The Stunning Transformation Of Cindy Crawford Through The Years

Cindy Crawford was one of the pioneering supermodels who helped elevate fashion to its standing today. Along with stars like Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford was (and still is, TBH) an iconic “it” girl of the 90s. She was a muse for many designers, including Michael Kors, who once said she changed the image of the American bombshell babe from blue-eyed blondes to “brunette with brains”.

Even though Crawford has retired from the whirlwind world of modeling, passing the torch to the likes of Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner, both who have called her their idol. Now, let’s learn more about her childhood and her unique journey towards international fame.

A horrifying tragedy in childhood

When Cindy Crawford was only 8 years old, her 2-year-old brother was diagnosed with a fatal form of cancer: leukemia. Just a year later, her brother passed away.  On the subject, Cindy told InStyle magazine that no one had any idea what to say to you, since society is so “uncomfortable” discussing the ideas of death and grieving. She and her mom both got involved with charities as a response — today, she’s a pediatric cancer research advocate who always appreciates the small moments, and never takes anything for granted. According to Cindy, she thinks this tragedy helped push her to achieve her goals and lead to career success.

Ambition from a young age

Even though Cindy Crawford’s parents were childhood sweethearts, they got divorced and faced financial troubles. Young Cindy saw her dad controlling her mother financially in the form of withholding money. After witnessing this, she decided she would always earn her own living and never rely on a man. As a teen, she earned her money shucking and cleaning corn on local farms, but when she did finally discover acting, she treated it “like a job, not a lifestyle” as she told Marie Claire magazine.

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Modelling discovered through a prank

Who would’ve thought someone would have the audacity to prank this sweet beauty? In 2015, her book Becoming revealed she got a surprise call from a local clothing store who asked if they could hire her as a model. Cindy never thought about modeling till that moment. Unfortunately, the call was made by two other high schoolers, who laughed nearby as she showed up for the interview. Clearly the joke is on them, since she became one of the world’s most popular (and richest) supermodels ever.

Her career started from a picture in a college newspaper

In the junior year of high school, this stunner truly blossomed. When a local photographer asked her to do a shoot for Northern Illinois University newspaper, he followed up by suggesting she find a modeling agent. She went to Chicago and did exactly that and to nobody’s surprise, started getting hired for high-profile modeling gigs.

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The class valedictorian

Cindy’s not just about looks — she was a straight A student all through school, and was actually class valedictorian. When she went to Northwest University, it was to study chemical engineering. She got accepted on an academic scholarship. Even though she eventually dropped out of university, she continues to challenge expectations of her to just be unintelligent due to her attractiveness. Her chemistry professor even told her he thought she was in the wrong class, as she revealed in a Harper’s Bazaar interview.