Kaia Gerber is opening up about her experience with “disordered eating” and commentary about her body.
In an interview with Vogue published on Tuesday, August 11, the Shards actress said that she is constantly compared to her mom, supermodel Cindy Crawford, and admitted she is “jealous” of her mom’s body.
“We’re clearly in one of those cycles right now where people are very, very, very thin,” Gerber, 24, said. “As someone who’s been thin most of my life, I’ve always been compared against my mom — like, ‘What’s wrong with Kaia?’ I’m so jealous of my mom’s body. I would have loved to be born with boobs and a butt.”
“People have always commented on my body, which is hard because I’m not always ready to comment on my own body, you know?” Gerber continued. “I’ve had disordered eating in my life. People are like, ‘You look terrible,’ and it doesn’t exactly make you go, ‘Oh, good. Let me get over this mental illness then!’ Negativity has never saved someone’s life.”
Gerber previously commented on the comparisons between her and Crawford, 60, admitting that she doesn’t think they look alike.
“In all seriousness, it’s an honor when people tell me I look like my mom,” she told Yahoo Entertainment earlier this month. “I wish I did. I think even on my best days, I’m not even close.”
“I think she’s just the most beautiful woman inside and out,” Gerber said of her mother. “And so if there’s any way that I remind anyone of her, it’s just, like, the largest compliment.”
In her Vogue interview, Gerber, who Crawford shares with husband Rande Gerber, also opened up about her relationship with fellow actor Lewis Pullman, the son of Bill Pullman. According to the outlet, she described it as the “healthiest and most adult relationship of her life.”
“There are so few things you get to protect as a famous person, and being defined by who you date when you’re 18 is something I find challenging,” she said. “I think I’ve been labeled in ways that are quite misogynistic: serial dater, slut, greedy. My mom is always like, ‘Just don’t make the same mistake twice.’ And I’m pretty good at not. I think the ultimate goal is that your relationship doesn’t change you, that you’re not code-switching between relationship, friendship, professional life. I would love to always feel like me, and in this relationship I’m having the pleasure of doing that.”
If you or someone you know struggles with an eating disorder, visit the National Eating Disorders (NEDA) website or call their hotline at (800) 931-2237 to get help.
