Ireland Baldwin is profiled in the new issue of Vanity Fair, and that ^^ is one of Patrick Demarchelier’s VF photos. She doesn’t have much to say in the VF profile, of course, seeing as how she’s a 17-year-old tall, blonde beauty and daughter of two famous actors and seriously, how terrible is that life? But whether or not she has something to say is not really important. What’s important is that she’s beautiful and she’s going to have a pretty amazing modeling career, and the hype about Ireland as a “name” is already happening. She’s the new Kate Upton!! There, I said it. Ireland also got a profile/interview in People Magazine too, of course:

When Ireland Basinger Baldwin signed her first professional modeling contract in March, the 17-year-old daughter of Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger had high hopes.

Not only does she aspire to some day grace the cover of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue or pose for Victoria’s Secret, but “I want to be an inspirational model,” says the 6’2″ teen. “I want people to look at me and say, ‘Wow, she looks healthy.’ ”

But since announcing her new career with IMG – the same agency behind Gisele Bündchen and Kate Moss – she not only has experienced the encouragement of fans, she’s also heard her fair share of snark on the Internet.

“I have received nasty e-mails, messages on Twitter and ridiculous comments not only about my size but my family,” Ireland tells PEOPLE. She reached a breaking point in April and posted an open letter on Tumblr saying, “I understand that I am not a size .008. What I don’t fully understand is, what is the good in commenting on a photo of a 17-year-old girl calling her fat, ugly, etc?”

Of the backlash, Ireland admits, “I didn’t expect it. It was really surprising to see how negative people can be towards someone they don’t even know.”

Ireland is no stranger to negative attention. After Basinger, 59, and Baldwin, 55, ended their eight-year marriage in ’02, a toxic custody battle ensued, culminating in 2007 when Baldwin left a scathing voicemail for Ireland, then 11, calling her a “rude, thoughtless little pig” for missing a phone date. He immediately apologized, saying, “I have been driven to the edge by parental alienation.”

For Ireland, the ordeal was “blown out of proportion,” she says. “People make it out to be so dramatic. My dad and I are very tight-knit, despite what people may think.” As for the tension between Baldwin and Basinger, “my parents always manage to work things out,” says Ireland. In fact “my parents can have each other over for Thanksgiving just to make me happy. The co-parenting is intact.”

Soon, however, Ireland will have to share Dad’s attention: He and his wife, Hilaria, 29, are expecting a baby girl this summer. “I have always wanted a sibling! I’m so excited to meet my sister. I want her to know that I’m here for her whenever she needs,” says Ireland. “I love Hilaria. She saved my dad, getting him in amazing shape. And she brought him out of a bad place of being lonely.”

[From People]

She comes across as surprisingly grounded yet again. I have to take back what I said about how not-terrible her life has been. I tend to forget that Alec Baldwin is such a rage-monster and that Ireland probably learned at an early age that she had to be the “adult” in her relationship with her rage-monster father. As for her desire to be an “inspirational model”… sure. She does look healthy. She also looks like someone who won the genetic lottery, so she can’t take all the credit for that.

Here are some assorted photos from Ireland’s Instagram – this girl is obsessed with her Instagram! Ah, teenagers.

Photos courtesy of Ireland’s Instagram and Vanity Fair.