Nepotism in The Fashion and Modelling Industry
Kaia Gerber, Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, and Lily-Rose Depp all have one thing in common: their parents are famous individuals in the entertainment industry. Whether it is acting, singing, modelling or sports, these young women have benefitted off their parents’ fame, wealth and success. And what pray tell is the most common career choice for celebrity offspring? Modelling. To be fair, no one can deny the allure and glamour of a beautiful model strutting down the runway. Neither can the women I mentioned before which results in a phenomenon called nepotism. The practice of favouring relatives among those with power and influence, especially regarding job opportunities.
Have you ever wondered how certain contemporary ‘supermodels’ have risen to such fame and success? How they have managed to land several campaigns and magazine covers yearly and walk down multiple runways every season? The answer is simple: the privilege of knowing industry experts from an early age on and the endless wealth provided by their families is what brought them so far, or at least to the starting point of their careers.
Initially, I did not want to name names in this article, but I believe it is rather apparent which models I am talking about. The Hollywood children of the X to Z generation are the models who are currently on every front page of every news outlet. They sell campaigns, walk the major fashion shows and wine and dine with the most important designers and photographers. Lily-Rose Depp, daughter of actor Johnny Depp and singer/model Vanessa Paradis, is basically Karl Lagerfeld’s adoptive child seeing how many Chanel shows and beauty campaigns she is featured in. This stems from a long friendly relationship between Lagerfeld and Paradis which was passed on to the next generation.
Further, Gigi Hadid and her younger sister Bella, daughters of celebrity realtor Mohamed Hadid and Reality TV star Yolanda Hadid, have taken the fashion industry by storm in the last three to four years. Walking several major shows every season and starring in campaigns of Dior and Max Mara, the sisters are on top of their game. They were supported by their parents’ long-standing relations to media and fashion experts, thus facilitating their rise to recognition and fame.
Moreover, Kendall Jenner, daughter of athlete Caitlyn Jenner and media goddess Kris Jenner, never failed to take over magazine covers and runway shows in the years she has been active. From starring in her family’s reality TV show “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” from an early age on to befriending designers and creative directors such as Olivier Rousteing and Alexander Wang. This young woman has also been part of many scandals, most of them stemming from her arrogant and condescending attitude. While she has apologised on her part and voiced her admiration for her fellow colleagues, many low-profile models and stylists have continuously commented on her bad attitude and unrecognised privilege behind the scenes.
Lastly, 17-year old Kaia Gerber comes from a slightly different background being the daughter of all time supermodel Cindy Crawford. Besides Kaia’s face and long legs being a splitting image to her mother’s, her work ethic is just as ambitious and dedicated. Being the youngest of the models as mentioned above she has probably walked the most shows in the past two years. While her mother being Cindy Crawford does not lessen her contribution to nepotism one must acknowledge her modest approach to the media and her lack of scandals circling around her privileged upbringing.
To clarify, I do not want to slander or diminish any of the before mentioned models’ hard work and dedication which they do exercise. Although having a more comfortable start to their career the number of shows some of those models do and the hours they spend travelling away from their homes can be exhausting and demanding. I can acknowledge good work some of these girls deliver in the form of a strong walk, a capturing editorial or a convincing beauty campaign which justifies their status.
However, what I cannot appreciate is a lazy editorial showing the same bland facial expression and a stiff and monotonous runway walk. Many low-profile models work till they bleed, give every last penny to at least get a few shows in a season, and maybe even a magazine cover a year and still do not get recognised, while those so-called “supermodels” do the bare minimum and get famed and respected. The anger and frustration some other models feel are completely justified in this case. Even I, as an outsider of the modelling industry, realise how unfair nepotism can be and how much media attention it takes away from models with real talent and ambition who might never get the recognition they deserve.
cc: Letizia Consiglio, 06/01/2019
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