Kaia Gerber shares mom’s career advice: ‘be on time, be kind to everyone’

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We should all probably get used to seeing the name Kaia Gerber in the headlines. It seems the media and modeling word is fairly set on promoting her as the next Cindy Crawford, which isn’t a huge leap considering that’s her mom. We’ve talked about Kaia’s debuts on several runways during the various Fashion Weeks. Now she’s the face of Hudson Jeans spring/summer 2018 campaign. Keep in mind, Kaia just turned 16 and got her driver’s license. However, she is taking her modeling seriously and that includes taking advice from dear, ol’ mom. Fortunately for Kaia, it’s pretty solid advice.

Cindy Crawford had her iconic denim moment with that 1992 Pepsi commercial. Now, Kaia Gerber is making her own.

Crawford’s 16-year-old daughter fronts Hudson Jeans’ spring/summer 2018 campaign—Kaia’s first denim-centric modeling gig. At a preview of the collection, E! News caught up the It Girl to find out what words of wisdom veteran models like Kendall Jenner and even her mom have given her.

Cindy has passed along advice that would work even if Kaia ended her career in the spotlight.

“She gives me advice for life more than modeling, like ‘Be on time,’ which is really important in the industry we’re both in,” the model said of her mom. “And to be kind to everyone. Everyone that I’ve worked with says she’s the most professional person that they work with, so I could only hope that they say the something about me.”


[From E! News]

Sorry, but it made me laugh when they wrote about Kaia seeking counsel from her seasoned and sage mentor, 21-year-old Kendall Jenner. I recognize Kendall has been in the spotlight for a while but it still made me snort. As for advice, Cindy’s is spot on – for any industry. I might add the caveat to be as kind as you can be without being walked over but I understand kindness might not be as prevalent in the modeling world. I can’t co-sign the being on time part enough. Nothing stresses me out more than being late. Okay, possibly the thought of being eaten by a one-legged Sasquatch with halitosis stresses me out more, but being late is right up there. So, other than adding, “maybe finish school first,” I can’t find fault in this advice. Apparently, the only thing they can swap is advice, though. Kaia said her mom and she are different sizes so she can’t raid mom’s closet; something she said was “heartbreaking” when it came to missing out on Cindy’s shoes. My mother and I both remember the day I finally slipped into her Ferragamos but with profoundly different emotions. I still wear a pair of her boots she been asking me to return for 20 years.

Kaia has certainly taken the modeling world by storm. She’s been nominated for Model of the Year by Britain’s Fashion awards along with Adwoa Aboah, Winnie Harlow and the Hadid sisters. Plus, in addition to the Hudson contract, she just shot an ad for Marc Jacob’s Daisy perfume. So, I guess she can buy her own shoes.

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Photo credit: WENN Photos

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57 Responses to “Kaia Gerber shares mom’s career advice: ‘be on time, be kind to everyone’”

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  1. slowsnow says:

    Not gonna comment on the weight loss, not gonna comment, not gonna….

    Aaaahhh why does she look so unhappy and malnourished? There I said it. Phew.

    And, I’m re-reading the Grace Jones post again. See ya!

    • Blaire Carter says:

      Pretty much every comment on her Insta is about her weight loss…kids see it and it’s like, sad.

    • shlockOftheNEw says:

      Ah. Ah. Ah. How could any parent let a growing child go without proper caloric intake> How? See. I couldn’t hold back either.

  2. Esmom says:

    It is good advice, seems like common sense and common courtesy but sadly too many people don’t abide by those very simple rules. My younger son is her age and he worked at his first decidedly less glamorous or high paying job this summer. He was frustrated with the manager, and although her issues were pretty typical, I had to keep reminding him not to let small grievances affect his attitude and performance and to be kind to everyone. No one wants to remembered as a complainer and he needed to hear it to keep himself in check, I think.

    From what little I know of her I like Kaia, she seems to be pretty grounded for that world. Wishing her well.

  3. Jessica says:

    I’ll be interested in her once she fills out a bit; by 19 she could really be something.

