It’s the photo of Kim Kardashian that says it all.

She’s taking a shower after a dip at Bondi Beach and surrounded by fans, but none of them are looking at her. The fans are of Paris Hilton, and even though Kardashian is in a revealing bikini, she’s struggling to capture anyone’s attention.

No, this isn’t an alternative reality. It’s a picture from 2006, an almost mythical time: before Kardashian became mega-famous.

Her sex tape hadn’t yet leaked into the public domain, she hadn’t yet starred in her own reality show and at this point Kimmy K was best known for going on a date with Nick Lachey. Who? Exactly.

Hilton was in Australia for a promotional jaunt, and she had BFF Kardashian along for the ride. The two had been friends since childhood, and it seemed the hotel heiress was always going to eclipse her brunette friend.

How things have changed.

media_camera It’s Paris Hilton! And her friend... Kath or Kate or Kim or something? (Pic: Supplied)

Way back then, apart from being friends, Kardashian was Hilton’s personal assistant and stylist (although judging by the outfits on display during their Sydney jaunt, she might have been on her final warning). It was a classic case of uneven friendship; it was all about Paris Hilton. Who knows how many times Kardashian gritted her teeth while Hilton dished out the orders and lapped up the attention and appearance fees?

media_camera “Get outta the way, Kim Whoever You Are, I’m trying to take a pic of Paris.” (Pic: Supplied)

Perhaps Kim K made a few quiet promises to herself in the dead of the night about how people would one day know her name. That she’d be so famous she’d christen her daughter after a compass point. That she’d be on fleek. Maybe she dreamt of a time when her curves would break the internet. Was the internet even around then? It doesn’t matter, a girl can dream.

So while people were waving their mid-noughties clam shell mobiles in Hilton’s face and taking low resolution photos of her perfect pout, Kardashian was no doubt paying attention. She took notes, and eventually rode the infamy of her 2007 sextape — just as Hilton had done before her with her own straight-to-video role — to parlay the exposure into something much bigger.

Kardashian’s model for success was laid out for her by Hilton’s business ventures and she followed it to the letter. Personally branded perfume, fashion line and books? Check, check and check.

But none of what lay in Kardashian’s future is evident in the images from her little holiday down under with Hilton. The best friends went to the beach, hit the clubs, went shopping and hugged a toy kangaroo, and the photographers who trailed them made sure Hilton was the centre of every frame.

Nearly 10 years later, life couldn’t be more different; Kardashian is arguably the most famous person on the planet with a fortune to match. Hilton’s fame is well and truly on the wane, although she takes credit for having “inspired” her friend’s entrepreneurial success. Or should that be former friend? The two aren’t exactly taking girly holidays together any more and maybe that’s because Kardashian is no longer the lackey to Hilton’s star.

Whatever you may think of her, a flashback to Kardashian’s life before fame is a potent reminder that no matter how much someone is overshadowed, their fortunes can always change. The student can surpass the master, and every dog will have its day.