Kylie Jenner's Love For Butterflies Actually Has A Solemn Explanation

Kylie Jenner’s life, and her body, gets a ton of scrutiny. Millions of fans all over the world hang on her every word on social media. And the entertainment media follow her every move. There’d hardly be anyone more photographed in the world, and of course fans have noticed that she has many tattoos. But Jenner doesn’t always share what they represent. So it was big news when she told the world what the butterfly on her ankle – her most personal tattoo of all – means to her.

Butterfly clues

Now Jenner is pretty fond of butterflies, and she often puts that fondness on display. She loves the insect so much, in fact, that many fans were convinced she was going to give her baby a butterfly-related name. In the leadup to giving birth in 2018, Jenner posted videos to Instagram that featured her butterfly necklace and some pink butterfly rings.

Intentional zoom?

“Real question is why did the camera person zoom in on the butterfly necklace in Kylie Jenner’s baby announcement video?” tweeted one curious fan. “Is the baby called Butterfly? Does the name mean Butterfly? Why do I care so much?” And Jenner sent this fan, and thousands of others, into a frenzy when she simply tweeted a butterfly emoji with no context.

Fans were sure

“I bet Kylie Jenner’s daughter is gonna be named Monarch or some butterfly species,” tweeted one fan, thinking a little outside the box. Others concurred with this theory, with one fan writing, “So there appears to be a butterfly theme for Kylie Jenner’s baby name. Ulysses? Chrysalis?” In the end, the baby’s name was revealed to be Stormi, which wasn’t butterfly inspired. Or was it?

Growing up on camera

Jenner has been in the public eye since she was aged 10. That was when Keeping Up With the Kardashians began airing in 2007. The show followed the real-life trials and tribulations of the Kardashian/Jenner clan, with the focus on Jenner’s half-sisters Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney, as well as her sister Kendall. The show became an enormous hit and is now one of the longest-running U.S. reality shows of all time.

Breaking out on her own

Using the successful reality show and a host of famous family members as her foundation, Jenner made efforts to establish her own brand. Alongside Kendall, she launched a clothing line, and then moved into cosmetics on her own. Her business, Kylie Cosmetics, has been a phenomenal success. It was valued at a staggering $900 million in 2019.

A global power

As her fame grew, Jenner became tremendously influential on social media. As of 2020, she had more than 206 million followers on Instagram, making her one of the biggest names on the platform. Maybe you’re one of them? As an example of her massive influence, in 2018 shares in Snapchat’s parent company plummeted by 6.1 percent the day after Jenner tweeted that she wasn’t as interested in it anymore. That’s influencer power.

Controversial billionaire status

Jenner’s net worth was estimated at around $1 billion in 2019, which Forbes magazine claimed made her the youngest self-made billionaire in history. Of course, there was some controversy about her truly being “self made,” given her origin as part of a rich celebrity family. But, either way, it can’t be argued that she is an extremely successful and wealthy woman.

Ink collection

As for her tattoos, the businesswoman has 10, all of which have special meaning to her. And they’re not all butterflies! Let’s take a look at some of Jenner’s body art. In December 2015 she unveiled her first piece of ink to her fans: the word “\'sa-nə-tē\” in red, on her right hip.

She revealed the meaning

The reality TV superstar revealed its meaning within an Instagram post in July 2019. Jenner wrote, “Growing up in the light with a million eyes on you just isn’t normal. I’ve lost friends along the way and I’ve lost myself too sometimes. My first tattoo was ‘sanity’ to remind myself every day to keep it.”

She's since changed it

On July 23, 2016, Jenner had this tattoo extended by adding the word “before.” She declined to explain the thinking behind the tattoo but did use Snapchat to document the process of getting it. She used famed celebrity tattoo artist Rafael Valdez, who is known for charging $200 per hour for his services, with a $600 minimum for a piece of ink. Wow!

Did she forget her first?

Intriguingly, even though Jenner has stated that the “sanity” tattoo was her first, she actually announced a heart tattoo on social media in August 2015. This ink was bought to celebrate her 18th birthday and predated the sanity tattoo by around four months. Whatever the case, Bang Bang, the artist, spoke to GQ magazine about tattooing her.

Her artist speaks out

“I like that she has a theme,” revealed Bang Bang. “I love that Kylie has a direction and she knows what she wants. I like that her style is little red tattoos. I don’t think I’ve ever met a person that has a bunch of little red tattoos, so I like that it’s unique.”

