [Mike] Todd… she was always searching for a way to not be the sole breadwinner. She needed someone to help her.”

That longing desire to have a mate who could be their equal, and at times, take away the burden of being so extremely famous is a big ask. “Tim Mendelson, Elizabeth’s assistant and friend for a long, long time said to me, ‘You know, she needed someone to help her with the business of being Elizabeth Taylor,’” explains Brower. She sees those running themes in Kardashian’s life, too.

“I’m sure for Kim Kardashian, she needs somebody who can do that for her as well, you know? And then they both choose these volatile people,” the author notes. Brower describes Kanye West’s latest chapter of anti-Semitism and social media outbursts as “unhinged” and compares it to Taylor’s Burton era with their alcohol-fueled rows that incessantly fed the tabloid headlines. “And you think of Elizabeth, and while Richard Burton’s no Kanye West, he definitely did some things that were destructive. She sought out men who were deeply passionate,” she adds.

That’s what makes Taylor’s Sen. John Warner chapter “so interesting.” Brower believes that “if he had given her a little bit more bandwidth and leeway” and not “isolated her from events” in Washington, D.C., it might have been a successful marriage. With Kardashian’s interest in law and prison reform, she just might have a similar chapter to her love life in the future. But, it has to be with someone who will let her participate in the political game, not sit on the sidelines.

'Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon'

$17.50 $32.50 46% off

Buy Now On Amazon

And if you don’t think Taylor and Kardashian share enough similarities, the reality star is already dipping her toes into the acting pond. With her very Kris Jenner-like role in American Horror Story: Delicate already under her belt, she’s now producing and starring in a female-driven comedy, The Fifth Wheel, for Netflix. We don’t know if Kardashian will have two Oscars in her future like Taylor, but their influence on art, fashion, pop culture, politics, and Hollywood is undeniable. Brower puts them in their own elite category as “ultra-celebrities,” the “multi-hyphenate influencers” who dared to be ahead of their time.

Before you go, click here to see every man Elizabeth Taylor dated or married below:

Best of SheKnows

• These Actors Have All Spoken Out About Being Pressured to Get Naked for a Role

• All the Celebrity Couples Who Broke Up This Year

• Jennifer Lopez & Ben Affleck, & More Celebrity Couples Who’ve Gotten Matching Tattoos

Sign up for SheKnows' Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.