Oh to Be a Nepotism Baby
By Hadyn Phillips
The world of stardom is incredibly exclusive. Not only is this world full of delicate, complicated support systems, but the speed with which industries like music, film and fashion change internally is so fast that one’s head might spin off. This makes breaking in extremely difficult, and navigation is nearly impossible once you have a foot in the door.
But some lucky people are born into the industry with golden tickets in hand and an entire arm and leg through the door — entrée nepotism babies.
Nepotism models, specifically. Bella and Gigi Hadid, Kaia Gerber, Lila Moss and Leni Klum are just a few that have been able to cut lines in the grueling industry of fashion, which has only seemed to increase public obsession. However, within the industry, models who’ve “made it” in other ways have shared frustrations of competing against their nepotism baby peers.
The extremely low-barrier of entry, made only available to those who are genetically lucky, is evident when they’re able to debut their careers with collections that would often be difficult for any seasoned model to even book. For example:
Kaia Gerber, daughter of Cindy Crawford: Calvin Klein SS18, by Raf Simon (current creative director of Prada)
Leni Klum, daughter of Heidi Klum: Vogue Germany spread with mother, Heidi, Jan/Feb 21 edition
Kendall Jenner, Kardashian: Sherri Hill Sept 2012, high fashion: Marc Jacobs FW14
Bella Hadid, daughter of Yolanda Hadid: Desigual Spring 2015, high fashion: Tom Ford FW15
Gigi Hadid, daughter of Yolanda Hadid: Desigual Fall 2014, high fashion: Jeremy Scott Fall 2014
For models who don’t have the luxury of a surname to get them booked quickly, they have had to make names for themselves. Gisele Bundchen, was rejected from Alexander McQueen, her big runway debut, 42 times before being cast. Precious Lee has modeled for 13 years, but only recently has she started gaining recognition after being the first plus-size model to walk for Versace in their SS21 collection.
Those who commit to modeling full-time (or even part-time) often go through years of hardship and on-and-off work to even book a major show — not including the tremendous amount of physical and mental strain many models have opened up about. Bridget Malcolm came forward about being fired from Victoria's Secret after gaining half an inch on her hip, going up a cup size, suffering from an eating disorder and frequent panic attacks. Ashley Graham opened up in her 2017 memoir about a choice she was presented with: restrict her eating to be a ‘normal’ model or force herself to increase her measurements to be a ‘plus size’ model.
Aside from the taxing physical and mental strain, modeling is not a financially sustainable field for most. With the average salary ranging from $24,970 - $124,730, even if a model is consistently being booked, it still doesn’t come close to the salaries of their nepotism baby peers. Jenner made $22.5 million in 2018, nabbing the title of “world’s highest-paid supermodel” in Forbes; the handful of non-nepo models who experience this level of consistent, comfortable and luxurious pay are those who have been in the industry for years and have paid their dues – people like Adut Akech, Sora Choi and Candice Swanepoel.
And while we understand that these nepo-babies get “free” passes, social media still idolizes them. They notoriously deny any cosmetic surgeries, refute any argument that their name gets them the job, and major publications, and therefore us fashion-hungry consumers, are left referring to them as “Queen Bella” or “Supermodel Kendall.”
It is difficult to gauge whether or not these nepo-babies would have gotten to their current status without their familial connections. Nonetheless, Gerber’s career debut was powerful and demanding, both the Hadids have shown drastic improvements, and Moss has been promising as of late, proving that their work should be respected.
Even if each nepo-baby proves themselves, it's time for the nepotistic tendencies of the industry to strut away. Staying within a family may guarantee the extension of a relationship and loyalty, much like colleges and legacy admittance, but sometimes a fresh face is all the industry needs to change for the better. So, take a chance on the new kids on the block – anyone can make history.
But some lucky people are born into the industry with golden tickets in hand and an entire arm and leg through the door — entrée nepotism babies.
Nepotism models, specifically. Bella and Gigi Hadid, Kaia Gerber, Lila Moss and Leni Klum are just a few that have been able to cut lines in the grueling industry of fashion, which has only seemed to increase public obsession. However, within the industry, models who’ve “made it” in other ways have shared frustrations of competing against their nepotism baby peers.
The extremely low-barrier of entry, made only available to those who are genetically lucky, is evident when they’re able to debut their careers with collections that would often be difficult for any seasoned model to even book. For example:
Kaia Gerber, daughter of Cindy Crawford: Calvin Klein SS18, by Raf Simon (current creative director of Prada)
Leni Klum, daughter of Heidi Klum: Vogue Germany spread with mother, Heidi, Jan/Feb 21 edition
Kendall Jenner, Kardashian: Sherri Hill Sept 2012, high fashion: Marc Jacobs FW14
Bella Hadid, daughter of Yolanda Hadid: Desigual Spring 2015, high fashion: Tom Ford FW15
Gigi Hadid, daughter of Yolanda Hadid: Desigual Fall 2014, high fashion: Jeremy Scott Fall 2014
For models who don’t have the luxury of a surname to get them booked quickly, they have had to make names for themselves. Gisele Bundchen, was rejected from Alexander McQueen, her big runway debut, 42 times before being cast. Precious Lee has modeled for 13 years, but only recently has she started gaining recognition after being the first plus-size model to walk for Versace in their SS21 collection.
Those who commit to modeling full-time (or even part-time) often go through years of hardship and on-and-off work to even book a major show — not including the tremendous amount of physical and mental strain many models have opened up about. Bridget Malcolm came forward about being fired from Victoria's Secret after gaining half an inch on her hip, going up a cup size, suffering from an eating disorder and frequent panic attacks. Ashley Graham opened up in her 2017 memoir about a choice she was presented with: restrict her eating to be a ‘normal’ model or force herself to increase her measurements to be a ‘plus size’ model.
Aside from the taxing physical and mental strain, modeling is not a financially sustainable field for most. With the average salary ranging from $24,970 - $124,730, even if a model is consistently being booked, it still doesn’t come close to the salaries of their nepotism baby peers. Jenner made $22.5 million in 2018, nabbing the title of “world’s highest-paid supermodel” in Forbes; the handful of non-nepo models who experience this level of consistent, comfortable and luxurious pay are those who have been in the industry for years and have paid their dues – people like Adut Akech, Sora Choi and Candice Swanepoel.
And while we understand that these nepo-babies get “free” passes, social media still idolizes them. They notoriously deny any cosmetic surgeries, refute any argument that their name gets them the job, and major publications, and therefore us fashion-hungry consumers, are left referring to them as “Queen Bella” or “Supermodel Kendall.”
It is difficult to gauge whether or not these nepo-babies would have gotten to their current status without their familial connections. Nonetheless, Gerber’s career debut was powerful and demanding, both the Hadids have shown drastic improvements, and Moss has been promising as of late, proving that their work should be respected.
Even if each nepo-baby proves themselves, it's time for the nepotistic tendencies of the industry to strut away. Staying within a family may guarantee the extension of a relationship and loyalty, much like colleges and legacy admittance, but sometimes a fresh face is all the industry needs to change for the better. So, take a chance on the new kids on the block – anyone can make history.