Kaia Gerber is speaking candidly about the pressure she has faced over her appearance, including years of being compared with her mother, supermodel Cindy Crawford.
In a Vogue interview published August 11, the 24-year-old model and actress reflected on the intense attention surrounding women’s bodies and shared that she has experienced disordered eating in her own life.
Gerber said the fashion and entertainment industries appear to be going through another period in which extremely thin body types are receiving heightened attention. For her, that conversation has been especially personal because people have long compared her physique with Crawford’s.
Gerber acknowledged that she sometimes envies her mother’s figure, while also describing how difficult it has been to have strangers regularly analyze her own body.
“People have always commented on my body,” Gerber said, explaining that public discussion can be especially difficult when she is not necessarily prepared to discuss her appearance herself.
She also revealed that she has dealt with disordered eating and pushed back against the idea that harsh criticism can motivate someone to recover. Gerber said negative remarks about a person’s appearance can make an already sensitive situation even more painful.
“Negativity has never saved someone’s life,” she said.
Despite the comparisons, Gerber has repeatedly spoken warmly about Crawford, 60. In a separate interview with Yahoo Entertainment, she said she considers it an honor when people tell her she resembles her mother.
Gerber described Crawford as beautiful “inside and out” and said any resemblance between them feels like a major compliment, even though she personally does not believe they look as similar as many people suggest.
The Vogue interview also touched on Gerber’s personal life and her relationship with actor Lewis Pullman. According to the profile, Gerber characterized the relationship as the healthiest and most mature one she has experienced.
She also discussed the difficulty of having romantic relationships publicly analyzed from a young age. Gerber said she has faced labels she considers misogynistic and explained that she now places greater importance on maintaining her own identity regardless of whom she is dating.
For Gerber, that sense of consistency appears to be especially meaningful. She said her goal is to remain the same person across her romantic relationships, friendships and professional life rather than changing herself depending on the situation.
Her comments offer a broader look at the pressures that can come with growing up in the public eye — particularly when appearance, family comparisons and relationships become subjects of constant outside commentary.
Gerber’s message about body image is especially clear: criticism about someone’s appearance should not be mistaken for concern, particularly when that person may already be struggling privately.
