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Fashion? It’s nepo-fabulous
Life as a ‘nepo baby’ – a child of a celebrity whose success in a similar career is likely down to their family connections – isn’t what it used to be. This path, normally paved with riches, became more nuanced to walk in 2023, as this year’s fashion industry certainly proved.
When Apple Martin – the 19-year-old daughter of Gwyneth Paltrow and singer Chris Martin – modelled for Chanel at Paris Fashion Week back in January, rather than admiration among her peers on Tiktok, it drew anger, with thousands voicing their dislike of her nepo-baby privileges.
In Apple’s defence, her mother recently called nepo baby an ‘ugly moniker’. ‘She’s really just a student, and she wants to be a kid and be at school and learn,’ GP said, adding, ‘There’s nothing wrong with doing what your parents do. Nobody rips on a kid who’s like, “I want to be a doctor like my dad and grandad”.’
The difference between now and when Gwyneth was a nepo baby – both her parents were Hollywood royalty – is that there was no social media, and no online public court like today’s quick-to-judge world.
This month, model Kaia Gerber, 22 – whose mum is supermodel Cindy Crawford – appeared in an online campaign for Zara and celebrity hairstylist Guido Palau. In it, she and Palau chat about his new shimmery hair products for the fashion brand and both recall that he’s done Kaia’s hair since she was 12. He, predictably, goes on to mention Cindy and reveals that, to set herself apart from her mum, Kaia has cultivated a sleeker hairstyle. ‘Yes, now that I have grown up, and I’m my own person,’ she says, adding, ‘I know I have the same type of hair as my mum. She likes to say I have her old hair.’
In a further attempt to be her own person, Kaia, a muse for Celine, rarely posts photos of her with her mother for her ten million Instagram followers. However, with lots of shots of them together on her proud mum’s account, especially their joint fashion campaigns and a Vogue article this month, which counts all the times over the years they’ve dressed ‘like twins’, being your own person when you have a famous parent is clearly a challenge.
While it’s hard to feel sorry for someone who has gained easier access to a competitive industry, everyone should be able to pursue the career they want without being judged. After all, if you’re good, you have the right to be taken seriously.
Nepo babies are increasingly part of our world and it’ll be fascinating to see 2024’s other social trends.