“It’s a water baby” (Exclusive)

“She said to me, ‘Mom, you look like a mermaid!’ ” Union told PEOPLE on the red carpet about her 5-year-old daughter’s reaction to her look.

Gabrielle Union’s daughter Kaavia wasn’t far from her parents’ minds at the 2024 Met Gala!

The actress and lawyer, 51, spoke with PEOPLE on the red carpet in New York City on Monday, May 6, revealing that her 5-year-old was the inspiration behind the stunning mermaid dress she wore.

“She’s the one who inspired me,” Union says of Kaavia. “She’s a water baby, she loves water. And she said to me, ‘Mom, you look like a mermaid!'”

Union walked the Met Gala red carpet Monday night alongside husband Dwyane Wade, marking their fifth appearance together at fashion’s biggest night of the year.

THE Bring it The actress glowed in a high-neck Michael Kors dress with a cascading ombré pattern of lilac, green and teal. Union’s hair was swept back in a beehive style accented with a silver star (dare we say, starfish?) and dangling earrings.

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On the same subject: The most glamorous couples at the 2024 Met Gala

Kaavia (who was also born under the sign of Scorpio, a water sign!) has indeed been a “water baby” since she was a child, since she could swim with her head underwater from 8 months old.

In a video shared by her former NBA star father, 42, Kaavia entered the water face down without hesitation, while holding small flotation devices in each hand.

With encouragement from her instructor, the then-little girl propelled herself through the water faster than you can say, “I eat fear for breakfast.”

According to a June 2012 article published on Live Sciencebabies are born with a reflex called the bradycardic response, a survival tactic that allows them to automatically hold their breath when underwater and keeps them “alive much longer than adults would survive underwater.”

Related: Gabrielle Union ‘Absolutely’ Loves Walking the Met Gala Red Carpet, Calls Inside ‘Anguish’ (Exclusive)

Her fish-in-water prowess aside, Kaavia might have a big head start if she ever decides to go into fashion herself one day!

Speaking to PEOPLE earlier this year about her new role as an ambassador for Knix, Union said she archived some of her clothes for her daughter.

“I have a storage space full of things that are like, oh, I want to be able to tell this story or how I felt wearing this,” she revealed. “So it started when I put my first Met Ball outfit in this beautiful display case.”

“I was also at the museum and realized that maybe I didn’t have to display it in my home, but I could put it in a temperature-controlled space that preserves the material and the memories,” Union added. “So even if (Kaavia) never wants to wear one, she will have that little bit of her mother and the stories that come with it.”

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