Kimora Lee Simmons and Aoki Lee Simmons
Amy Sussman/Getty ImagesKimora Lee Simmons‘daughter Aoki Lee Simmons she is thinking of giving up her modeling career.
“You go somewhere and you’re told over and over again, ‘No, no, you’re not good enough,'” Aoki, 22, said during a recent Instagram Live video, screen-recorded by the LiveBitez account. “I think I’ll probably stop modeling soon.”
He added, “I’m like getting a job in the field of my degree, but you know, while I’m here, I have to do my best. … I hope it doesn’t sound funny.”
According to Aoki, he felt depressed going to the castings his mother “kept getting” when he ended up getting rejected.
“It feels like one big, fat comparison all the time,” she said. “I get that my mother will always be a better model than me, but it’s annoying to have this comparison sometimes. People are like, ‘It would be great to go to a play that your mom acted in.’ And I’m like, [nodding]’No, it’s not. It’s too bad because if you don’t get it, it sounds even more like, [upsetting].’”
He concluded, “But, since I’m here, I’ll do my best!”
If Aoki were to leave modeling, she has a backup plan to work in government. (Aoki is set to graduate from Harvard University in 2023.)
Aoki is one of the daughters of Kimora, 49, and her ex-husband Russell Simmonswho also shares a 24-year-old daughter Ming. (Kimora, in addition, shares son Kenzo, 14, with ex Djimon Hounsou and son Wolfe, 8, and ex Tim Leissner. She also had a son, Gary, who turned 10 in 2020.)
From the runway to the playhouse, many famous supermodels have learned to balance their careers with raising young children at home. Gigi Hadid became a mother in September 2020 when she and partner Zayn Malik welcomed their daughter, Khai. (Hadid and Malik dated on and off in 2015 before splitting for good […]
Aoki told before Us Weekly what it was like to follow in the footsteps of her fashionable mother.
“My mother was trying to train me when I was walking on the runway [my first] Sergio Hudson show,” Aoki only said Us in April. “I passed and he shouted, ‘SHOULDER!’ Since I started my career, my mother has given me a lot of useful advice, but I also appreciate the amount of space she has given me to make my own way. It allows me to see it.”
At that time, he continued, “I am happy to have the opportunity to work as a full-time model. I love being surrounded by so many smart people, and having the opportunity to participate on this level is not something I take lightly. There’s a lot to learn in this business, so I’m always flexible and excited to be surprised by what’s next.”