Aoki Lee Simmons Poses for a Purpose After Previously Saying She Was Taking a Step Back from Modeling

• Aoki Lee Simmons posed for a new PETA campaign urging people not to go to SeaWorld
• In the ads, Simmons poses as a mermaid in a fishbowl to emulate how the sea animals at SeaWorld feel in captivity
• The new campaign marks one of Simmons’ major ads since saying in October 2024 that she would be “wrapping up” her modeling career due to the toll it had taken on her

Although Aoki Lee Simmons said she was taking a step back from modeling, she’s posing for a purpose.

In an exclusive first look, Simmons, 22, is spotted supporting PETA to urge people not to visit SeaWorld. In the campaign, Simmons is photographed as a mermaid of sorts confined to a fish bowl, as she stares directly at the camera. 

“Imagine a lifetime in a fishbowl,” the campaign slogan reads. 

Along with the pointed campaign photo, Simmons was also featured in a video documenting the behind-the-scenes of the photo shoot and why this campaign grabbed her attention.

“Standing in a closet for like eight hours. Imagine living like that. It’s really to them, like, no space. It’s like hell on Earth, living that way,” Simmons says at the start of the video, referring to the sea life at SeaWorld. She adds, “Imagine yourself living that way, it’ll click for you. You would not want to live in a fishbowl.”

“I remember when I was young and I first learned the condition of orcas and dolphins and all of those animals in captivity that you would see at SeaWorld shows, and it was horrifying,” she continues. “Don’t go to SeaWorld. There is nothing about making an animal do a trick in a pool that’s going to teach your kids anything about nature, the Earth or animal activity.”

PETA said that over 40 orcas and more than 500 other dolphins and whales have died, “many prematurely,” at SeaWorld. 

PETA’s new campaign also urges SeaWorld to release orca whale Corky, the longest-held captive orca in the world. Corky was captured off the coast of British Columbia in 1969. 

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“Corky was used for years as a breeding machine at another facility, but none of her calves survived past 47 days. Her last pregnancy ended in a miscarriage when her dead baby was found at the bottom of a concrete tank at SeaWorld,” a press release reads. “Of the 13 members of her pod who were captured between 1968 and 1969, Corky is the only one still alive.”

Simmons compares Corky’s captivity to a person “standing in a closet forever.” Noting, “There’s a clear effect on their mental health, their wellness, their entire lifespan, all of it.”

The meaningful campaign, however, drove Simmons to “return” to modeling (though she hasn’t actually stopped modeling) after saying in October 2024 that she would be “wrapping up” her career in the industry because it had taken a toll on her.

“It’s hard to go somewhere and get told over and over and over, ‘No, [and] you’re not pretty enough,’ ” she said in an Instagram Live. She added that being the daughter of Kimora Lee Simmons also made her work harder because of the comparisons. Simmons noted that during castings, especially for brands her mom had previously worked with, it sometimes felt “like one big fat comparison,” which could be “annoying.”

Despite her Instagram Live statement at the time, however, Simmons has continued to work in the months since, including this PETA campaign.