Instagram/@heidiklum
Heidi Klum, a supermodel and a television personality, stimulated her followers to talk about what they thought of summer reading and the response turned out to be a major reading list. The survey opened the door to all kinds of books, and, to some extent, unexpected remarks—everything from the best novels to the authors’ own creations.
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Klum, without any doubt, is the one to know how to enjoy good summer time. Giving off an aura of total serenity: to her, a pile of books was just waiting to be discovered, a serene landscape was in the background, and a very simple, not-restrictive question was tossed to her millions of followers. “OK, who is first…” She interrupted, allowing the caption to linger there—the question of literature was waiting for an answer. It was a casual moment, a glimpse of her free time, and it quickly linked up with a cluster of readers who were eager to share their likes.
The response was so quick that it seemed to come from all over the place but focused on one author. Elif Shafak’s name was on many lips, and each one was giving a different aspect but leading to the same person. “Elif Shafak or The Covenant of Water,” was the suggestion from one, who nicely provided the two top contenders. “Elif Shafak, of course ❤️,” was the statement from another while at the same time, others were characterizing the works of the Turkish-British author as “wundervoll” and “absolut empfehlenswert.” It appears that Klum’s followers are very much into reading and have a preference for the best storytellers who have universal appeal.
Nevertheless, Shafak wasn’t the only one to be mentioned. Verghese’s brilliant “The Covenant of Water” was glowing praised, one user called it a “beautiful, moving story.” The mystery admirers were a bit more lucky as Terry Hayes’ “I am Pilgrim” constantly appeared in the comments. “I am Pilgrim! For sure!!!” was the response of one, while another person confirmed, “I am Pilgrim, Was a good thriller if you like those.” The differences in recommendations certainly spoke about the variety of tastes among the followers, as the preferences ranged from literary fiction to serial killer mysteries that one cannot stop reading.
Besides, the interaction was not limited to the names of the books. It also revealed the private, and sometimes funny, associations that people have with Klum who is a public figure. A German follower was quite bold and asked, “Liest du gar keine deutschen Bücher mehr?” which translates to “Are you not reading any German books at all?” It was a very subtle way of asking people to remember the long-forgotten German culture. Another one offered a very local suggestion: “Sommerfrische in Südtirol – von mir. :)” which means “Summer freshness in South Tyrol – from me.” The user, Kerstin Wiedemann, was actually promoting her book right there in the comments—what a clever and courageous move!
And at the same time, there were some comments that led away from the books to the relentless time that was encroaching on the online world. Sarcastic remarks about Klum even appeared among the discussions about the books. One commentator claimed that the aura of calumny around her was quite strong and they were helped not to get frustrated right at the beginning. The other, on the contrary, made very derogatory remarks about her appearance which, although quite amusing amongst the bookish crowd, was not in line with the overall warm and pleasant tone that had characterized the thread.
One user recounted a very personal but also very indirect and painfully long story about missing a modeling casting call. “Heidi, I couldn’t participate in the casting in Cologne because I was trapped in the war in Israel; there were no flights…” the user wrote, explaining that they were in Israel during the war and could not leave. The resolution was a hopeful casting next year. The same response then triggered a whole strand of discussions with people giving advice, doubting if he will be selected, and more to the extent of a flame war with insults being thrown at each other. It was a little drama within the book club, revealing how a simple post can bring up real-life struggles and online quarrels at the same time.
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Ultimately, Klum’s summer reading question has not only gathered tips for her reading list. The question has opened a window with the reading tastes of her fans who weren’t always in the same literary world with her, and thus the battle between the highbrow literary fiction, and thrillers, and the weird, personal, and sometimes chaotic engagement of the direct communication was highlighted. She might have been merely searching for the next book, but, along with that, she experienced a whole colorful spectrum of human responses. The book post also reminded fans of her daughter, Leni Klum, who often appears with her in campaigns. In fact, Heidi and Leni recently revealed their ultimate comfort in a new Intimissimi campaign. Heidi also occasionally shares family moments, like the adorable black-and-white family photo with her four children. This playful post by Heidi is just another example of how she engages her audience.