Kimora Lee Simmons defends her daughter Aoki Lee Simmons’ choice to follow her modeling footsteps while pursuing an Ivy League degree at Harvard.
“It’s absolutely absurd,” Simmons, 47, told People when asked about critics who questioned why Aoki would pursue modeling while attending the prestigious university.
“We wish Aoki the best and she knows it. So whether it’s in front of the camera or behind the scenes… It doesn’t make you more or less a businessman or more or less a college student or a student of the world or more or less than a model. It is important to explore all your passions. “
While Simmons supports her daughter in pursuing a plethora of passions, she was admittedly reluctant when it came to modeling because of her own experience in the industry.
“I love that she is trying to follow in my footsteps. But I also find it annoying, because if I had had some of what they have, I might not have been a model. But I think it’s just looking at different sides of a coin,” she admitted, saying, “Mom, you should be proud.” It’s just ambitious, this is what people want to do too. And I feel like sometimes you don’t want your kids to go through hardship. I guess that’s what any mom would say, right?”
“When I’ve done it and I know it’s hard and I know it’s a little janky. Why would you want to do it? But we love a well-trained clumsy queen. She is an educated, clumsy queen.”
Aoki, 19, recently took to TikTok to address a follower who questioned her career path by asking, “You’re so articulate and clearly educated…how come you chose modeling?”
“Why do I go into a field that doesn’t necessarily require a degree, or a lot of book literacy, when I have a lot of education?” Aoki asked in the video. “One, because I love it. I think we should normalize that you like something. You don’t have to do what you’re good at right away.”
She added that she would like to evolve into a future where smart young women can choose their creative passions without a doubt.
“I would like to change the idea that you can’t be smart and beautiful, or you can’t be smart and enjoy your looks, or you can’t enjoy a creative/beauty/fashion based career,” said they. “One that requires a lot of cleverness. Two, you can be two kinds of people in one person. That’s really who I am.”