As the U.S. presidential election looms, one of the pressing questions is how young Gen Z voters will sway the outcome. Will they lean toward the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, or continue backing the Democratic line with Kamala Harris, who recently made waves by embracing Charlie XCX's green brat color to capture this youthful demographic?
Kamala Harris seems to have an ace up her sleeve, keeping it close to both heart and home: Ella Emhoff, her stepdaughter—a model, "it girl," and pro-Palestinian activist. At the Democratic Convention held about two weeks ago, Emhoff graced the stage in a white tulle dress designed by TikTok sensation Joe Ando, who boasts nearly three million followers on TikTok and another 2.7 million on Instagram, where he shared the dress's design process.
The choice of a designer who resonates with a young audience and commands a vast social media following is undoubtedly strategic. In her speech, Emhoff directly addressed the young and often confused crowd, sharing how Harris entered her life at the tender age of 14—"an age known for its ease for teenagers," she quipped with sarcasm. "Like many young people, I didn't always understand what I felt, but Kamala was always there for me, patient, caring, and serious about what I had to say. She's never stopped listening to me, and she's not going to stop listening to all of us."
Emhoff's warm familial bond with Harris, whom she affectionately calls "Momala," underscores that family extends beyond blood ties. Last month, a resurfaced interview with Republican vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance, in which he referred to Kamala Harris as a "childless cat lady," stirred international controversy. Emhoff was quick to defend Harris, posting on Instagram: "How can you be 'childless' when you have cute kids like Cole (her brother, Ed.) and me?"
Over the past three years, Emhoff has evolved from an anonymous art student into a talent signed with the prestigious IMG modeling agency, standing alongside icons like Gal Gadot and Bella Hadid. Her public debut was at Joe Biden's presidential inauguration in January 2021, where she wore a deep eggplant maxi dress by the Brooklyn-based Jewish brand "Batsheva," known for its modest fashion, topped with a plaid coat from the Italian fashion house Miu Miu, adorned with a white collar and crystal-embellished shoulders.
Fashion columns quickly dubbed Emhoff, now 25, as the "it girl" of the moment, and justifiably so. Since Kamala Harris was sworn in as Vice President of the United States, Emhoff has walked fashion shows, graced the front rows, starred in campaigns for Stella McCartney, Mulberry, and Calvin Klein, and featured on the covers of fashion magazines like Dust and Re-Edition. Her alternative outfits and underarm hair have marked her as an independent figure with groundbreaking style, far removed from the "daughters of" in American politics, like Ivanka Trump or, conversely, Chelsea Clinton.
The Israeli public took note of her during the Gaza war, when she engaged in fundraising for the citizens of Gaza. Emhoff shared a link on her Instagram for donations aimed at raising $10 million for Gaza's children, which she later removed. This action led some to criticize Harris, despite her ongoing commitment to maintaining Israel's diplomatic and political interests. When asked about her stance on pro-Palestinian protests on American campuses in an interview with the British Times three months ago, Harris chose not to comment.
Emhoff is the daughter of lawyer Doug Emhoff, the Second Gentleman of the United States, and film producer Kerstin Emhoff. Named after singer Ella Fitzgerald, her brother Cole received his name in honor of saxophonist John Coltrane. Emhoff is a trained textile designer, a graduate of Parsons School of Design, residing in Bushwick, Brooklyn—a locale that has earned her the moniker "the first daughter of Bushwick." Her parents divorced in 2008, and five years later, Harris and Emhoff met through mutual friends who set them up on a blind date. The couple married in August 2014 in an intimate ceremony at their home in Santa Monica, California.
The Emhoff siblings first met Harris when Ella was about to start high school and Cole was preparing for college. Harris noted she and her partner waited until they were sure of their relationship's stability before introducing her to his children, as she "didn't want to integrate into their lives as a temporary figure." Their first family meeting took place at a seafood restaurant, and Harris recalled that "Cole and Ella couldn't have been more welcoming." Before the meeting, their father briefly prepared them about Harris's prominent role, saying, "I think you should just know she's the Attorney General of California."
Amid close familial bonds and dinner conversations that span life and politics, Emhoff chose to carve out a fashionable path. In a Washington Post interview, she confessed her childhood love for fashion, though it wasn't necessarily the path she intended to take. "All my life, I had a negative self-image and very low self-esteem, so modeling felt like a way to take back the power," she confided to the Washington Post. "I have body hair, I have tattoos. It's not something crazy today, but it's not what you would define, let's say, as an average model."
As seen in pictures, Emhoff sports a youthful look with a mane of nonchalant curls, round-framed glasses, tattoos scattered across her body, and underarm hair that she displays proudly at many events. She oscillates between wearing clothes from independent designers like Proenza Schouler, for whom she also modeled, and hot brands like Miu Miu. Her style aligns with the "ugly fashion" trend, which hasn't deterred American fashion magazine W from describing her red carpet moments as "artistic and refined as art school."
Despite the fashion industry's embrace, she took a step back, left IMG, and has recently retreated from the runways. She is now in a relationship with GQ magazine journalist Samuel Hine and focuses on textile art, including knitted paintings showcased on her Instagram. "I modeled for a few years, and it helped me now to have the platform and comfort to make art," she told the Times earlier this year.
Currently, she runs the Sofa Hands knitting club in New York and hosts craft workshops throughout the city. In an interview with the Times, she added that her mother taught her to knit during a childhood trip to Disneyland, and it has always been "a therapeutic practice" for her. "I see it as a way to calm my anxiety, and it's an area I'm very passionate about creatively," she said. Looking ahead, she aspires to expand her club "to other places, like schools and art therapy, because I know it helped me so much."