MAUREEN CALLAHAN: Ew, Heidi! Incest DOESN’T sell. Pornified shoot is disturbing and cringe-worthy
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You wouldn’t really call this motherly love.
As further proof that the fashion world knows no boundaries, Heidi Klum has posed in a series of softcore images with her teenage daughter Leni – kissing in one shot, dipping her daughter, bra-to-bra, in another.
Heidi, it seems, calls herself “a helicopter mom.”
That’s one way of saying it.
While the mainstream media nurtures — “celebrate each other,” says People; “Keep taking over the fashion industry as a mother-daughter duo,” says Harper’s Bazaar – the sensible among us cringe.
Seriously, who thought it was a good idea for mom and daughter to pose together in bras, panties and high heels? It’s so sleazy and catchy – no pun intended.
The label itself is called Intimissimi – into-missy-me? Intimacy?
Whatever it is: uh.
At one point, Heidi seemed to have higher ambitions for her 18-year-old daughter, who started college in New York City this fall.
Wow! In several, the German model showcased her age-defying figure in bikini-style mesh panties and a lace-lined bra.
The label itself is called Intimissimi – into-missy-me? Intimacy? Whatever it is: uh.
‘I’m [so proud,]Heidi told Entertainment Tonight in August. “You know, she screwed her head on on the right. At the moment, the university is at the top of the list. It’s not modeling and she’s really excited about that next chapter in her life.”
What has changed for Leni between then and now? It’s only been eight weeks. Could it be that this photo shoot is more about Heidi – who at age 49 may be feeling the cold shoulder of the fashion world? After all, this is the same woman, a mother of four, who recently posted a topless photo of herself on Instagram with the caption “My hot girl summer 2022.”
Female empowerment indeed.
Writing from an alternate universe, Heidi thanked the shoot’s creative director on Instagram. “Thank you for making us feel confident all day long,” she wrote, claiming that these images “celebrate women; the love and support between a mother and her daughter” — seems healthy — “and how confident, beautiful and happy lingerie can make you feel.”
Call me a cynic, but I think this is unfair. For starters, the fashion industry thrives on making its consumers feel less. Heidi herself was always seen as too commercial looking for high fashion. This shoot makes you wonder: how deep are those scars? What does Heidi Klum have to prove? Does she care that her daughter could be collateral damage? What kid wants to go back to her college campus after posing incestuously with mom?
What does Heidi Klum have to prove? Does she care that her daughter could be collateral damage? What kid wants to go back to her college campus after posing incestuously with mom?
Not to mention the sheer narcissism on display. We know all too well the momager pushing his inappropriate spawn into the limelight. Leni Klum is a beautiful girl, but with her height of 1.60m she is much too small to be a model. Kate Moss’ daughter, same thing – cute, but no model material.
Brooklyn Beckham, Lourdes Leon, The Willis girls: we pronounce your names.
As for this conceit – well, even in the outré fashion world, incest never quite caught on. Go figure. It didn’t even work for Gigi and Bella Hadid, who posed nude and entwined for British Vogue in 2018. And while their mother, former model Yolanda Hadid, never reached the heights of her daughters, she did everything she could to get them to supermodel status.
‘As I always say to my girls,’ Yolanda once said, ‘there [are] a million girls who are as beautiful as you and who deserve just as much success as you. So how are you going to differentiate yourself?’
Teasing incest is definitely one way.
You know what’s most outrageous? This isn’t even original! Angelina Jolie did it first and did it best with her brother James Haven, who at one point exclaimed, “I’m so in love with my brother now” as she took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2000.
If the internet had been half as powerful back then, Jolie would never have survived. Instead, she became half of a gorgeous, unstoppable A-list power couple that . . . oh, right. Forget it.
There’s an odd perk to this latest Klum kerfluffle: In our hyper-pornized, post-Kardashian culture, one where Kim’s naked bum gets pushed our way every now and then and we see real-life couples having sex on reality TV, there remains a line drawn by most of us.
It may be the bottom line — again, no pun intended — but at least it’s there.