'In fashion that's... normal': Cindy Crawford shuts down criticism against model daughter Kaia

Since making her catwalk debut at the New York Fashion Week last month, supermodel Cindy Crawford's daughter Kaia Gerber has become a runway staple at every major show.

But following in her mother's footsteps, the teenager's decision to model at the age of 16 has also raised a few eyebrows.

With critics debating over Kaia's entry into the world of fashion, it has fallen upon the 51-year-old Vogue cover girl to weigh in on the controversy.

If Crawford's words are any indication, she is more concerned about her daughter "driving by herself" than strutting on the runway so young.

"My daughter just got her driver's licence. I'm a lot more concerned about her driving by herself than her entering the world of modelling," the veteran model told the Associated Press. Crawford, whose elder child – son Presley, 18 – is also a model, went on to explain that her children have her for guidance, considering her experience.

"The great thing for my kids is that I know a lot about that world. I feel like: Who better to help guide them than me?" she said.

As for the controversy surrounding Kaia's age – she just turned 16 before walking for her first show – the mother-of-two reasoned that in fashion its "normal" to begin young.

"In some ways, I wish I could have pushed it off a year or two," said Crawford referring to her daughter's debut last month. "But she's 16. That's how old I was when I started, which is young, but in fashion, that's kind of the normal age when people start."