Cindy Crawford has made a fortune off her looks and slim figure since the late 1980s. She, along with Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington, were larger-than-life presences in fashion, becoming the industry’s globally recognized supermodels throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s.
Now, reflecting on her 30-plus-year career, Crawford has opened up about an issue she has with the way Oprah Winfrey treated her when the world was just getting to know her.
In “The Super Models,” an Apple TV+ docuseries, the 57-year-old claimed that she was treated inappropriately by the media mogul during a 1986 appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
Crawford was a guest along with her then-manger, John Casablancas, founder of the eponymous elite modeling agency, in the resurfaced clip. In it, Winfrey asked, “Did you have to groom her? Did she always have this body?”
She continued, “This is unbelievable. Stand up just a moment, cause no one saw you come in. Now this is what I call a body.”
A then-20-year-old Crawford stood up for a few seconds, giving the audience a look at her slender build. The former Northwestern University engineering student chuckled and then sat back as she revealed that she was 5 feet 9 and tried to maintain a weight of 120 pounds.
For years, Winfrey publicly struggled with weight loss and maintenance during times when her figure was more trim.
After hearing Crawford humbly slam rumors that she only weighed 100 pounds, Winfrey said, “OK, I’m happy for you.” The focus of the conversation then shifted gears towards the model’s blossoming career.
🤣🤣🤣 Cindy crawford acting like Oprah told her to bend over & shake her ass! She told her to stand up so the audience could see her "a MODELS" shape! Isn't that what fashion designers & agents rely on to book a model in the 1st place?
— Skyy Journey (@JourneyDean1) September 20, 2023
Crawford’s reflections of the moment are far from fond. “I was like the chattel or a child, be seen and not heard. When you look at it through today’s eyes, Oprah’s like, ‘Stand up and show me your body. Show us why you’re worthy of being here,’” said the Meaningful Beauty founder.
“In the moment, I didn’t recognize it, and watching it back, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that was so not OK, really. Especially from Oprah,” she added. Social media users were baffled by her remarks.
“But you were/are a model… your body is what people come to see. Your body is the gig. Especially in the 80s/90s. The only reason you were invited to the show is bc of your body…” read one comment.
“She’s reaching like girl! and Oprah was reaching tooo because what bodddyy,” wrote someone else.
Another user posted, “So that man sitting next to her and all the people involved in modeling didn’t treat her like chattel? Only Oprah? Girl gone.”
The clip, which was formerly featured on the OWN YouTube channel, has since been removed.
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