Cindy Crawford says her father initially thought modelling ‘was another form of prostitution’

‘My dad really didn’t understand that modelling was a real career,’ Crawford says

Cindy Crawford has shared how her father, John Crawford, didn’t initially understand that modelling was a career.

The supermodel, 57, spoke candidly about the beginning of her career in a sneak peek of the new Apple TV+ documentary series, The Super Models, shared via People. While the clip showcased a photo of Crawford from the 1980s, she expressed that back when she was a teenager, she didn’t understand how the modelling world worked.

“I never even thought about modelling,” she said. “I didn’t even know it was a real job. I didn’t know how I would get from DeKalb, Illinois, to a magazine.”

After the clip showed footage of Crawford posing for the camera in the 80s, she then added that her father didn’t know what modelling was either.

“My dad really didn’t understand that modelling was a real career. He thought modelling was like another name for prostitution,” she said. “So [my parents] came with me to my very first modelling appointment.”

This isn’t Crawford’s first time opening up about the early days of her career. During an interview with Vanity Fair in 2016, she recalled how she posed for her first portrait at the age of 16, while living in her hometown.

“When I was 16, Roger Legel, a local photographer in my small town of DeKalb, Illinois, asked to photograph me for the college newspaper. I agreed, and he shot this picture at the backyard pool of my high-school boyfriend,” she said.

According to Crawford, that photoshoot offered her a change of perspective, as it ultimately encouraged her to go into modelling as a career.

“I was still a teenager and dreamed of becoming something big - a nuclear physicist or the first woman president, the two biggest jobs I could think of,” she said. “Doing this first shoot changed my life. The photographer encouraged me to go to Chicago to try to find an agent.”

The actor once again shared her parent’s initial thoughts about modelling, before recalling how she went on to officially start modelling in Chicago.

“At the time, my dad thought modelling was a nice word for prostitution, so my parents were very protective of me,” Crawford said. “I went to Chicago, ended up signing with Elite, and from there started doing catalogue shoots as well as working with Victor Skrebneski - the most important photographer in Chicago.”

She concluded: “This one photograph opened my eyes to a whole new world and started me down the path of modelling.”

In the new Apple TV + series, The Super Models, Crawford comes together with fellow modelling legends – Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington – to open up about her time in the fashion world. According to a press release shared by Apple TV, the program will discuss some of the achievements that these four women have had so far, as well as how they’ve shaped the modelling industry today.

“Their prestige was so extraordinary that it enabled the four to supersede the brands they showcased, making the names Naomi, Cindy, Linda and Christy as prominent as the designers who styled them,” the press release reads. “Today, the four supermodels remain on the frontlines of culture through activism, philanthropy and business prowess.”

“As the fashion industry continues to redefine itself – and women’s roles within it – this is the ultimate story of power and how four women came together to claim it, paving the way for those to follow,” the statement continued.

The Super Models will premiere on Apple TV + on 20 September.