Kimberly Stewart

By Sara Templeton

Some say that Paris Hilton started it, and people like Nicole Richie helped affirm its place in the contemporary world, and that Jack Osbourne was an unwitting contributor.

No, I'm not talking about medical lobotomies, but the phenomenon of the 'familial celebrity'.

For those who are scratching their heads and trying to figure just what I am getting at, it is the predominance of the new age socialite-celebrity whose rise to fame erupts out of not doing anything particularly popular or skillful - such as movies, music or modeling - but because of who they are. Or for the cynics out there, because of who their parents are.

Some even call them trust fund babies.

If one's family is wealthy enough and has enough influence, pays money to the right charities and donates to the correct political party, they often get invited to the celebrity-studded events. These can include red carpet movie launches, night club openings, gala events like the Oscars, the Grammys, and the list goes on.

Having these connections from birth can do wonders for one's career, and it's fair to say that the familial celebrity has another member - Kimberly Stewart.

She gets a profile here because she has dabbled in the fashion scene, modeling for some big names, and partly because she has done some very strange things, one of which involves silicone breast implants.

Born as Alana Kimberly Stewart on the 21st of August, 1979, in Holmby Hills California, the tall blonde is the daughter of rock stalwart Rod Stewart and his then wife, model Alana Collins. It is widely reported that rockin' Rod had a big influence on his daughters life, despite touring extensively and being away from the family unit, instilling the values of hard work into his daughter. He wanted her to find her own way in life and not just live off the family fortune.

Family fortune or not, Kimberly grew up to be a visually stunning homo sapien in her late teens and, like her mother Alana, decided modeling would be a good way to earn a crust. As such, she went to a type of modeling school as a teen, and upon graduation at age 18 she decided to have her breasts augmented cosmetically.

Thanks to her time at modeling school and her natural beauty, Kimberly was quickly signed by a number of fashion houses, working for fashion brands such as House of Field, Catherine Malandrino and Tommy Hilfiger.

Between shoots, Kimberly Stewart began hanging out with none other than Paris Hilton (see the offensive photo below), which probably wasn't the best move she could have made to increase her credibility, but was more than understandable as the girls had been childhood acquaintances.

Spending time with Paris Hilton usually only leads to one thing. No, not a lurid sex tape. Worse - reduced mental capacity and lots of debauchery and dirty dancing at celebrity shindigs, which of course leads to plenty of appearances in trashy tabloid magazines.

And then there was the infamous breast aftermath. At the age of 22, four years after having them surgically pumped up, Kimberly Stewart had her silicone bladders removed from her upper torso, framed and signed them and gave them as a gift to another rock and roll offspring, Jack Osbourne. 

Kids these days, eh?

Jack's sister, Kelly, told US programme Access Hollywood: "She put them in a frame and signed them and gave them to my brother. They are on the wall in his room. She is one of the funniest girls ever." That's funny? Funny is when grandma farts and pretends she didn't. This is just strange.

As her modeling career died down, Kimberly's partying increased, as did her friendship with Paris Hilton. Along with the parties and the paparazzi, Kimberly dated a number of high profile males, including Wes Scantlin, the lead singer of band Puddle of Mudd. Interestingly, one of Scantlin's past loves had been Kimberly's step mother, Rachel Hunter. Now they can both bond over something - how sweet.

She had also dated Scott Caan (James Caan's son), musician Cisco Adler and has admitted to having the hots for Brad Pitt - a sure fire way to gain enemies.

While her father's advice that she not live off the family fortune may have been pushed to the back of her mind for a time, a quarrel between Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton apparently paved the way for the Kimberly to star in the new Simple Life 4 alongside Paris. But the announcement, made by Paris Hilton herself, was short lived and the show went on to star the two originals. 

Kimberly has since decided to build her modeling career, and scored the advertising campaign for Holeproof's Australian Antz Pantz range of lingerie. The new campaign which aired in Australia in late 2005 saw Kimberly Stewart alongside Nicky Hilton, which was filmed at Barbra Streisand's house, and there's a rumour that purports they were driven there in Michael Jackson's home-made rocket car. Kimberly is quoted as saying "It's a great opportunity for the Australian market to see more of me - literally." 

How astute...

Kimberly Stewart, like the Hiltons, has also developed her own fashion label (or clothing line as some prefer to call it) with the help of designer Sydney Zekley. Named Pinky Star Fish (?) the range is somewhat diverse, with trashy club wear and even semi-elegant floral designs. More recently Kimberly was voted the most eligible bachelorette by Britain's FHM magazine in 2007, a survey that placed an emphasis on wealth as well as looks. Paris would be furious...

As well as modeling for Ultimo Lingerie in recent times, which is expected to file for bankruptcy soon, Kimberly Stewart is valiantly keeping the phenomenon that is the 'familial celebrity' alive and well.