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Kaia Gerber didn’t know her mother Cindy Crawford was considered a top supermodel until last year.
During an interview with the Wall Street Journal Posted on Tuesday, the 22-year-old admitted that her own modeling career was surely shaped by her mother’s success, even if she didn’t realize how “iconic” Crawford was (and still is) until she saw “The Super Models. ”
“I thought, ‘I didn’t realize. I knew you were an icon, but… ‘I didn’t understand it when I was younger,’ she remembers telling his 57-year-old mother at the time.
“I was starstruck in front of her afterwards.”
The Apple TV+ show highlighted Crawford’s career, as well as that of Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington, who were four of “The Big Six” in the ’90s.
The docuseries details the ups and downs of the women’s careers, including the awkward moment when Oprah Winfrey told Crawford, then 20, to stand up so the audience could look at her body.
Gerber, who bears a striking resemblance to her mother, said watching the show opened her eyes to all the struggles Crawford faced in providing the life she had for her family.
“What she did with her career, there was really no one to follow,” the young model told the outlet. “And I thought it was cool that she always had that ambition and she did things where people told her, ‘This will ruin your career.’ Do not do this.’ And she trusted her instincts.”
Gerber praised her mother for being so “smart, focused and ambitious” from “a very young age” despite “coming from a very different background” than hers.
While Gerber grew up in Malibu, California, with Playboy photographs of her famous mother on her walls, Crawford was raised by “poor” divorced parents and bullied as a teenager.
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However, Gerber noted that she is very aware of her privilege and how her status as a “nepo baby” has fueled her modeling career.
“I don’t think it’s an issue that’s going away, so clearly I’ve reached a point of acceptance,” he said of the controversial term.
“Personally, I am very aware of all the wonderful things it has done for me and I would never say anything negative about it, because that is my truth about it.”
Because of her parents’ knowledge of the industry, she feels fortunate to be able to turn to them for guidance. (Her father is former model and Casamigos co-founder Rande Gerber.)
“I can actually ask my parents for advice on professional and business issues,” he explained.
“It’s very rare to have parents who are in the same industry or career as you, whose advice you can really trust.”
While she may have had help getting her foot in the door, Kaia has paved her way over the years, becoming one of the most sought-after models in the industry.
Like her mother, Kaia’s runway is one of the best in the business and her impressive resume includes the likes of Valentino, Calvin Klein, Burberry, Alexander Wang, Coach, Prada, Chanel, Fendi, Miu Miu, Givenchy and more.