Life & Style | Beauty & Fashion
Model Mother
Cindy Crawford talks about supermodels and supermoney, motherhood, her business career, and whether models today are too thin
- By Hannah Pool, Guardian News and Media Limited
- Published: 00:00 November 16, 2009
- Model Cindy Crawford sports a long red sleeveless evening dress designed by Herve Leger.
- Image Credit: AP
The mole, also known as Cindy Crawford, is one of the most successful supermodels of our time. She's conquered the ramp, magazine covers, and expanded her brand to encompass film, television and ambassador. Along the way, she's even made name for herself in the business world.
Lots of the supermodels are making comebacks. Is that what you're doing?
I certainly don't want to repeat where I've been, and I never felt like I went away. There's evolution and your path changes. I have a skin-care line, a home line and a furniture line. They keep me pretty busy. I go to product development meetings and marketing meetings. It's half like being a model, because I have to do the commercials and the ads, and the other half is being a businesswoman. It's a nice balance.
There was a time when people talked of supermodels not getting out of bed for less than $10,000 (Dh36,721). Was that true?
Linda [Evangelista] probably regrets the day she said that. It was a crazy thing to say. There is a misconception, because every time you do a Vogue cover or something like that, you don't really make any money. Then there's other times where you do a big advertising campaign or a commercial where you make a tonne of money, and it averages out.
Your look was athletic. After you it was about waifs. Did models become too thin?
The girls who are models now, that's just their body. Did fashion celebrate thinness more? That's a different question. You can't fault the models for that — they were just thin girls. Kate Moss, she eats. I've seen her eat, and she's just thin.
Fashion is all about extremes, and it's constantly in flux. It's just fashion.
Fashion gets blamed for encouraging eating disorders.
That's a little bit of a stretch. I don't know that much about eating disorders, but I'm certainly not one of the people they've blamed, because I'm not super-skinny.
I think people want to find something to blame.
An eating disorder is way more than a girl looking at a magazine and seeing a picture of a skinny model. Maybe that's one tiny piece of the puzzle, but I think it's a lot more about self-esteem and self-love and control, so it's too simplistic to just blame it on models who are skinny.
What does being in the fashion world do to a woman's self-image?
It's good and bad. If you end up being able to work as a model, in some ways it's a seal of approval, but it also puts a lot of pressure on you.
I used to feel like I needed two hours of hair and make-up to look good — that was in the late '80s, early '90s, when hair was big and make-up was like full drag.
Being at a runway show and changing backstage with 30 incredibly beautiful women brings out all your insecurities too.
What do you see when you look in the mirror?
I don't spend that much time looking in the mirror. I'm so busy. Most mornings I'm getting kids ready for school and I spend more time helping my daughter pick out her outfit than I do my own, as most mothers do.
I think I'm pretty accepting of myself. At the same time I feel like I'm taking care of myself and I'm holding together pretty good.
A lot of models are incredibly young. Is that a good thing?
It's really a career for young people, when you don't have any ties and you can fly all over and work long hours, and you can take it seriously. I can still do it, but I'm not quite as invested in it. I'm happy to do it, but at 4.30pm I want to get home because I have to do homework with my kid.
Would you consider yourself a feminist?
I guess, in some ways, but I also feel like I didn't grow up thinking I had to prove I was equal to boys. I just assumed I was, because of the feminists before me. Do I feel women should earn the same amount of money as men? Absolutely, but those things seem a given to me.
Does the fashion industry like women?
We as the consumers, we as the women, have the power. If you don't like something, don't buy it. Don't buy the magazine if you don't like what it says. If you don't like the image a brand is putting out, don't buy it.
What I really don't agree with is people who complain about it but still support it. You're giving your power away.
If people don't want skinny models, stop buying the magazine with the skinny model, and believe me those magazines will change fast. It's business.
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