A family name

Jenner also has the name “Mary Jo” tattooed on her inner forearm, and this inking definitely holds special meaning to her. Mary Jo is Jenner’s grandmother, and the two women have always been extremely close. Jenner took to Instagram to reveal that the tattoo had even been crafted to evoke a particular person’s handwriting: her grandfather’s. Aww.

Best friend tattoos

Another couple of tattoos have shown that Jenner has a penchant for getting ink that connects her permanently to another person. On May 1, 2016, she revealed that she and best friend Jordyn Woods had picked matching tattoos on their inner pinky fingers. The squiggly ink is meant to be the letter “M,” but neither woman has revealed what the letter is supposed to stand for.

Adjusting ink from her ex

Jenner also got a tattoo in 2016 as a tribute to then-boyfriend Tyga, whom she knew as “T.” She had a small lowercase “t” inscribed on her ankle, but when the couple eventually broke up, she had it altered to say “la.” Apparently, the ink was now paying homage to Los Angeles, where she had grown up.

A new flame

Jenner’s next serious relationship was with another rapper: Travis Scott. It was always conducted with a strange mix of secrecy and public displays. The couple were first seen together at the Coachella Festival on April 16, 2017, and this prompted rumors they were an item. A source told People magazine that they were just friends at that point, though.

Spotted on dates

Less than two weeks later, the pair were seen at an NBA game together. They were sitting court-side, no less, and an onlooker told People they, “definitely looked like a couple cuddled up next to each other among her friends.” They even held each other’s hands, according to the witness, which you’d be unlikely to do with someone who was just a friend. Right?

Scott tweets a clue

On June 12, 2017, Scott tweeted, “Legit happiest day of my life.” Three months later, People reported that Jenner was pregnant with Scott’s child, and fans finally connected to the meaning behind Scott’s tweet. Both parties were said to ecstatic about the news, with Jenner and Scott described as excited and their families overjoyed for them.

Keeping the secret

Despite this private excitement, the couple continued to stay secretive about their relationship for the longest time. During a January 2018 interview with entertainment magazine Billboard, Scott would refuse to confirm even that he and Jenner were together, let alone that he was her unborn baby’s father. In fact, he didn’t want to address either topic at all.

Dodging reporters

The Billboard journalist asked, “Have you spoken to your father about becoming a father yourself?” Scott responded, “Uh… for what?,” to which the interviewer gave some clarification by saying, “There are these rumors that you’re dating Kylie and having a child with her.” The rapper was characteristically firm with his reply.

Explaining the decision

Scott stated, “I don’t want to talk about that. They’re just guesses. Let them keep fishing.” Indeed, even when Jenner announced she had given birth on February 4, 2018, she didn’t mention Scott by name in her Instagram statement. She did explain why she chose to keep the pregnancy away from the glare of the public eye, though.

Kylie's reasoning

“I’m sorry for keeping you in the dark through all the assumptions,” wrote Jenner. “I understand you’re used to me bringing you along on all my journeys. My pregnancy was one I chose not to do in front of the world. I knew for myself I needed to prepare for this role of a lifetime in the most positive, stress-free, and healthy way I knew how.”

She was concerned

“There was no gotcha moment, no big paid reveal I had planned,” continued Jenner. “I knew my baby would feel every stress and every emotion, so I chose to do it this way for my little life and our happiness.” She added, “I’ve never felt love and happiness like this, I could burst! Thank you for understanding.”

Fans question the name

On February 6, 2018, Jenner announced their baby’s name: Stormi Webster. Fans speculated if the name had any special meaning, but nothing was confirmed by the notoriously tight-lipped couple. They did finally address the reason behind their constant strive for privacy in a joint GQ interview published in July 2018, though.

Scott doesn't like the spotlight

Jenner revealed that the intense fame of the Kardashian clan made Scott uncomfortable. In fact, the GQ journalist noted that Scott had been reticent to even have his picture taken for the cover shoot. Jenner said, “I don’t think he’s really cool with [the scrutiny], but he deals with it, because we love each other, and we have a family. For sure, I know he doesn’t like the attention.”

