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<\/p>\nThe Oxford English dictionary defines nepotism as <\/b>\u201cThe practice among those with power or influence of favouring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
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(From Left: Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Gisele\u00a0B\u00fcndchen & Christy Turlington) Photos: Wikimedia The practice of nepotism is something that has shrouded a dark cloud over the fashion industry for the last decade. Almost every face you see in fashion magazines has a family connection to the industry, whether it be a model mother or famous actor father. This begs the question, have the days of being spotted in McDonald\u2019s a la Gisele B\u00fcndchen come to an end?<\/span><\/p>\n Back in the 1990\u2019s which is remembered as the era of the \u2018supermodel\u2019, the models were scouted for their talent, and that alone. Naomi Campbell was just 15 when she was scouted whilst shopping in Covent Garden, Kate Moss was 14 and at the airport, Claudia Schiffer was approached in a nightclub, Cindy Crawford was found whilst working in a cornfield and Christy Turlington was scouted whilst horse riding.<\/span><\/p>\n The stories of spontaneous scoutings resulting in unknown models being catapulted into worldwide stardom are now almost unheard of, with the worlds top models coming from already established families with connections to the fashion industry.<\/span><\/p>\n Anwar, Bella and Gigi Hadid, Lila and Lottie Moss, Lily-Rose Depp, Kaia and Presley Gerber, Kendall Jenner, Iris and Rafferty Law, Lizzy and Georgia May Jagger, Adwoa Aboah, Hailey and Ireland Baldwin,\u00a0Ana\u00efs and Lennon Gallagher\u2026 the list goes on.<\/span><\/p>\n (From Left: Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid, Lottie Moss & Kendall Jenner) Photos: Wikimedia<\/p>\n Very few models of success and notoriety are being signed through pure organic talent, the models who were born to dynasties already have a leg up in the industry, allowing them to use their parent’s contacts to gain a career that can take others decades of hard work to achieve.<\/span><\/p>\n In 1991, fresh-faced young French actress and singer Vanessa Paradis was signed by Karl Lagerfeld as the face of Chanel\u2026 25 years later her daughter Lily-Rose Depp was given the same opportunity. Depp told Vogue that Chanel has always been a part of her life growing up, \u201cMy mom has worked with them since she was 18 and I\u2019ve gone to the store with her since I was little.\u201d Had she not grown up alongside Karl Lagerfeld, and had a childhood being surrounded by Chanel would she have become the face of the brand? That\u2019s open to interpretation.<\/span><\/p>\n It’s not just models who are getting a step up into the industry because of their parents. 18-year-old Ana\u00efs Gallagher, daughter of Oasis frontman Noel, is a contributing fashion editor at the prestigious Tatler magazine, despite admitting on Twitter that she only passed two of her GCSE exams.<\/span><\/p>\n Perhaps the most talked about model of the nepotism generation is Kendall Jenner. Who can forget the episode of Keeping up with The Kardashians, were a young Kendall Jenner tells her mother Kris that she wants to be a model, a few phone calls from her momager later and she\u2019s walking in shows and being signed by Wilhelmina models. It\u2019s not so much the nepotism in gaining jobs that has touched a nerve with the fashion community, it\u2019s the model’s denial that having famous parents has had anything to do with their success. Jenner told Love Magazine, “I had to work even harder to get where I wanted because people didn’t take me seriously as a model. Because of the TV show.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Jenner recently infuriated the modeling community after telling Love Magazine in another interview that she is selective of her modeling projects: “Since the beginning we’ve been super selective about what shows I would do … I was never one of those girls who would do like 30 shows a season or whatever the fuck those girls do. More power to ’em. But I had a million jobs, not only catwalks but everything else. The whole combination was very overwhelming and I started to freak out a little bit and needed to take a step back.”<\/p>\n Fellow Victoria’s Secret model Leomie Anderson hit out at Jenner on Twitter, and supermodel Naomi Campbell simply replied “Next question” when she was asked about Jenner’s comments on What Happens Live.<\/p>\n I\u2019m shocked but not surprised by this attitude. Not everyone gets to skip castings, get paid more than everyone else and generally work less- it\u2019s not about being \u201cselective\u201d, it\u2019s about not having to put the work in but still receiving all the campaigns and editorials. https:\/\/t.co\/13WsCRUNT5<\/a><\/p>\n — l. anderson (@Leomie_Anderson) August 20, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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