The Simmons family mother-daughter standoff is getting more public ... as Aoki appears to be firing back at her mom Kimora Lee Simmons for commenting about Aoki's brief fling with much older restaurateur Vittorio Assaf.
Aoki posted a quote Friday from Dr. Nicole LePera that certainly reads like a response to Kimora telling TMZ she was "embarrassed" her 21-year-old daughter was photographed sucking face with 65-year-old Assaf.
The comment seems to have struck a chord with Aoki, who highlighted LePera's words ... "Good girl conditioning sends a clear message: don’t be too much or want too much."
She added, 'It’s why so many women tolerate misery. May we teach young girls to say no clearly and to disappoint people regularly. May we free her from the generational cycle of being polite & easy."
Translation: Aoki doesn't want to follow what she views as stifling societal norms women have lived by for so long ... or so it seems.
Take that, Mom!
Of course, who's to say Kimora, an extremely independent woman, would disagree with that?
When we saw her this week in NYC, she weighed in on Aoki's smoochfest with Assaf on a Caribbean Beach in April. Remember, this led to public disgust over their huge age gap and the quick end to their short romance when the images surfaced in the media.
Kimora told us she didn't think the relationship was real and that Aoki was "set up," implying the much older and experienced Assaf made her daughter confused.
Mama Simmons also referred to Assaf as a "toad," while also admitting she was a "little bit embarrassed" by the ordeal, but that Aoki will always have her full love and support.
Seemed like a warm, parental remark -- but Aoki might have a different take.