Kamala Harris' Stepdaughter Ella Emhoff Has More Tattoos Than She Can Count

Whenever a new presidential administration enters the White House, there's sometimes an uneasy amount of attention paid to the younger members of the president and vice president's families. That was definitely true at Joe Biden's inauguration, where Ella Emhoff, the stepdaughter of Vice President Kamala Harris, stole the show thanks to her dazzling ensemble and her visible tattoos. 

After Ella was thrust into the national spotlight basically overnight, more details about her emerged, including the fact that she has a deep love for tattoos. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Ella said that she isn't actually sure how many tattoos she has now, suggesting that the number is probably around 18. She also said that she has some tattoos her parents aren't aware of. 

In another interview, Ella said that quarantining has played a role in her growing love for body art. She got a couple of new tattoos from a tattoo artist in New York. She also started tattooing herself at home during quarantine. 

"I did my dog's name, and I did a little flower," she told Garage. "[Then] I recently did my first big boy: [a] salmon fish with a flower hanging out of its mouth. It's super fun." 

"I don't think it's something I would ever want to pursue [professionally], but it's fun to just do it to yourself or do it to a friend. And if you can do it, definitely go for it," she continued. 

Ella's tattoos likely have a wide range of meanings to her, but she's also clearly interested in body art for its own sake. None of her tattoos are enormous, but she often shows them off on her Instagram. 

Following the publicity she received at the inauguration, Ella signed a deal with IMG Models to start modeling for them. Ella is currently a senior design student at Parsons, and she lives in New York City. 

“I was pretty surprised when everything with IMG was happening because when I was younger, I never saw that as being part of my timeline,” Ella explained after inking her deal. 

Ella had been modeling with a smaller agency infrequently over the past year, but IMG offers her an entirely different platform. “As someone who, like a lot of young girls out there, had self-confidence issues, it is intimidating and scary to go into this world that is hyper-focused on you and the body,” she said. 

Ultimately, Ella said she changed her mind after seeing how diverse the models working today are. 

Initially, Ella said that her family was hesitant about helping her pursue a career as a model. "Modeling can be a pretty intense industry — they were a little protective of me,” she said. That changed, though “when they saw my interest in it and saw what is changing in that world. I think they’re pretty excited I can be part of that.”