Cindy Crawford: The Real Reason You Don't Hear From Her Anymore
Cindy Crawford, with her iconic trademark mole, was an ubiquitous presence during the '80s and '90s, appearing on countless magazines covers and television commercials. The runway model even went on to host MTV's House of Style, and she eventually made the swift transition from an international supermodel to a full-fledged superstar.
Well past her 30th birthday, she was still walking the runway — even motherhood couldn't slow her down. However, as the 2010s approached, Crawford appeared to simply fade away from the limelight. As a new gaggle of younger Insta-Girls swooped in to stake their claim on the industry, Crawford appeared to be hanging up her stilettos and bidding the camera lenses and runways adieu.
She's still involved in the fashion industry in some capacity, but she has a ton of other projects that keep her busy, such as her full-time job as momager to two of the industry's rising stars. Here are a few other reasons why you don't hear from Cindy Crawford anymore.
You too can live like Cindy ... sort of
After her former Malibu, Calif. home was featured in a magazine spread in the early 2000s, Crawford was approached to create her very own line of furniture. At first, she was doubtful about the business opportunity. "I thought, 'That's cool, but who's going to care about my furniture?'" she told M Live magazine.
Being the smart businesswoman that she is, she decided to give it a shot, and the Cindy Crawford Home Collection was born. The collection consists of all of her favorite pieces and materials that not only look good, but feel good, too! "One of the things that's important to me is how comfortable things are. The fabrics have to feel good. I always say I want a blind person to feel as comfortable in my house," she told the publication.
According to a 2015 feature with Forbes, Crawford's home furnishing empire has been grossing a staggering $250 million annually, so it's no wonder she disappeared from our radar — she's too busy curating pieces to make our homes look as beautiful as hers!
She's putting pen to paper
What other achievements have taken Crawford away from the public eye? Well, the doyenne of the modeling industry co-authored a book entitled Becoming Cindy Crawford. Working in conjunction with her business partner, Katherine O'Leary, the two outlined the lessons Crawford learned during her life — from her days of picking corn in the Illinois countryside to her almost flawless navigation of the modeling industry (via Forbes). The book is also chock-full of glossy photographs of her in all her stunning glory.
The picture-heavy book was released in celebration of her 50th birthday, and, as the milestone year crept upon her, Crawford was ready to focus on the next phase of her life: the business side of things. "I like partnering with or being involved with projects that are less egocentric but still interesting, or that I can add something to because you do learn a lot over the years," she told the Los Angeles Times.
Taking on the role of momager
After marrying businessman and former model Rande Gerber in May 1998, Crawford gave birth to their son, Presley Gerber, in 1999, followed by the 2001 birth of her doppelgänger, daughter Kaia Gerber. Naturally, her gorgeous offspring decided to follow in her footsteps. And who better to manage them than Crawford herself?
"They have agents, but I would say for the first year, for sure, everything was 100 percent through me," Crawford told Town and Country. "Eventually I want to empower them to be in charge of their own careers, but they're not ready for that yet. Right now they're mostly, 'Mom, just tell me what to do.'"
Even though she can give her younger counterparts a run for their money, she's aware that it's her children's time to be in the forefront of the industry, and they're lucky to have her in their corner. "Entering this world and having someone with all this experience to guide us to the right decisions makes us feel so much more comfortable," Kaia told ELLE. "We couldn't have asked for anyone better."
Bottling her beauty secrets
Having aged gracefully, Crawford could still front the cover of any beauty magazine out there if she wanted to, and she has — like when she dazzled us as Vogue Australia's March 2017 cover model.
Everyone is always so curious about her secret for maintaining a youthful appearance after so many decades in the modeling industry, and she let her fans in on how she keeps her looks in tip-top shape by launching a skincare line called Meaningful Beauty.
Crawford told ELLE, "As my skin ages and I have different concerns, we address those needs in the line because I know that our customer has similar concerns as me."
Even though we're sure she has a team of experts to help her on the business side of things, coming up with different serums and potions to diminish the signs of aging is probably extremely time consuming.
She feels 'like an outsider'
At one point, she, along with Naomi Campbell and Helena Christensen, were three of the most celebrated models. They each sauntered their way onto the covers of different magazines, with Crawford landing multiple features on W, Vogue, and Cosmopolitan.
Due to her long-lasting career, she has seen fashion change from the fluorescent colors of the '80s to the grunge garb of the '90s. As the 2000s approached, she held on tight to her crown as one of the best to ever sashay down a catwalk, but she realized during a 2011 Parade magazine interview that she was no longer the industry's most sought-after talent. "I do feel like an outsider now," she admitted to the publication.
She went on to describe how difficult it was to be a modern top model, explaining that newcomers had to display numerous talents just to snag a job. "You have to sing and act, too. There doesn't seem to be as much work specifically just for models," she stated.
Crawford also realized she was no longer a part of the industry's newfound, preferred aesthetic. "And I also think when I was modeling, size 6 was a normal size and now it's like 2 or 0," she said.
Hangin' with the kiddos
Child-rearing in such close proximity to the entertainment industry is no easy task, but Crawford and her hubby managed to raise two level-headed kids who've managed to say out of trouble (thus far), their son, Presley, and their daughter, Kaia.
Back when they were just tots, the model gushed to Redbook Magazine on how being a mom made her life even better. "I like hanging out with my kids. When we went to Disneyland, they wanted to go on the same rides as I did. You get to re-experience all the fun things through their eyes," she said.
Even as her children aged and began building modeling careers of their own, they were never too far away from their mama bear. "My son lives in our guesthouse now, so he has more freedom, but somehow he still comes over for every meal and to do his laundry," Crawford joked to Town and Country.
There's no doubt that, in Crawford's world, family comes first and business is a close second!
She can't keep 'reinventing' herself
After turning 50, Crawford, while discussing the 2016 release of her book Becoming Cindy Crawford, came to the realization that it was time to "move on" from her days as a model.
"I had no idea that the book would be part of the journey," she told Rhapsody. "I've worked with all these incredible photographers. What else do I need to do? I can't keep reinventing myself. I shouldn't have to keep proving myself. I don't want to."
Her words, which many assumed were a part of her retirement speech, began to spread like wildfire in the news, with many assuming Crawford was indeed walking away from the industry that had turned her into a household name. Amid the speculation, she felt the need to clarify her statements in an Instagram post, which read, in part, "While it's true that I'm eager to shift my focus a bit to concentrate on my businesses, friends and family — I'm not making any final statements (not all headlines tell the whole story!)."
So what's the whole story? We're not sure, but she does seem really content working away from the spotlight, gracing us with her gorgeous presence from only time to time.
She launched her own fashion collection
Believe it or not, Cindy Crawford hasn't completely gone AWOL from the modeling industry. She famously reunited with other '90s supermodels for Balmain's Spring 2016 ad campaign. And she killed it, by the way.
The luxurious designer clothes still fit her body like a glove. However, one reason we don't hear from the iconic beauty as much as before is because she's working behind the scenes. Instead of wearing high-fashion pieces, she's designed her own clothing collections.
Launched in 2017, Crawford's capsule collection with Re/Done included reworked pairs of Levi's jeans, a hoodie emblazoned with her face on the back, a sweatshirt with her signature scrawled down the sleeve, and some vintage tees (via Harper's Bazaar).
So, there you have it. The girl's busy designing clothes, curating her home furniture collection, managing her children's careers, and bottling magic potions so we can all look as beautiful as her. Makes sense why she's missing in action, right?