Kamala Harris’ Stepdaughter Ella Emhoff Convinced ‘Protective’ Family To Accept Modeling Career

After attending the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Ella Emhoff has signed a contract with the modeling agency, IMG.

Although the VP’s stepdaughter went viral after wearing an embellished plaid Miu Miu coat to the historic event, Ivan Bart, the president of IMG Models, claimed the coat was only one of the reasons the agency signed the 21-year-old.

“It’s not really about shape, size, or gender anymore,” Bart told The New York Times. “Ella communicates this moment in time. There’s a cheekiness and a joy she exudes.”

While the agency has embraced Emhoff’s unique style, her desire to break into the fashion industry was met with reservations from her family. The model’s father Doug, who shares two children with his ex-wife, married VP Harris in 2014.

Emhoff revealed her family was worried about her new career because “modeling can be a pretty intense industry — they were a little protective of me.”

However, she was able to change their minds “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.”

Emhoff, who has around 18 tattoos, revealed she didn’t expect to land a contract with the prestigious modeling agency, despite some modeling for a smaller agency previously.

“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,” she said.

While Emhoff had a feeling her inauguration look would get a lot of attention, she didn’t expect the look to go viral.

“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 explained. “But I don’t think anyone expected the kerfuffle it caused on the internet."

Although Emhoff admitted she was intimidated about entering an industry that focuses on body image, she is determined to be “part of that change.”

Upon joining IMG, Emhoff will now be represented by the same company that signed Karlie Kloss, Ashley Graham, Gigi Hadid, Chanel Iman, Kate Moss and poet Amanda Gorman.