How Heidi Klum is traumatising daughter Leni by posing in their pants together for ‘cringe and weird’ lingerie shoots
“Like mother, like daughter,” as the saying goes – and Heidi Klum takes that quite literally, especially when it comes to striking poses together in lingerie.
As one of the most iconic supermodels in the world, it’s no surprise that her daughter, Leni, is following in her footsteps, making a natural entrance into the world of fashion and modelling.
But fans certainly have a thing or two to say on how her mum is giving her a helping hand.
This week the German model, 51, and daughter, 20, bared-all, posing next to each other wearing lace lingerie for underwear brand Intimissimi.
And this isn’t the first time the duo have posed together wearing next to nothing.
This first started back in 2022, when Heidi was 49, and Leni, who is the daughter of billionaire Formula One boss Flavio Briatore, was a teenager.
Previously, some fans rushed comments on the mum and daughter posing in lingerie together, with one writing: “Which normal mum would pose together with her daughter in lingerie?”
While another posted: “Cringe and weird. Would never do this with mum.”
But Heidi continues to shrug off the trolls, by even getting her mum Erna, 80, involved in the most recent Intimissimi ad.
And although Heidi may have intended to celebrate confidence and connection with her daughter, doing so in an intimate setting like this “poses concerns around boundaries, self-image, and privacy.”
Parenting expert and psychologist Emma Kenny says: “Firstly, teenagers are at a stage where they are learning to navigate self-worth, identity, and personal boundaries.
“Parents are often a young person’s first model for self-respect and healthy relationships.
“When a mother and daughter share revealing photos publicly, it can blur these crucial boundaries, sending mixed signals about the importance of appearance in seeking validation.”
Emma believes that this kind of public exposure could make her daughter “feel vulnerable and scrutinised.”
She continues: “Whilst Heidi may see sharing intimate photos with her young daughter as something to celebrate.
“These kinds of actions have the potential to be confusing and potentially traumatising as her daughter grows older, particularly due to her current stage of emotional and psychological development.
It is tough enough for teenagers to try to find their place in the world
Emma Kenny
“Adolescents are still forming their identities, and this could lead them to feeling discomfort or anxiety about their appearance.
“In the future, she might struggle with boundaries or feel a lingering sense of violation, as she may not have fully understood or consented to the implications of sharing these images.
“This can impact her sense of self-worth, making her more susceptible to seeking external validation or feeling pressure to conform to appearance-focused standards, which can have lasting effects on her mental well-being.”
Social media pressures
This type of imagery may also normalise a level of exposure that a young person might not understand.
“The message, albeit unintentional, may be that physical appearance and public approval are intertwined, which can be confusing and potentially harmful for a teenager still forming her sense of self-worth,” says Emma.
“Sharing these kinds of images can erode the concept of privacy, teaching a young girl that her body is something to be displayed rather than respected.
“It is tough enough for teenagers to try to find their place in the world, as they are already having to navigate peer and social media pressures around appearance.
“So, when their parents’ actions reinforce public exposure over private self-assurance, it can make it difficult for young people to feel secure and valued for more than just their looks.”
But it seems that Leni is destined to follow in her mum’s fabulous footsteps, with modelling appearing to be a natural fit for her.
Reflecting on her journey, Leni shared with People: “I’ve always tagged along to work with my mum and thought, ‘This looks like such a blast.
“She looks so happy while she’s working.’ I’d even dabble with the makeup her artist brought along.”
It was such a brilliant day. I wasn’t nervous in the slightest, just brimming with excitement
Leni Klum
Leni’s dreams became reality when she graced the cover of Vogue Germany alongside her superstar mum at just 16.
“It’s absolutely bonkers that my first job was a Vogue cover, and having Mum by my side made it an absolute joy.
“It was such a brilliant day. I wasn’t nervous in the slightest, just brimming with excitement,” says Leni.
And despite the trolls, Leni, who has an estimated net worth of around £3 million, has racked up a huge fanbase in her own right.
On Instagram, she is followed by 1.9million people, often posting about her fabulous life and her modelling gigs.
What message are these pictures portraying?
By Judi James, Body Language Expert
The backlash for poses like this is probably prompted by some of the symbolism rather than the reality of the body poses themselves. It’s not the type of family pose many people would send out on their Christmas greetings cards.
Red lipstick is often seen as a more sexual signal, and coupled with the bright red underwear, any idea of a ‘cute’ mother and daughter pose tends to decrease dramatically.
Red underwear and the way the red gifts are being held strategically probably trigger more daring, flirty thoughts for many people as the traditional ‘sexy’ Christmas gift option.
It doesn’t seem to be a problem for Heidi and Leni, but as a problem of perception for the fans and detractors, it’s the ‘double-gift’ narrative that could have caused offence.
This is an unusual trait that other mothers might find a little odd, but Heidi has always had a very upbeat, extroverted profile with a happy lack of personality or behavioural inhibitions during her own career as a model.
Unlike other ‘supermodels’, she has always seemed comfortable blending runway work with more revealing shoots and clearly sees herself as having a confident, ‘healthy’ attitude towards things like underwear shoots, which she might not feel are a big deal.
Her body language always suggests she finds shoots like this very natural too, rather than daring, flirty or overly sexual. Her own career started when she was Leni’s age, so she might see nothing shocking about posing together or working on the same ad campaigns.
Heidi has built up a huge fortune on the back of her modelling career, and so for her, it might just feel like a business that she clearly enjoys and wants her daughter to enjoy in the same way.
Many parents might be reluctant to see a young daughter going into this career, but Heidi is clearly an ideal role model in terms of keeping on top of the game and in control when it comes to managing the work, so she might feel that launching her daughter like this will allow her the same sense of confidence and even safety.
Their poses here are marketing shoots for the underwear companies, and the projected message might be to sell across the generations rather than any mother/daughter competition. There are no subtle or unsubtle sexual signals being projected; the poses would work clothed or unclothed.
If their relationship is close and they share wardrobes and pampering/styling more like friends, this probably feels like a natural expression of the closeness of their relationship and the professional pride they have in each other.
Thoughts on doing an underwear shoot with your mum probably relate to normal daily behaviours and parent/child habits. If the closest your mum gets to your underwear is when she’s doing the laundry, this could feel like a step too far.