Vice President Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter signs modeling contract

Over a week after her stepmother  Kamala Harris  was sworn in as the first female vice president of the United States, Ella Emhoff has landed a modeling contract. The VP’s stepdaughter has signed with IMG Models. On Thursday, the prestigious modeling agency shared two photos of the 21 year old writing, “NOW REPRESENTING: #EllaEmhoff (@ellaemhoff)!”

Ivan Bart, president of IMG Models, told the New York Times that when he saw the vice president’s stepdaughter at the inauguration ceremony, he thought, “Wow, she’s communicating fashion.” Ivan added, “Ella communicates this moment in time. There’s a cheekiness and a joy she exudes.”

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Ella, daughter of Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, had the Internet talking last week with her embellished Miu Miu coat, which she wore over a burgundy Batsheva dress on Inauguration Day. “I knew the coat would be a hit because I loved it so much, and I think that’s all that really mattered to me,” she told the NYT. “But I don’t think anyone expected the kerfuffle it caused on the internet.”

The second daughter is a student at New York’s Parsons School of Design, where she is studying fine arts with a focus on textiles, per the NYT. Ella, whose father married Vice President Harris in 2014, revealed that her family was initially hesitant about her modeling. “Modeling can be a pretty intense industry — they were a little protective of me,” she explained. Though now, they are excited. Ella said, “When they saw my interest in it and saw what is changing in that world. I think they’re pretty excited I can be part of that.”

“I was pretty surprised when everything with IMG was happening because when I was younger, I never saw that as being part of my timeline,” Ella confessed. “As someone who, like a lot of young girls out there, had self-confidence issues, it is intimidating and scary to go into this world that is hyper-focused on you and the body.”

However, Ella is looking forward to sharing things she really cares about and doing “some good” with her “bigger platform.” “There are a lot of people out there that need a lot of help,” she said. “If I can do anything to help with that, I want to, and I think this opportunity will be really beneficial toward that.”