Meta has released a new advertisement for the Starfire smart glasses, starring Kylie Jenner. The video follows her through a day inside her home, where assistants and vendors guide her through various tasks. She prepares a green smoothie, interacts with a pool cleaner, accepts skincare from a brand representative, receives flowers from her mother, and watches movers shift a large sculpture in her cavernous residence. Her only visible emotion is a sharp reaction when she lifts a Persian cat in a manner that suggests a toddler should not do the same.
The surreal sequence
The scene shifts abruptly. Jenner grabs black spray paint from a closet and enters an unbranded black SUV. She speeds to a billboard displaying her own face. The camera angle changes from her point of view to a position roughly 30 yards behind the vehicle. She exits the car, walks to a blank section on the billboard, and sprays the words “XO, KYLIE.” The transition feels unsettling, reminiscent of a horror film by Ari Aster.
Meta has faced significant brand crises regarding its smart glasses since the launch of the Ray-Ban Meta models. Previous marketing and public perception have linked the device to law enforcement officers, immigration agents, and individuals recording strangers in public spaces. During this period, the company repeatedly stated that the glasses are not surveillance tools and are not designed for police work. When a Customs and Border Protection agent wore the glasses during an immigration raid in Los Angeles, a Meta spokesperson questioned why the news outlet mentioned Meta by name, noting that the officer used an iPhone or Android device. The spokesperson asked why the brand should be associated with the story when no contract exists between the two entities.
Image damage and the Ray-Ban partnership
Observers have questioned whether Ray-Ban would tolerate the association with Meta’s surveillance capabilities for long. In October, a contributor noted concerns that the partnership could damage the reputation of one of the world’s most iconic fashion items. Ray-Ban has not exited the partnership, and the collaboration has reportedly generated substantial revenue for both companies. Meta now offers various smart glasses models from different brands, but the new Starfire iteration does not include Ray-Ban.
The company is attempting to shift its image away from law enforcement and toward a mass market. The product aims to appeal to women aged 18 to 24, a demographic that has long been associated with social media usage. The strategy involves placing the glasses on a widely recognised, aspirational face to improve brand safety.
The Kardashian family has complex associations with beauty standards and reality television. While the sisters have controlled their own narratives, the brand they carry is not without controversy. The company chose Kylie Jenner for the role, likely because she projects an image of being cool, wealthy, and unproblematic, despite the inherent loneliness of that lifestyle.
The ad’s message
The lifestyle presented in the Starfire advertisement depicts an unattainably wealthy existence where Jenner rarely interacts with anyone not on her payroll. The glasses appear anti-social from the start. The product seems designed for recording one’s life as an out-of-body experience rather than capturing memories with friends at a party. This approach contrasts with earlier smart glasses campaigns that focused on social interaction, even if those interactions were awkward.
Other projects, such as Jenny Zhang’s Computer Angel prototype, use a visible camera on the wearer’s head to record life events. Zhang passes the device to others or mounts it on railings. This method embraces the presence of the camera rather than hiding it. Early livestreaming experiments in the 2000s, including Justin Kan’s Justin.tv, also featured visible cameras. That platform eventually evolved into Twitch and was supported by sponsors like Zipcar and Bawls energy drinks.
The Starfire glasses attempt to conceal the camera from the subject. However, the assumption that cameras are everywhere means users often act as if they are being watched. The primary reaction to the new ad is sadness and quiet discontentment. Instagram is already filled with young women unboxing and reviewing the glasses. With Kylie Jenner’s endorsement, the product risks eroding the last remaining shreds of privacy, autonomy, and control over one’s own images online.
What it means
The new advertisement signals a deliberate pivot in how Meta wants the public to view its hardware. By associating the device with a celebrity known for curating a perfect, detached lifestyle, the company distances the product from the surveillance imagery of law enforcement. The video suggests that the glasses are tools for self-observation rather than social connection. This strategy relies on the continued influence of celebrity culture to reshape the narrative around wearable technology.
