Cindy Crawford is opening up about a negative experience she had on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1986, when she was just 20 years old.
In the new Apple TV+ docuseries The Super Models, Crawford recalls how Winfrey asked her to stand up and show her body to the audience.
“I was like the chattel. Or a child, like, ‘Be seen and not heard,'” Crawford says in the docuseries.
She adds that she didn’t realize how wrong it was at the time, but that she sees it differently now.
“When you look at it through today’s eyes, when Oprah’s like, ‘Stand up and show me your body.’ Like, ‘Show us why you’re worthy of being here,'” Crawford says. “In the moment, I didn’t recognize it. Only when I look back at it, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that was so not okay, really.’ Especially from Oprah!”
It’s important to note that Winfrey was one of the most powerful people in the media at the time, and that Crawford was a young, aspiring model. It’s understandable why Crawford felt pressure to comply with Winfrey’s request, even though it made her uncomfortable.
It’s also worth noting that Winfrey has apologized for her past behavior towards models and other women. In a 2018 interview, she said that she was “ashamed” of the way she had treated women in the past.
I’m glad that Crawford is speaking out about this experience now. It’s a reminder that even the most powerful people can make mistakes, and that it’s never too late to apologize. It’s also a reminder that we should all be mindful of how we treat others, especially those who are in positions of power.