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Aoki Lee Simmons quits modeling after breakup with ‘Sugar Daddy’, 65, comparisons to mom Kimora

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Aoki Lee Simmons quits modeling after breakup with ‘Sugar Daddy’, 65, comparisons to mom Kimora

Following your dreams can sometimes be a difficult feat, even for nepo babies.

Aoki Lee Simmons has certainly had a tough time thriving in the modeling industry just like his mother Kimora Lee Simmons did.

The 22-year-old took to social media to air her issues, claiming she has been criticized by industry seniors for her looks.

Aoki Lee Simmons quits modeling after breakup with ‘Sugar Daddy’, 65, comparisons to mom Kimora
Aoki Lee Simmons is making career adjustments months after her public breakup and declining modeling career. (Photo: @aokilesimmons/Instagram)

Speaking to his social media followers in a video posted on October 11, Aoki said: ‘I love to model but it’s hard to go somewhere and be told over and over again no no no , no, you’re not pretty enough, you’re not pretty enough.”

The youngest daughter of music mogul Russell Simmons made history as one of the youngest black women to graduate from Harvard University, starting at age 16. She claims that she will soon “quit modeling soon” and pursue her career.

“I’m looking for a job in my degree field. But you know while I’m here I should do my best,” Aoki added.

Trying to get her followers to understand her reasoning, she further explained, “If I go to a casting that my mom always did and I feel like I’m like a great comparison of all time. … Like, I understand that my mom always He’ll be a much better model than me, but sometimes it’s annoying to have that comparison.”

“‘It must be so great to go to a casting your mom did,’ and I’m like, ‘No, it’s not. It’s horrible, because then when you don’t get it, it feels even more like…'” , he stopped short. “I think I’ll end up working in the government again, which is my title. But as long as I’m here I’ll do my best, okay.”

It’s unclear which social app Aoki was talking to her followers on, but it seems someone suggested she get a coach to help her get more gigs.

But she rejected the offer saying: “I don’t need a trainer, I’m a good model. I know that sounds presumptuous, but it’s not. I worked very hard on this. It’s just that it’s a tough industry. Like, there’s a lot of beautiful girls, great models, who don’t have jobs.”

But Aoki has his plans for the future. She said, I’m taking the foreign service test so I can go back to international relations, which is my degree. You should finish strong and finish in terms of the job and industry you chose to be involved in. So I’m going to finish strong,” something he later says his mother always taught him.

Aoki also updated fans on a concert with Victoria’s Secret that he stepped out for ahead of the brand’s 2024 fashion show in New York City on October 15.

“I’m not going to Victoria’s Secret this year, no. Maybe I was going to, but I didn’t get it. But I’m happy for everyone who did,” she noted.

Aoki’s dramatic career change comes months after he complained about having to find work. She moved into her first apartment in New York City, which she furnished mostly by herself, after her breakup with Serafina Restaurant Group founder Vittorio Assaf, 65.

The two made headlines after they were caught kissing in photos that went viral in April on a beach in Saint Barthélemy.

Fans immediately began comparing his mother’s age relationship to his father, Russell Simmons, who Aoki previously warned would need a “sugar daddy” if he didn’t get a raise.

Aoki hinted that her parents were worried about her relationship with Assaf, who was 44 years her senior. Just weeks after the criticism, she said she “doesn’t have a boyfriend” in an Instagram Live video, then turned off her comments.

His mother Kimora started modeling around the age of 13 and soon after got a contract with Chanel and worked with renowned German fashion designer Karl Lagerfield. Kimora married the former Def Jam executive in 1998.

According to Russell, he met Kimora when he was 17 and they started dating her at 18, when he was 30. After welcoming Ming and Aoki, they divorced in 2006.

Kimora is also known for launching the iconic Baby Phat fashion label, a sister brand to Russell’s Phat Farm. The launch took place in 1999 before she and Russell sold the brand to Kellwood Co. in 2004.

This isn’t the first time Aoki has expressed that he was being picked on because of his looks either. At just 15 years old, she wrote a long message on IG revealing that she decided to start posting more of her face after insecurities began to rise from repeatedly feeling that her appearance was not as favorable as her mother’s and her older sister’s Ming Lee. Simmons.

She wrote: “I used to be very picky about photos and didn’t really show my face and often didn’t post photos of interesting events or important moments because I didn’t like my smile or being with my beautiful sister. It’s easy to be insecure when your sister and your mother are models.”

Aoki continued: “I’ve dealt with a lot of negativity on Instagram, commenting that I’m not as pretty as my older sister (who is the best by the way). We all want to look good in our photos, but I’ve tried to let all that go and just posting pictures of me looking happy or having a good time in. I try not to worry about who I’m with and just share good times with you.

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