Why Kim Kardashian's $148 SKIMS advent calendar sparked a 45 million view backlash

Kim Kardashian's latest holiday product has gone viral for a reason she probably did not want. A $148 SKIMS advent calendar sold out online, then became the centre of a huge backlash when a TikTok unboxing showed shoppers exactly what was inside.

A festive launch turned into a very public complaint

The controversy is centred on the SKIMS Accessories Advent Calendar, a limited edition item released on October 29 as part of Kardashian's 2026 holiday collection. The calendar has 12 compartments, each holding a small surprise, which works out at about $12.33 per item.

It was already attracting criticism before the biggest social media moment arrived, even though it sold out online. Then, in early November, a TikTok unboxing took off and pushed the product into a much bigger conversation. In the video, a woman opens all 12 compartments and grows more frustrated as she goes. At one point she says, "Kimberly, you're genuinely about to piss me off," before adding, "This is way too expensive."

The clip has racked up more than 45 million views. That huge audience helped turn what might have been a niche product complaint into a much wider debate about value, branding and what people expect when a celebrity label puts a luxury level price on a holiday gift.

What was actually inside the calendar

The unboxing drew so much attention because viewers expected more than a run of small accessories. The first compartment held a bear keychain. Day two had three hair elastics, and day three revealed a three pack of satin scrunchies. Day four contained three bobby pins, and day five had a SKIMS branded squishy toy.

The rest of the calendar continued in the same lane. Buyers got two hair clips, two bra elastic headbands, another three pack of bobby pins, a comb keychain and a logo keychain. Day 11 included another three pack of satin scrunchies, and the final compartment held a faux fur compact mirror keychain.

What the calendar did not include was part of the problem for many people watching. There were no bras, underwear, pyjamas or other clothing items inside. During the video, the TikToker questioned one of the items by asking, "What is this? A bra strap made into a hair tie?" Later, after more pins and accessories appeared, she responded with sarcasm, saying, "Perfect. More SKIMS bobby pins. The red ones. I wanted that so bad."

By the last compartment, she said the final item had better be "made of gold." Instead, it was the furry mirror keychain.

Why so many people thought it was not worth the money

A lot of the anger came down to the gap between the price and the contents. In the comments, one viewer said that spending around $150 on what they saw as maybe $20 worth of items was "wild." Another compared the contents to "basically everything that falls between my car seats."

Other people said the calendar looked like the sort of things that end up forgotten in a junk drawer or scattered around the house. Some suggested the accessories looked cheap compared with the price tag, while others thanked the woman who posted the unboxing and said she had saved people money by showing everything clearly.

Still, not everyone thought the outrage was fair. At least one commenter pointed out that SKIMS had listed the contents on its website already, arguing that buyers should have known what they were getting. That same response suggested some of the online anger was being exaggerated for social media attention.

The backlash also did not begin with TikTok. The calendar's value was being questioned on October 30, and by November 3 Reddit users were also mocking what was included. One of the complaints there focused on how little buyers were getting, with one person writing that "not even a full pack of plain hair ties" was enough to win them over.

The awkward timing for SKIMS

The reaction is especially striking because Kardashian had just singled out the calendar as one of her favourite items in the holiday drop. In an October 29 interview with ELLE, she said she loved the excitement of counting down to the holidays and called the format a fun way to surprise someone with a new gift every day.

That holiday collection also included seasonal pyjamas, loungewear, underwear and gifts. Kardashian appeared in the campaign with Kourtney, Khloé, Kendall and Kylie, and the images were photographed by Nadia Lee Cohen.

The criticism has also invited comparisons with a previous SKIMS advent calendar. In 2025, the company released a $450 Panty Advent Calendar that came with 25 pairs of limited edition underwear. Unlike the current $148 accessories version, that one included items from the brand's core clothing range. It was later discounted to $225 during a November 27 promotion.

SKIMS, which Kardashian founded in 2019, has faced backlash before. One example came in October 2025, when the brand drew criticism for its "Ultimate Bush" collection, a line of underwear decorated with synthetic hair in different shades and textures.

This time, though, the debate has been much simpler. People saw a luxury price, opened 12 doors and decided the surprises did not match the bill.