Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington and Cindy Crawford – this “fab four” graced all the glossy covers and catwalks in the 90s. Cindy stood out among her fellow supermodels not only with her recognizable mole above her lip, but also with her beautiful love story.
On February 20, 1966, Cynthia Ann Crawford was born in DeKalb, Illinois. Her father worked as an electrician, and her mother was a nurse, so the family did not live very richly. Cindy’s sisters Chris and Danielle grew up next to her, but her brother died of leukemia at the age of three. That is why, having become popular, the model began to help the Department of Pediatric Oncology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.
But let’s get back to the roots. Cindy was such a good student that she managed to get into the best university in the state and get an academic scholarship. The chemical engineering department did not become her destiny for a number of reasons. Firstly, when Crawford’s dad got sick, the girl took a part-time job, picking corn in farmers’ fields. And secondly, Cynthia accidentally got into a report in the local newspaper, and her photo was seen and appreciated by Victor Skrebenesski.
The photographer contacted the girl and convinced her to try her hand at modeling. Cindy’s parents were against it, but the brunette understood that she could achieve real success, and so for the first time she went against the opinion of her loved ones and took her fate into her own hands. Skrebenesski sent the beauty’s photos to a Manhattan agency, which launched her dizzying career. What Cindy Crawford achieved and what she lost – we tell you in our article.
A model with her own opinion
It cannot be said that Cindy was on top from the start. For example, when the girl had just signed a contract with a lingerie brand, the photos from the photo shoot were posted all over her school – classmates tried to ridicule the aspiring model. Crawford took the jokes of ill-wishers calmly, deciding that being filmed was better than working in the field.
When Patrick Demarchelier invited Cindy to Rome and suggested that she get a haircut before the shoot, the girl felt a pang of pride – it seemed that the model had been deprived of her right to vote, because she wanted to change her hairstyle on her own initiative.
The model had to fight for her right to her own opinion and choice for years. The beauty with parameters 86-66-89 did not immediately become a standard model, and her now famous mole above her lip was carefully masked in the first photo shoots for magazines. But later agencies played up this feature in every possible way, right up to the chocolate advert, where Cindy seemed to lick the mole with her tongue.
Pepsi’s advert featuring a girl in shorts drinking from a can became incredibly popular – this video was recognized as the sexiest in the brand’s history. Interestingly, in 2018, Cindy starred in a parody of this video, and in 2021, she returned to the iconic image for a charity event – in the hopes of raising funds for the American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison, where Crawford’s brother was treated for leukemia.
Having acquired the status of a favorite of millions, Cindy concluded that it was important for her to express herself not only through photos, and became the host of an MTV fashion program. Despite the prohibitions of the agency she worked for, the model posed for Playboy. “If these are my decisions, and I control them, it gives me strength. Even if it is the men’s magazine Playboy that does it. I have never felt like a victim of my actions,” Crawford assured.
The shooting of George Michael’s video “Freedom!” also became a kind of rebellion of the “magnificent four” – the girls did not know how the public would react. The reviews were enthusiastic, and the video received cult status, so the supermodels worried in vain.
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Cindy occasionally appeared in films, although the films with her participation were often criticized. This happened, for example, with the film “Fair Game”, where the model played a lawyer. Crawford also appeared in the film “Descendants of the Monkeys” and a special edition of “Friends”, but more often fans remembered not these cameos, but video fitness lessons from the idol – rejected by experts in Pilates and shaping, but loved by viewers.
Cindy was the face of Revlon for 11 years, and when the partnership ended, she realized it was time to create something of her own. Together with dermatologist Jean-Louis Seb, the model founded the Meaningful Beauty skincare brand, advertised it in a “couch shop” and received revenue of $100 million a year. “I wanted to take a risk. I liked the idea that if it was successful, I would be the winner,” Crawford explained.
With age, Cindy did not stop getting into the tops of the most beautiful women in the world, and her photo shoots in swimsuits delighted fans even after her 50th birthday. By the way, just in time for her anniversary, Crawford released a book about her career in the modeling business, and this year she was photographed for a glossy magazine in a transparent dress, proving that you can be in great shape at 57.
However, nothing human is alien to Cindy – last year even such a self-confident woman as Crawford realized that she was facing a midlife crisis. Morning workouts and organization helped her fight thoughts about old age and physiological changes in her body – the star’s day is scheduled down to the minute. In addition, the supermodel hired a coach.
“I started working with a specialist. And one of the things we discuss is time. In particular, we talk about moments when I start to feel constrained,” the model confessed.
Broken heart
The model did not manage to build a happy family the first time, although she tried very hard. Cindy saw the ideal life partner in Richard Gere, who met her by chance – he happened to be at a photo shoot of the brunette for Playboy. Within 10 minutes, the star of “Pretty Woman” was looking at a naked Crawford, which did not prevent, but rather contributed to the beginning of a bright romance.
The lovers soon got married in Las Vegas, and all of Hollywood was whispering about the hottest couple in America. However, the actor and model spent only four years together: Cindy was ready to leave for her family, but Richard, who was 17 years older, was more interested in his career and Tibetan practices. “I was 20, everything was new to me: all these stars, parties, fame… I threw myself into this relationship head-on and I don’t regret anything, but this marriage was doomed to failure,” Crawford later concluded.
Since her youth, the model had been friends with George Clooney, and fans suspected that feelings had certainly flared up between them, at least at some point in time. However, the friends denied the rumors, and did not stop communicating even after Clooney married Amal Alamuddin. Moreover, the actor and model built villas in Los Cabos next door to each other so that they could drop in on a visit by walking along a common courtyard. That’s where the stars threw noisy parties, reminding others that they were still full of energy.
It was not Clooney who rushed to console Cindy, who was going through a difficult divorce, but another old friend of the brunette – Randy Gerber. At the dawn of their careers, they met at the shooting of a lingerie collection, when both were developing in modeling. The couple had a short romance, which quickly fizzled out by mutual consent. Later, they communicated periodically, although Randy soon quit the catwalks and went into the restaurant business.
So, after the divorce, Cindy had a lot of free time, which an attentive and caring friend rushed to take up. Café gatherings and walks smoothly flowed into dates, and soon Crawford was surprised that she had not noticed such a diamond next to her.
Next to Randy, the model could be herself and not pretend that she liked some sports or Tibetan practices. Two years flew by in comfort and simplicity, and the 32-year-old brunette decided to take an unprecedented step – she proposed to Gerber. Of course, the man agreed, and the lovers flew to Hawaii, where they had a modest but charming wedding – the bride wore a short dress and walked barefoot on the sand to the altar.
Cindy’s dream of a strong and complete family came true with Randy – the couple had children Presley and Kaia, who followed in the footsteps of their star mother. Rumors of Gerber and Crawford’s impending divorce in 2018 were not confirmed, and the lovers are still together. “This was the first relationship in my life that started with friendship. And I highly recommend this option to all women. Passion comes and goes, has its ups and downs, but if you really feel good with a person, then you will not find a stronger foundation for a wonderful relationship,” the model concluded.
