Cindy Crawford was one of the first supermodels in the world, but her catwalk career nearly didn’t happen.
And it was all the result of shameless, cocaine-fueled knickerbockery.
Cindy, who celebrates her 57th birthday today (20 February), had a successful modeling career in the 1980s and 1990s, appearing on the covers of prominent glossy publications and on the catwalk.
With her long legs, seductive appearance, and distinctive mole or beauty mark on her cheek, she was an instant sensation.
Nonetheless, the world was nearly deprived of seeing her face everywhere.
During a chaotic incident at a party in Milan, Italy, she nearly gave up on her career just as it was taking off.
In 1985, Cindy pleaded with her mother to “re-enroll” her in college.
In 1984, she turned down a scholarship to Northwestern University, Illinois, at the age of 18 to pursue a career in modeling.
Nevertheless, when the naive teenager saw how debauched the modeling industry could be, she almost made a U-turn.
Cindy told Maxim magazine, “I was at a dinner in Milan with several prominent photographers and several of the biggest models at the time, and people were sniffing cocaine right in front of me.
This one girl climbed onto the table while wearing only a short skirt.
Traumatized, she called her mother and pleaded for assistance to return to college.
She said, “There I was, 18 years old and from Illinois. I called my mother and told her, “I can’t do this.” Get me re-enrolled.’
That initial experience was very direct.
Fortunately, she was convinced to continue her modeling career.
A year before beginning college, she entered the prestigious Elite Model Management’s “Look of the Year” contest.
She reached the finals, and modeling jobs continued to pour in.
She rapidly caught the attention of Hugh Hefner, and in 1988 she became the first fashion model to appear naked in Playboy.
In October 1998, Cindy posed naked for Playboy to promote her ABC television show Sex with Cindy Crawford, which analyzed American sexual views.
The show failed, but Cindy’s photo shoot was a success.
Cindy began pursuing a degree in chemical engineering while working as a model on the side.
It became more impossible for her to balance the two, and she ultimately chose the catwalk over college.
Cindy was a member of the “Super” fashion model group that ruled the 1990s by 1991.
The modeling group also included Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Elle Macpherson, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington.
In 2000, she retired from full-time modeling.
She had appeared on hundreds of magazine covers and walked the runways of the world’s most prestigious fashion houses.