Whatever happened to talent? It is a question many viewers of 2025 spring runways asked as yet another catwalk was graced by the relatives of the rich and famous. The internet has been obsessed with this idea of ‘nepo babies’ – someone who gains industry success through nepotism –since Nate Jones’ famous article cover: ‘She Has Her Mother’s Eyes. And Agent’. The obsession stems from the desire to feel that the people who are revered for their talent have been awarded roles because of family connections.
But not all nepo babies are considered equal.
The public accepts talented nepo models like the Hadid sisters; their fame is put down to their own hard work and natural gift for modelling. On the other hand, the shadow of the Kardashian name continues to haunt Kendall Jenner. Despite being the highest paid model, her success is still attributed to Kris and Kim’s connections. The same can be said for Lila Moss, Leni Klum and Lily Rose Depp.
The issue with nepo models centres around the authenticity of beauty. People love the idea that the most beautiful woman in the world is just a normal person. Giselle Bündchen, Cindy Crawford and Heidi Klum became successful because they were scouted from the streets or won talent competitions. That made these women likeable. Naomi Campbell has remained popular in the public eye because she was scouted, worked her way up and advocated for greater racial diversity in the beauty world. But what genuine positive change are people born into this system going to advocate for? The nepo models skip straight to the highest earning gigs with apparent ease: there’s no drive to change an industry if it is already perfectly suited to you.
This issue has been ongoing for at least the past fifteen years, to the point that now it is difficult to name a model who wasn’t born to famous parents. Is it too late to bring back the ‘real’ models? Unfortunately, it probably is. The 2008 economic crash, exacerbated by COVID-19, played a role in shrinking the aspirational class which could once afford haute couture.
Now that the middle class isn’t buying, there is no need for fashion houses to pretend. Beauty trends are inherently exclusionary. Take the 90s ‘heroin chic’ craze. The trend’s emphasis on extremely small sizes glorified extremely dangerous drug habits (hence its name) and glorified under-eating to achieve a desired weight.
BUT changes are being made: Chanel has a new Indian CEO, Victoria’s Secret participated in the ‘Runway of Dreams’ last year and Halima Aden wore a burkini in Sports Illustrated. Still, the overall picture isn’t one of increased diversity and representation. Until ordinary people have enough disposable income to consider these brands, the companies have no reason to look beyond the family names that made them successful in the first place.
