In the brand-new “The Super Models” docuseries on Apple TV+, Cindy Crawford discusses her early years and professional life and admits that she now views a 1986 appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey” show differently than she did then.
Crawford, who was 20 at the time of the interview, and John Casablancas, a representative of Elite Model Management, are shown in the clip from the 1986 interview that was featured on the first episode of the docuseries. Oprah introduces the supermodel and continues: “Did she always have this body? Stand up just a moment.”
While the audience is hushed, Crawford cheerfully jumps up to flaunt her physique while grinning awkwardly.
“Now this is what I call a body,” Oprah says.
@mrichardp411 shared the short clip on X ‘Oprah demanding Cindy to show off her body on camera at age 20 to prove she was ‘worthy’ of fame.’
'It was so NOT okay': Cindy Crawford blasts Oprah for treating her like 'CHATTEL' by demanding she show off her body on camera at age 20 to prove she was 'worthy' of fame – as supermodel opens up about regularly PASSING OUT from hunger on shoots pic.twitter.com/9oINGJMW6q
— NEWS BLOG (@mrichardp411) September 20, 2023
The talk show presenter then inquires further, asking Casablancas if Crawford underwent a “training period.”
“With Cindy, it was much more — psychologically, she was not sure if she really wanted to model,” Casablancas answers.
Crawford discussed the unpleasant situation in a new interview for the docuseries, which was her first of multiple appearances on Winfrey’s show.
“I was like the chattel or a child, be seen and not heard,” the supermodel says. “When you look at it through today’s eyes, when Oprah’s like, ‘Stand up and show me your body. Show us why you’re worthy of being here.'”
She continues: “In the moment I didn’t recognize it, only when I look back at it am I like, ‘Oh my gosh, that was so not okay, really. Especially from Oprah.'”
Requests for response from Insider were not immediately answered by Crawford’s or Winfrey’s representatives.
Crawford also revealed on “The Super Models” that she would frequently faint during early career photo shoots in Chicago with fashion photographer Victor Skrebneski.
“I passed out there more than once. Especially right before lunch, if you were hungry, you would faint. Then they would prop you back up, and you’d do it all over again,” Crawford shares.
When asked about the attitudes towards models at that time in her career, she explains, “It wasn’t about, ‘Oh wow, you’re so pretty, we’re gonna take pictures of you, it was like, ‘Your job is, you’re helping me sell this jacket. We’re all here to sell this jacket.'”
One of the most well-known models in the world today, Cindy has been in a number of fashion campaigns and catwalk events, as well as adorned the pages of numerous magazines, including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and more.
Cindy withdrew from full-time modelling in 2000.
By that time, she and her husband, Rande Garber, had welcomed their son Presley, now 24. Kaia, now 22, was born the following year, and both of her children have followed in her footsteps.