Protecting their privacy

“That’s why we just go the extra mile to keep our relationship super private, or like, if he has events or something, I won’t come,” continued Jenner. “Because I want him to do his own thing. I want him to be him. I don’t want it to be Kylie and Trav. If people don’t ever see us together, that’s okay with me, because we just do our thing.”

The breakup

Sadly, Jenner and Scott’s relationship ended in a breakup sometime in fall 2019. Despite this, though, they embarked upon a new status quo as co-parents, and when Stormi turned two years old, there were rumors that the couple had become closer than ever. Even when they had been officially broken up for a year, sources were saying they were still very much in each other’s lives.

Quarantine changed their relationship

“They are always in touch and spend time together with Stormi,” a source revealed to entertainment website E! News. When COVID-19 forced the world to quarantine, Jenner and Scott holed up together in her house in the Hollywood Hills. A source said, “Neither of them are dating and are enjoying each other’s company while parenting Stormi.”

Rumors they rekindled

Fast forward to February 2021, and a three-year-old Stormi could maybe look forward to her parents getting back together. Or, at least, that is what an inside source told E! News. The source claimed, “Kylie and Travis are still madly in love. You can tell every time they are together that there is a lot of love there.”

Not ruling it out

The source continued, “Kylie and Travis spend a lot of time together with Stormi as a family and aren’t ruling out getting back together. They aren’t putting pressure on the relationship right now.” According to the insider, the couple are also amazing co-parents who have a great routine with Stormi.

Matching tattoos

It was in October 2020 that fans were finally given an explanation regarding something they had pondered about for years. In 2017 Jenner and Scott unveiled matching butterfly tattoos on their ankles. As previously mentioned, the butterfly was known to be a theme Jenner loved, and she had returned to it again and again in different forms.

Their secret symbol

For example, when Stormi was born, the couple decorated her nursery with a butterfly theme. The wall of her bedroom featured a large pink heart with several different butterfly designs adorning it. Before that, when celebrating Jenner’s 20th birthday, Scott gave her a butterfly necklace made from diamond. The motif certainly had significance for Scott, as well as Jenner.

Straight from the song

Intriguingly, one Twitter fan believed Stormi’s name had been directly derived from one of Scott’s songs. The tune was entitled “Butterfly Effect,” which is a term the dictionary defines as “a cumulatively large effect that a very small natural force may produce over a period.” The term became popular after a 2004 science-fiction movie of the same name starring Ashton Kutcher came out.

Connection to Stormi

The Twitter user wrote, “A butterfly can flap its wings and cause a hurricane. Kylie and Travis are the butterfly. They flapped their wings, and Stormi is the hurricane.” Another fan liked this theory, as they tweeted, “Okay, I didn’t like the name Stormi, but then I saw the thing about how the butterfly effect causes a storm, and, wow, that actually makes sense.”

She keeps repeating

Official confirmation finally came when Jenner was speaking about her favorite Halloween costumes during an October 22, 2020, YouTube video. While looking at pictures of her and Stormi dressed as butterflies for Halloween 2018, Jenner said, “This butterfly look was so special. We didn’t go anywhere – I couldn’t even walk in those huge wings.”

Kylie's own words

The social media maven went on to clarify that the butterfly motif was simply close to the hearts of she and Scott. Jenner said, “When Travis and I first got together, we got matching little butterfly tattoos. Butterflies are just a symbol of our relationship and Stormi, and so it was special to do the butterfly costume.”

The best was yet to come

Amusingly, though, Jenner did reckon the family rocked the best Halloween costumes a year later, during Halloween 2019. They all dressed up as superheroes, and Jenner admitted, “I loved our superhero costumes that Trav, Stormi and I did. We all picked our favorite colors, and we were superheroes because Trav always says we are a super family, and Stormi is a super child.” Aww.

They got more ink

In the end, the matching butterfly tattoos were not the last permanent tributes to their daughter that Jenner and Scott had etched into their skin. In February 2020, around the time of Stormi’s second birthday, the couple both got the same tattoo of Stormi’s name on their right arms, in the same font. Jenner also filmed the rapper while in the studio getting inked.

Even Kylie's friend has it

Amazingly, a third person even got in on the act this time, with Jenner’s good friend Stassie Karanikolaou getting the very same ink on her arm. All in all, we wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Stormi’s devoted parents got more tattoos in the future as homage to the little girl they love so much. More butterflies may await them.