I've had some nightmare interviews with celebrities and models throughout my career. A famous singer once told me, "You have three minutes, make it quick," while snapping her finger. A reality TV star kept me waiting for over an hour, then refused to make eye contact or shake my hand. A major model only spoke to me backstage through her assistant — as though we were playing Telephone.
Kaia Gerber, daughter of Cindy Crawford and the face of Marc Jacobs Beauty, stands in stark contrast. At a Fashion Week party celebrating the makeup brand's new Highliner Matte Gel Eye Crayons, Gerber (along with her entire family) posed for selfies, introduced herself to just about everyone in the packed room, and graciously thanked each of us for coming. She's exactly the kind of model we think deserves the prefix 'super.' Oh, and she's only 15.
Below, she chatted with us about the social media generation, her famous family, and more.
What's the best — and worst — part of having a supermodel for a mom?
"The best part is all the advice she can give me. The worst part is how beautiful she is. I don't even want to be in a photo next to her because she's incredible. She doesn't seem to age, which is not fair." What do you always steal from her bathroom?
"I used to have to steal her Marc Jacobs beauty products because I didn't have any of my own, but now I have a few, so I don't have to do that anymore."
How is your generation redefining the term 'model'?
"I just don't think it's so exclusive now. I kind of think that anyone who has an interest in modeling can pursue it and I think it's an amazing thing that Instagram and all these social media platforms have made it so girls can get themselves out there." How do you hope this new class of models changes the industry?
"I just hope that people see models as not so untouchable and more relatable, since they can see into your everyday life rather than just seeing you on the cover of a magazine in full hair and makeup."
Do you feel a lot of pressure with social media and photo filtering apps and having to be "on" 24/7?
"I mean, I think I'm really careful about what I post, but at the same time, I'm 15 years old. I don't feel pressure to be perfect all the time, because nobody is and I think I almost respect people who show off their imperfections more because you can relate to them. When I see Instagram [posts] that are really perfect, it's hard to respond to that. You want to see more."
Who are you inspired by that's your age?
"I think she's younger than me, but Millie Bobby Brown who plays Eleven in Stranger Things. I think she's the greatest person ever and I want to be her when I grow up even though I'm pretty sure I'm older."
What are your some of your favorite beauty products?
"Ouai is really good for hair; they have really good dry shampoo. I just try to keep my skin bare — I wash it morning and night with whatever. And now, getting into Marc Jacobs, I see how good it really is and I'm so glad I'm working with a brand that I actually support and use every day."
"The best part is all the advice she can give me. The worst part is how beautiful she is. I don't even want to be in a photo next to her because she's incredible. She doesn't seem to age, which is not fair." What do you always steal from her bathroom?
"I used to have to steal her Marc Jacobs beauty products because I didn't have any of my own, but now I have a few, so I don't have to do that anymore."
How is your generation redefining the term 'model'?
"I just don't think it's so exclusive now. I kind of think that anyone who has an interest in modeling can pursue it and I think it's an amazing thing that Instagram and all these social media platforms have made it so girls can get themselves out there." How do you hope this new class of models changes the industry?
"I just hope that people see models as not so untouchable and more relatable, since they can see into your everyday life rather than just seeing you on the cover of a magazine in full hair and makeup."
Do you feel a lot of pressure with social media and photo filtering apps and having to be "on" 24/7?
"I mean, I think I'm really careful about what I post, but at the same time, I'm 15 years old. I don't feel pressure to be perfect all the time, because nobody is and I think I almost respect people who show off their imperfections more because you can relate to them. When I see Instagram [posts] that are really perfect, it's hard to respond to that. You want to see more."
Who are you inspired by that's your age?
"I think she's younger than me, but Millie Bobby Brown who plays Eleven in Stranger Things. I think she's the greatest person ever and I want to be her when I grow up even though I'm pretty sure I'm older."
What are your some of your favorite beauty products?
"Ouai is really good for hair; they have really good dry shampoo. I just try to keep my skin bare — I wash it morning and night with whatever. And now, getting into Marc Jacobs, I see how good it really is and I'm so glad I'm working with a brand that I actually support and use every day."
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT