All four episodes of the docu-series The Super Models hit Apple TV+ on Wednesday, Sept. 20, where Cindy Crawford, 57, stated talk show host Oprah Winfrey made her feel like “chattel” in her 1986 interview, the Daily Mail reported.
The part of the interview Crawford referred to was toward the beginning, where the former supermodel accused Winfrey of gawking at the then-20-year-old’s body and told her to stand up. In the video clip, the talk show maven appeared to compliment Crawford– not gawk at her.
“Stand up just a moment, ’cause no one saw you come in standing up,” Winfrey told her. “Now, this is what I call a body.”
Crawford reflected on that interview in the docu-series, claiming it wasn’t okay for Winfrey to tell her to stand and model her looks.
Girl, that’s your literal job.
“I was like the chattel or a child, be seen and not heard,” she said. “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.”
The 57-year-old woman continued, “In the moment, I didn’t recognize it and watching it back, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that was so not okay, really.’ Especially from Oprah!”
Alongside young Crawford was her Elite Modeling Agency representative, John Casablancas. Winfrey asked Casablancas if Crawford had to endure a “training period. The model agency rep admitted that Crawford’s body was the least of their worries. The agency had to convince a hesitant young Crawford, who was focused and passionate about schooling, that she should be a model.
“Psychologically, she was not sure she really wanted to model. She didn’t see the…potential that she had, so it’s been a very slow process. I’m still trying to get her out more often to Paris and New York.”
Casablancas added Crawford wanted to feel “good and comfortable.”
Winfrey noticed that modeling wasn’t something Crawford initially wanted to do and even asked what she wanted to major in since the model exclaimed she loved school. The former 20-year-old revealed she was interested in engineering. Crawford attended Northwestern University until she realized she couldn’t commit to school and modeling full-time.
Ironically, the Illinois native’s call out of Winfrey making her feel like “chattel” is rich because Crawford had no qualms with French designer Thierry Mugler’s spicy design for his 1991 fashion show, where she confidently walked the catwalk in a dominatrix-esque leather jumpsuit with rope hanging from her nipples.
Winfrey touched on all aspects of young Crawford in the interview, showing that there was more to her, from her beauty to her brain.
Chile, sit down.