  4. Lynnie says:

    She doesn’t have IT. Whether that’s because she’s super young or she just genuinely lacks that sparkle has yet to be seen, but honestly she should be allowed to focus on just being a kid.

    If she wins model of the year I’ll laugh my head off. She looks like she’s playing dress up in all those clothes.

    • slowsnow says:

      I read that she is lined up for an award… I hope it’s a newbie award…
      Yes, she should be focusing on making herself become a good and informed (cultured, dare I say it?) citizen and not a doll (with all due respect to models).

      However I cannot agree with you on the it thing. Let her be, not every model is an it girl. It’s a bit much to keep comparing her to her mum, who is now protected by the gloss of history and myth btw. That’s why these people develop these woe is me personalities where on the one side everything is given to them on a platter, and on the other the expectations are always a bit too high to attain. She is human after all, and, as a you say, a kid.

      • Dontgiveuptheship says:

        Yes, let’s remember this is a 16-year-old child. Clothes this sophisticated and sexy should look sort of weird on her. Not many people have natural carrying grace as children. Let’s give her a break!

      • Lynnie says:

        @Dontgiveuptheship

        My awards comment is more so ridiculing the award givers themselves and inability to resist common sense (the fact that she’s super young and in all likeliness doesn’t need false praise) in favor of nepotism and clicks.

    • Tiffany says:

      YES !!!! That is it, she looks like she is playing dress up with her mother’s clothing.

      Also, she is a dead ringer for her father with her mother’s eyebrows.

    • Amide says:

      @slowslow
      But she is also in a profession where ‘it’, be it – looks, charisma, je ne sais quoi – is the currency. She can’t willingly enter this wholly superficial world and her fans say “Don’t comment on that. She’s just a kid”.😞

      • slowsnow says:

        @Amide most of the models you see in mags and on the catwalk are not it girls, they’re just walking hangers that make the clothes look good and only people who follow fashion up close know their names.

        However, being the daughter of who she is, you’re right, people will want to turn her into Cindy, which is a parenting problem on Cindy C.’s part, who should have foreseen this.

        Moreover, it is truly disturbing to see children selling make-up and clothes to grown-ass women. I am so troubled by that. It should be banned honestly.

      • Lynnie says:

        Thank you Amide for articulating what I meant by having IT, and why it’s necessary if you want to be a SUPERmodel vs. just being a model.

        @slowsnow Personally, I also think the push towards her being an IT girl is coming from family (i.e mom) just as much as it is from the public. I find it hard to believe that she’s landing some of these more higher profile gigs just based on actual talent. The whole thing is an unfortunate mess honestly.

      • slowsnow says:

        @Lynnie, Yes, I sense the same thing. She seems like a happy and childlike kid when she is with her family and really awkward when she is modelling (+ the awful weight loss). There seems to be some serioulsy vicarious projection here.

      • Maren says:

        Why is a 16 year old walking down a runway anyway, many scantily clad. If these girls wore clothes like some they wear in a movie nowadays, the director would be arrested for child abuse.
        There should be an age limit on all of this. I grew up in an age where Brooke Shields and Jodie Foster were cast in incredibly inappropriate roles, and no one cared. The modeling industry still gets a pass on this.

    • menutia says:

      I disagree. I think she’s gorgeous and captivating and does have IT. but I truly am concerned about the weight loss (future osteoporosis), and wondering why it’s ignored in articles here and in questions to her mother.

    • Milla says:

      She is not suoer young for a model. Super exposed, yes. But supermodels were already working at that age. Kate and Naomi were 14. It’s wrong on so many levels but that’s fashion world. And she is just a pretty girl with nothing besides that. She’s short and has zero transformations. She really is new Kendull.

  5. HH says:

    I try to be on time and it’s important for me to be respectful of others’ time, but I can’t deal with those people who FREAK OUT if they or you are late. It’s too much.

    • Whoopsy Daisy says:

      I find it to be a very cultural issue. In the west it seems to be very offensive to be late, but in other cultures people are much more relaxed about it.

  6. Va Va Kaboom says:

    Here’s my problem with Kaia Gerber, on her own she’s quite lovely and I don’t begrudge her commercial modeling contracts. But she IS NOT her mother’s successor.

