One of the most recognizable faces in the world of fashion, Cindy Crawford, has just recently launched a collection of 50 of her most iconic pictures and stories in a book called Becoming. Some of her most iconic photo shoots made the cut, including the shot by Herb Ritts that made her, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista household names and coined the phrase “Supermodel” for the genetically blessed girl squad. And I had the opportunity to meet with the stunner and talk about her life, career, working with Taylor Swift and motherhood.
Roxy: You are so open and honest when talking about body image, aging and nudity in your new book, Becoming. Why was it important to talk about these things now?
Cindy: My modeling pictures are what everyone, of course, knows and I wanted to honor that part of my career. But, to me the part that I wanted to share are the lessons that I learned along the way. And that is what makes life meaningful. That’s the “becoming” that we are constantly learning, evolving and growing. So, I just wrote about things that I think about or have thought about or insights that I’ve gained.
Roxy: What is the takeaway for people with this book. How would you like to inspire people with it?
Cindy: Well I think different people will take away different things. I mean, it’s been fun because we have now been doing press and events for three weeks. Some people are just fashion and photography fans. So they gravitate toward the part where I talk about the different photography mentors I’ve had. But other people are mothers and they like the topics about marriage and becoming a mother and aging. So I think everyone is getting something different. You don’t know what you can get out of it until you look at it. I think, for me, I hoped that not only was it something I could share with my own kids. Yes, this was my career in pictures. I thought that, hopefully, women would want to share it with their daughters. So that was kind of the idea.
Roxy: You have had such an amazing career. So many incredible photo shoots. You have worked with great people. Do you have a favorite shoot or picture that stands out to you?
Cindy: Everything that is in the book is a favorite. They wouldn’t have made it in the book otherwise. And then there were still favorites that I couldn’t include. I definitely know there was a Rolling Stones shoot that I did with Herb Ritts where I was playing different characters. That was definitely a highlight just because it was fun. Working with Helmut Newton was always hoot. But you know, what I really loved as a model, my favorite is the rapport you develop with the photographer. And when you are working with someone you really enjoy working with, it doesn’t matter what you are doing. You could be doing catalogue.
Roxy: And you guys really became household names in the 90’s with the George Michael Freedom ’90 video and the Herb Ritts shoot. Do you have a favorite memory from that era specifically? Like working with the girls?
Cindy: We had fun backstage! But the moment, and I included the picture in the book, where we all came down the runway of the Versace show. It was Christy (Turlington), Linda (Evangelista) Naomi (Campbell) and me walking to Freedom ’90 after having done the video. To me that was like ‘What is going on here? This is different.’ It felt like a moment. And sometimes you don’t realize the moments when you’re in them. But that one I felt like I did.
Roxy: You were present in that moment.
Cindy: It was like, something is happening, I don’t what it is, but it’s really cool.
Roxy: You were like the rock stars of the runway!
Cindy: Yes, exactly. That was a moment when music and passion were colliding.
Roxy: To what do you owe your longevity and success into the modeling world?
Cindy: Some of it is luck. And the fact that I worked hard. Also that I’m not trying to still be the same type of model I when was at twenty-five as at forty-nine years old. I embrace where I am in the moment instead of trying to live in the past. I think that when you are authentic you attract people who are interested in who you are. They will support you as long as you are authentic.
Roxy: So you keep evolving, always.
Cindy: Yes. When I had kids, I was interested in everything babies. So I did stuff on Good Morning America about being pregnant. Or got involved with a baby company. I like makeup, but I’m not a makeup artist. So I wasn’t so interested in doing a makeup line. But I was interested in taking care of my skin. So Meaningful Beauty was part of my journey as a women and being able to share the access that I have because of that. So it’s just doing things that I’m interested in. And then sometimes you get lucky like Taylor Swift asking me to be in the “Bad Blood” video. It was fun because all of a sudden my kids were like, ” That’s cool.” It gave me street cred.
Come back next week for part two of my chat with Cindy about how she stays looking so beautiful, her guilty pleasures and what she thinks of her daughter Kaia’s blossoming modeling career!
