Supermodel Heidi Klum, 53, and her daughter Leni, 22, have reunited for a provocative new advertising campaign for the lingerie brand Intimissimi. The shoot focuses on body confidence and family values, marking a return to a collaborative style the duo first explored in 2022.
The Ultralight Cashmere and lace of the new Intimissimi shoot
The latest collaboration features Heidi Klum and Leni in minimal attire, ranging from lacy black bodysuits to the brand's Ultralight Cashmere shirts. According to the report, the imagery is designed to highlight self-acceptance and a playful approach to body positivity. Leni's participation in the shoot reinforces a narrative of confidence that the pair has cultivated across multiple public platforms.
This campaign arrives as part of a broader effort by the Klum family to position themselves as ambassadors of empowerment. by appearing side-by-side, Heidi Klum and Leni are attempting to normalize the idea that confidence and professional modeling are not mutually exclusive with the roles of mother and daughter.
A return to the provocative 2022 mother-daughter pairing
The current shoot echoes a 2022 Intimissimi campaign that drew significant criticism from viewers who found the pairing too bold for a parent and child. In response to such backlash, Heidi Klum explained in a 2025 interview with People that her family views their bodies through a lens of self-acceptance rather than hyper-sexualization. She noted that her European upbringing made her comfortable with nudity, stating, "my kids don't know me any other way."
Leni has observed that the fashion industry has undergone a major shift since her mother's early career. As reported,Leni believes that the strict criteria of previous generations have loosened, allowing a more diverse range of people to enter the industry and express themselves without the rigid constraints that once defined the supermodel era.
How Paper magazine highlighted Klum's struggle with the 'sexy mom' label
The push for body positivity is rooted in Heidi Klum's own professional frictions. In a 2024 interview with Paper magazine, the model recounted how clients previously refused to work with her during her pregnancies, claiming she was no longer "sexy" because she had become a mother. This dichotomy—being defined as either a sexual being or a parent, but never both—led Klum to create a maternity line during her tenure on Project Runway to address a gap in the market.
This historical context suggests that the Intimissimi campaign is more than a commercial venture ; it is a rebuttal to the industry's tendency to erase the sexuality of women after they have children . By featuring her 22-year-old daughter , Heidi Klum is actively challenging the notion that motherhood necessitates a withdrawal from provocative fashion.
Tom Kaulitz's push for a fuller figure
Beyond the professional sphere, Heidi Klum's personal life has influenced her evolving relationship with her image. In a July interview with Us Weekly, Klum revealed that her partner, Tokio-Hotel frontman Tom Kaulitz, encouraged her to embrace a fuller figure as she aged. Kaulitz reportedly told her she would look better if she had "more meat on her bones," a sentiment that aligns with the broader movement toward redefining beauty standards for mature women.
Where the line falls between empowerment and exploitation
Despite the family's framing of the shoot as empowering, the campaign has rekindled a debate over the boundary between confidence and exploitation in advertising. While many fans applaud the duo's unapologetic nature, others remain wary of the sexual implications of a mother and daughter modeling lingerie together.
Several questions remain unanswered by the current reporting. It is unclear if Intimissimi has faced any formal pushback from advocacy groups regarding the campaign's imagery, and the report does not specify if Leni's participation was a personal choice or a strategic move managed by the family's broader brand architecture. Furthermore, the source only presents the Klums' perspective on the "European" nature of their openness, leaving the critical viewpoint as a general observation of "some viewers."
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