Kimora Lee Simmons is pleased that her daughter Aoki pursued her vocation.
On Thursday, the mother of five, 47, said it’s “completely ludicrous” that people chastised the 20-year-old Harvard student for wanting to model despite her Ivy League education.
“I like how she’s attempting to follow in my footsteps. But I also believe it’s a hardship because if I had some of what they had, I might not have become a model. But I believe it’s just looking at multiple sides of a coin,” Kimora revealed that during the Back to School Giveaway event, which she organized in cooperation with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Baby Phat, Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, and Crayola.
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‘Mom, you should be proud,‘ she adds. It’s aspirational in that this is what people desire to do as well. And I get the impression that you don’t want your children to confront adversity. That’s what any mother would say, right?”
She continued, “If I’ve done it, I know it’s difficult and a little janky. What makes you want to do it? But we adore a well-educated clumsy queen. She is a well-educated but awkward queen.”
The fashion magnate, model, and entrepreneur is proud of her daughter, who is juggling school and modeling.
“We wish Aoki the best, and she is aware of this. So it doesn’t matter if it’s in front of the camera or behind the scenes. And I believe she has witnessed this with her mother “She elaborated. “It doesn’t make you a better or worse businessperson, a better or worse student, a better or worse world learner, or a better or worse model. It is critical to pursue all of your interests.”
Earlier this month, Aoki responded to criticism about her modeling career while attending Harvard.
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An admirer commented on one of her videos on TikTok, asking, “You’re so articulate and obviously educated.. how come u picked modeling?” Aoki took issue with the suggestion that one cannot be both college-educated and a model and responded with a video.
“Well, for one thing, models aren’t dumb or illiterate, but two, I think what you’re really getting at is, ‘Why am I going into a job that doesn’t necessarily require a degree or a lot of book smarts when I have a lot of education?'” Aoki stated.
“Well, one, because I enjoy it, and I believe that liking something should be normalized,” she concluded. “You don’t have to do what you’re naturally good at right away.”
Aoki, who made her runway debut last year for Pyer Moss Paris Couture and has modeled for her family’s Baby Phat line and Just Fab, went on to say that she played volleyball as a child since she was tall and naturally adept at it. That didn’t mean she intended to do it for the rest of her life.
“You may be good at something and not want to do it forever, and you can be horrible at something and still pursue it,” she explained in a TikTok video.
“I truly want us to get to a point where young ladies aren’t asked this issue. For example, not being asked, ‘Why did you pursue your more creative desire despite your intelligence?'” Aoki continued in her video, encouraging her followers to pursue their passions.
“I’d like to dispel the myth that you can’t be clever and pretty, or that you can’t be smart and appreciate your looks, or that you can’t have a creative, beauty- fashion-based profession. In one individual, you might be two different people.”
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