    They keep trying to portray her as Cindy Crawford’s modeling heir… and she quite simply doesn’t fit that bill. Cindy was and still is undeniably sexy. I don’t care the campaign, your eye goes straight to Cindy.

    Kaia is cute, beautiful even, but nothing about her looks or personality draws my eye. At 51 years old and in a random photo my eye goes immediately to Cindy. Maybe Kaia will grow into it, but at the moment she’s as basic as a model gets.

    • Shijel says:

      I think it’s a good thing that a 16-year-old does not live up to her legendary mother’s sex appeal, don’t you? And I won’t fault a 16-year-old for lacking an adult’s charisma and personality.

      With a good work ethic, humility, carefulness and luck she absolutely has potential to channel the 90s supermodel. Not high fashion – too classically pretty. But let’s wait until she’s a grown-up to criticise her for failing to live up to what skeeves try to brand her as.

      • Va Va Kaboom says:

        I agree it’s a good thing a 16yr old isn’t considered sexy. However, it also means the fashion houses and modeling agents need to stop trying to market her as such. That’s what I find disturbing. This girl looks like an innocent 14yr old and they are trying to make her a sexpot. Not only are they failing, but it’s creepy since Kaia is not sexy (and thank God for that).

        Let Kaia be herself and let her modeling career flourish on its own without any influence from her mother’s career. But that isn’t happening because it’s more lucrative to use her as the “Cindy; sexy supermodel” of this generation.

      • Dontgiveuptheship says:

        @ shijel +1,000

  7. jugil1 says:

    Yes this is nepotism plain & simple. I mean she’s looks like a lovely young woman but her modeling career is due to her mom’s name & connections.

  8. HadleyB says:

    She seems to be a lovely girl but ..as a model I find her so ..bland and boring. There is no spark, no “wow”… when I looked at Cindy in the 90’s it was exciting, I could look at her pics all day.

  9. SpareRib says:

    It will never not amaze me that the fashion world insists on selling grown woman expensive clothing/perfume/accessories with 16 year olds.

  10. Moonie says:

    CAn you spell NEPOTISM? It doesnt matter if she is cute or likable or whatever. This is nepotism and that is a huge turn off.

  11. Sarah says:

    Does anyone else think she looks like Rachel Bilson more than Cindy?

  12. AnotherDirtyMartini says:

    She does resemble Cindy, but I think she mostly resembles Rande Gerber.

  13. serena says:

    Honestly, I don’t see anything special in her. She looks younger than her age, but other than that.. model of the year? Really? Are they giving out these awards at the supermarket or what?

  14. Jenna says:

    She is bland

  15. gatorbait says:

    I wish I could remember the quote from the book Model. In the chapter on Cindy C. she made a point to say she wasn’t someone’s daughter and had worked her way to her own success. Interesting to see that she doesn’t mind pushing her daughter on us. I like Cindy fine but this particular story line is exhausting.

    • Sophia's Side eye says:

      Cindy has been trying to push this girl as a model since she was a child. It’s disturbing and always has been.

      • magnoliarose says:

        I don’t like this. I am beginning to have a visceral reaction when I see Kaia. Her eyes look flat and sad. She is a slender girl and looked better at her natural weight especially her face and skin. She is short-waisted, and I can relate but there is a line that should not be crossed, or the legs look like long bony sticks.
        She will never last like this, and if it is not addressed immediately, she will teeter over into a full-blown ED. She is at that age and what concerns me is how much joy her mother is getting out of her success.
        Cindy became overexposed during her career before the internet and it looks like she is in danger of doing it again.
        After fashion week Kaia should have been at home resting and being a teenager.

      • Sophia's Side eye says:

        I completely agree with you, magnolia, she has lost so much weight so suddenly. I feel bad for this girl, I feel like her mother has a always planned to live vicariously through her. I get Kris Jenner vibes from Cindy.

