Lourdes “Lola” Leon may have graced the cover of Vogue, but that doesn’t mean that the Met Gala was her “vibe.”
Madonna’s daughter, 25, said in a new Interview Magazine cover story that she felt “so awkward” at the fashionable fete.
“Did I have fun at the Met Gala? I’m really grateful to have been able to go. Maybe because it was my first time, but it felt crazy,” she said in an interview with actress Debi Mazar.
“You’re just shoved into a room with all these famous people and you’re supposed to talk to them and be their friend, even though you don’t f—king know them. That’s not my vibe.”
Leon, who flaunted her armpit hair on the red carpet in a sequined pink dress by Moschino’s Jeremy Scott, added that she called her boyfriend, Jonathan Puglia, in the midst of the Met.
“I’m sure it’s fun if you’re someone who is friends with a lot of famous people, but I’m not,” she explained. “I didn’t know who the f—k to talk to. I felt so awkward that I literally called my boyfriend in the middle of it.”
The dinner portion, on the other hand, was “fine,” as Leon added, “I mean, I was sitting with Jeremy O. Harris, who I love, and Irina Shayk, who I love a lot. She’s so funny.”
Scoring a Met Gala invite isn’t the only fashion industry milestone Lourdes has checked off so far; she made her catwalk debut at New York Fashion Week in 2018 and has since walked runways ranging from Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty show to the Versace show at Milan Fashion Week in September.
She’s also landed several ad campaigns, including jobs for Swarovski, Marc Jacobs and Parade x Juicy Couture.
“I want to create a world in which models have more agency over what they’re doing, and they’re not just silent clothing racks,” said Leon, who added that she likes “being very hands on with the campaigns” she poses for.
“That’s the age that we’re coming into in the fashion world: models as personalities and artists.”
But while she may be breaking into the fashion industry, that doesn’t mean she can break into her famous mom’s closet.
When asked whether she steals the 63-year-old “Material Girl” singer’s clothes, Leon replied, “I do, but now there’s a lock on her closets. When she’s not in the house, those things are locked tight, because I take everything I feel that I’m entitled to.”
The young star also revealed that her famous mom — who she said was a “control freak” when she was growing up — has given her advice about stepping into the limelight.
“She’s very much like, ‘Proceed with caution and think about what you want to be known for,’” Leon said. “I’ve thought a lot about that recently, because as a ‘model,’ you’re basically relying on your looks. It can feel very overwhelming, and can potentially cause a lot of insecurity.”
“My mom is very insistent on making me think about what I want to be known for beyond my looks,” she continued. “That’s not what I want people to remember me by. It’s not real.”