Kaia Gerber opens up about disordered eating, body image pressure, dating criticism and why she embraces the “nepo baby” label.
Kaia Gerber is speaking openly about the pressures of growing up in the spotlight, revealing that she has struggled with disordered eating while also facing years of scrutiny over her appearance, career and dating life.
The 24-year-old actress and model, who is the daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford, discussed her experiences with fame in a new Vogue cover story alongside her The Shards co-star Homer Gere.
During the interview, Gerber reflected on the expectations placed on her because of her famous family and the challenges of having her personal life constantly examined by the public.
Among the most personal topics she addressed was her relationship with her body and the impact of comments about her appearance.
Gerber said that she has spent much of her life being compared with her mother, who became one of the most recognizable models of her generation.
According to Gerber, being naturally thin has often made her the subject of unwanted commentary, particularly during periods when very thin body types are once again prominent in popular culture.
“We’re clearly in one of those cycles right now where people are very, very, very thin,” Gerber said during the Vogue interview.
She explained that because she has been thin for much of her life, comparisons with Crawford have followed her for years.
Rather than simply being viewed as her own person, Gerber said she has sometimes felt as though her body was being measured against that of her famous mother.
“I’m so jealous of my mom’s body,” she said, adding that she would have preferred to have been born with a different body shape.
The constant attention surrounding her appearance has also affected how comfortable she feels discussing her own body.
Gerber said that people have frequently made comments about her weight and appearance even when she was not prepared to address those subjects herself.
“People have always commented on my body, which is hard because I’m not always ready to comment on my own body,” she said.
Gerber went on to disclose that she has experienced disordered eating in her life.
She also explained why negative comments about someone’s appearance can be particularly damaging when that person is already dealing with mental health struggles surrounding food and body image.
“I’ve had disordered eating in my life,” Gerber said. She noted that being told she looks unhealthy or terrible does not necessarily help someone overcome those difficulties.
“Negativity has never saved someone’s life,” she added.
Her comments come as conversations surrounding celebrity body standards continue to attract significant attention.
Gerber’s experience also highlights the complicated position of celebrities who are expected to maintain a particular appearance while simultaneously being criticized for how they look.
Kaia Gerber Pushes Back on Dating Labels
Gerber also discussed another part of her public image that has followed her throughout her adult life: her dating history.
The actress has previously been romantically linked to celebrities including Pete Davidson, Jacob Elordi and Austin Butler. She is currently in a relationship with Lewis Pullman, the Thunderbolts* star.
While Gerber acknowledged that dating is naturally part of life, she said she finds it difficult when a celebrity’s identity becomes defined by the people they date.
“There are so few things you get to protect as a famous person,” she said.
Gerber specifically criticized the way women can be characterized based on their romantic histories. She said she has been described using labels that she considers misogynistic, including “serial dater,” “slut” and “greedy.”
For Gerber, being publicly defined by relationships that began when she was very young has been particularly challenging.
“Being defined by who you date when you’re 18 is something I find challenging,” she said.
The actress also revealed that her mother has offered her advice about navigating relationships and the mistakes that can come with them.
Gerber said Crawford often tells her, “Just don’t make the same mistake twice.”
She added that she believes she is fairly good at following that advice.
Despite the attention surrounding her relationships, Gerber said she wants to preserve her individuality when she is dating someone.
Rather than allowing a relationship to completely change her personality, she hopes to remain the same person around a partner, friends and colleagues.
“I think the ultimate goal is that your relationship doesn’t change you,” Gerber explained.
She said she does not want to feel as though she has to behave differently depending on whether she is in a relationship, spending time with friends or working professionally.
“I would love to always feel like me,” Gerber said, adding that she is enjoying being able to do that in her current relationship.
Gerber Embraces the “Nepo Baby” Label
Gerber was also candid about another unavoidable part of her public identity: being the daughter of Cindy Crawford.
Rather than rejecting the term “nepo baby,” Gerber said she accepts that her family background has benefited her career.
“I’ve only ever been a nepo baby, and I’ve only ever benefited in my career from it,” she said.
Gerber’s comments reflect an unusually direct acknowledgment of the advantages that can come with being born into a famous family. At the same time, she said that acknowledging those advantages has motivated her to work harder.
She also admitted that she sometimes applies the same standards to other people who come from famous families.
“I find myself doing it to other nepo babies, thinking, like, OK, show me why you deserve this job,” she explained.
For Gerber, having access to opportunities because of her family name does not eliminate the pressure she feels to prove herself once she gets those opportunities. Instead, she said the awareness of her privilege has pushed her to put more effort into her career.
That perspective has become particularly relevant through her work with Homer Gere on The Shards.
Gere is the son of veteran actor Richard Gere, while his mother, Cindy Crawford, was married to the actor from 1991 until 1995. The unusual connection between their families became a topic the two actors had to address when they began working together.
Gerber said she warned Homer that his famous family could influence how audiences perceive him as he begins his own acting career.
She explained that she had already experienced that kind of scrutiny from a young age and understood how difficult it could be to separate an actor’s work from their family background.
Gerber told Gere that audiences would not necessarily view him simply as an unknown actor because of his famous father.
However, she also said that dealing with those assumptions had ultimately motivated her to work harder.
Kaia Gerber and Homer Gere Address Their Parents’ History
The connection between Gerber and Gere could have made their professional relationship particularly awkward at first because their parents were previously married.
Crawford and Richard Gere were married from 1991 to 1995, making the family connection an unusual piece of Hollywood history surrounding the two actors.
Gere recalled that Gerber was the person who eventually addressed the situation directly.
“Should we just acknowledge the fact that our parents were married?” he recalled her asking.
According to Gere, Gerber’s response was essentially casual, allowing the pair to move past the unusual coincidence without making it a major issue.
The two have now moved forward as co-stars on The Shards, while Gerber continues to build a career that spans modeling and acting.
Her latest Vogue interview offers a more personal look at the pressures that have accompanied that career.
From comparisons with her supermodel mother to criticism of her romantic history and assumptions about her professional opportunities, Gerber has spent much of her life navigating a level of public attention that began long before she became an established actress.
By speaking openly about disordered eating and the effects of constant commentary about her body, Gerber is also drawing attention to the potentially harmful impact of celebrity scrutiny.
Her comments about dating labels similarly reflect her frustration with the different standards often applied to women in the public eye.
At the same time, Gerber appears determined to acknowledge the privileges that came with her upbringing without allowing them to define her entire career.
For the actress, accepting the “nepo baby” label and recognizing the opportunities it provided can coexist with a desire to prove herself through hard work.
As Gerber continues her transition from modeling into acting, her comments suggest that she is increasingly interested in controlling her own narrative rather than allowing headlines, relationships or family connections to define who she is.