The 25-year-old model also shared her favorite piece of advice from her mom.
Lourdes Leon is opening up about her mom's influence on her life. While speaking with Debi Mazar for Interview Magazine, the 25-year-old model says that her mother, Madonna, has "controlled" her life.
The topic came up when Debi, a longtime friend of the 63-year-old singer, mentions that Lourdes opted to pay for college and her apartment on her own.
"We don’t get any handouts in my family. Obviously, I grew up with extreme privilege. There’s no denying that," Lourdes says. "But I think my mom saw all these other kids of famous people, and she was like, 'My kids are not going to be like this.'"
"Also, I feel like if your parents pay for things, then it gives them leverage over you," she continues. "My mom is such a control freak, and she has controlled me my whole life. I needed to be completely independent from her as soon as I graduated high school."
While she wants to be financially independent, Lourdes still turns to her mom for advice.
"I’ve been so concerned with making a decent living, and wanting to live more luxuriously than I was when I first graduated and wasn’t earning a lot of money," she explains. "[My mom] was like, 'Remember, this s**t is not real. It’s not about the money or your face or how hot you look. It’s about what you’re bringing into the world and what you’re going to leave behind.' That always shakes me awake when I get too caught up in everything."
As for Lourdes' decision to enter the entertainment industry, the model shares that her mom has some thoughts on that too.
"She’s very much like, 'Proceed with caution and think about what you want to be known for,'" Lourdes says. "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. Obviously, you’re not going to look the same your whole life."
"My mom is very insistent on making me think about what I want to be known for beyond my looks," she continues. "That’s not what I want people to remember me by. It’s not real."
Madonna's advice, Lourdes says, is something she's been able to take in more in recent years, as she's gained a better understanding about the impact of her mom's work.
"My experience with my mom’s music has changed so much as I’ve gotten older, because I’m increasingly able to recognize how influential and amazing this woman is, and how empowering to other women and ahead of her time she has always been," she says. "I didn’t fully comprehend that until I realized the importance of empowerment and what it means to be a woman."
"She’s probably the hardest worker I’ve ever seen," Lourdes praises. "I didn’t inherit that, unfortunately. I inherited her control issues, but not her work ethic."
While she respects her mom's work, Lourdes notes that following in Madonna's career footsteps is not in the cards. "I can sing. I just don’t care about it," she says. "Maybe it’s too close to home."
Though she's sure music isn't in her future, Lourdes isn't sure what profession is.
"I don't have a specific goal. I probably should," she admits. "Financially, modeling is a smart decision. I enjoy being very hands on with the campaigns I do, so that I’m not just modeling, per se."
"I dance, I have a very specific sense of style, and I’m interested in aesthetics, so I like to incorporate all those parts of myself into my projects," Lourdes continues. "I don’t know how I feel about acting yet. I think it’s about finding a role that wouldn’t be too far off from who I am already. Honestly, actors really annoy me and I can’t be around them."
At the end of the day, Lourdes says she's still trying to figure it all out.
"I’ve been judged from a young age, but I think that privacy is the reason why I was able to keep my wits about me and not find myself in a mental asylum," she says. "I want to figure out who the f**k I am before I let anyone else try to tell me who I am."
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