  16. Kate says:

    I guess because she is a model, people think it’s okay to critique her looks and charisma. But let’s remember she also is a human being and a teenager at that. Yes, the modeling industry in general is gross to use minors (with unrealistic body types) to sell adult apparel but let’s not fault or criticize Kaia for conforming to the industry to which both her parents belong and for which she and her brother have been groomed. All the comments saying she is bland or doesn’t have IT or that she isn’t her mom are rubbing me the wrong way. She seems like a nice young person and until she says or does something that requires being called out for I vote to exercise kindness towards her.

    • Maren says:

      She is in an industry that judges you on one thing: your looks. If she were a student, scholar, even an actress, then I would agree that the critiques of her looks would be inappropriate. But all she is selling is her look. So it is fair to critique it. I can’t see any reason it isn’t.

      • Polka Dot says:

        +1. It doesn’t matter how old she is, fashion is a harsh industry and models (kids, teenagers, 20 something more established girls) are criticized constantly about their looks, often very rudely, it’s just part of the job.
        Aspiring models get better used to criticism, not take it personally, dissociate their looks from their self worth, and consider modelling like a job, not a way to get praised / their ego boosted.
        That’s why it’s wiser to start modeling when you’re not too young, and mature enough to handle the business.

  17. Tim H says:

    I’m pretty sure I’ve seen at least 10 girls who looked exactly like her just walking down the street on any given day. I wouldn’t comment about this if she weren’t going into the modelling business, but unfortunately all of the commenters who said she was too plain, doesn’t have “it” etc were absolutely correct. She is acceptable, normal looking, cute-ish but not at all eye-catching like the typical model. She would fail to stand out in a crowd and I don’t think she would ever have been in the spotlight if it weren’t for the Cindy connection.

  18. What's Inside says:

    Modeling is a tough business and she is going to need every ounce of help she can get….it helps that Mom is a super model.

  19. Tippet says:

    I honestly don’t even think she’s pretty, and certainly not model material. Eyes way too close together. If it weren’t for her mother, this girl wouldn’t even make it into the Sears catalog.

    • Betsy says:

      She’s 16. That seems a bit excessive.

      • emilybyrd says:

        Yes, but she’s entered the fashion industry now as a professional model who’s selling clothes by using her looks. It’s totally fine to critique her appearance. If she were, say, a 16-year-old writer who’s out promoting her book, then it would seem cruel and excessive to judge her appearance.

      • Sophia's Side eye says:

        Why do people keep bringing up her age, she’s trying to be a model. Modeling is all and only about looks. Also as far as her age goes maybe her mom should worry about that since she’s the one whose been pushing her daughter into the scene since forever? People are allowed to have opinins about models looks. We don’t even know how old the people commenting are either.

  20. Betsy says:

    She’s a lovely girl, but she’s just a girl. I can’t think any good can come of starting adult modeling at that age.

  21. lucy2 says:

    Be on time is very good advice. As is “be kind” but I hope Cindy also has instilled in her the confidence to stand up for herself and be careful, even if it’s at the expense of being “nice”.
    Hopefully she’s not doing this full time and is still going to school, but somehow I doubt it.

  22. Velvet Elvis says:

    She’s pretty enough I guess but honestly, I see more beautiful and charismatic women (model material) at the University here every day but the difference is that none of them have Cindy Crawford for their mother. I really feel like Kaia has enough of a resemblance to her mom that the industry feels like they can make her into a miniature Cindy.

  23. magnoliarose says:

    There doesn’t seem to be a healthy balance between being a teenager and a model. Her mental and emotional health is more important than any modeling career. Cindy has always been a type A personality but maybe her daughter is just a free-spirited, sweet-natured girl and not a mini Cindy but unfortunately, it seems that is the whole point.
    I don’t know, but this could go very wrong.

  24. Rachel says:

    She has a small head, and a thick neck…..weird. If her mom wasn’t Cindy Crawford she would have 0 chance of a big career in modelling…… just like Kendall Jenner, Hailey Baldwin, Sophie Richie ect.

  25. Nancypants says:

    This is what my mom told me, “If you’re going to be a woman working in a man’s world, you’ll have to work twice as hard to get half the credit.” and she was right.