Cindy Crawford found herself being body-shamed after she posted a bikini photo. The former supermodel decided to clap back at the critics.
Cindy Crawford may be over 50, but she is adamant that her days of appearing in a bikini are far from gone. In an Instagram post, the renowned model showed off her beach body as she leaned on a wooden lakeside pillar while wearing a trendy hat and sunglasses. “A little bit of lake light,” she captioned the snap, adding a sparkle emoji.
The photo quickly became referred to as “goals” among the supermodel’s admirers. “Unrealistic, I know, but a girl can dream,” one person commented, while another said, “Top model for life.” Other positive comments included “Gorgeous”, “You look like you’re in your 20s!” and “Forever young and powerful!”
Others, however, criticized the mother-of-two for flaunting her body. “Look at me, look at me—time to let it go; your ship has sailed,” someone wrote. “Getting a little old for this…” another posted, adding a cringing emoji. While a third person added, “You are old now. I don’t think you are living in reality.”
In light of the rude reaction, Crawford’s fans swiftly responded to the naysayers. “There are negative comments about this picture?” one confused user asked. “Must be a jealous bunch!” Another supporter wrote, “Go Cindy… they’re jealous!” While one netizen added, “I am 80 now, but when I was 56, I wore bikinis when I swam in Greece, but I did not look as good as you… YOU ROCK.”
Cindy Crawford’s celebrity friends also came to her defense. Former model Helena Christensen commented, “And a lot of hotness,” while Crawford’s daughter, model Kaia Gerber, wrote, “So beautiful.” Actor Rita Wilson simply added, “Beauty!!!!” and TV personality Lisa Rinna gave the supermodel a fire emoji.
During a panel hosted by WWD, Crawford responded to people who chastised her for continuing to model. She discussed ageism in the modeling profession and why she believes it is crucial to portray diverse types of beauty. “We want to show women who are 53, and I think Christy [Turlington] just turned 50, that there’s still beauty in that,” Crawford said.
The former supermodel responded to those who criticized her on social media. “I remember some snarky person on Instagram—there seem to be a lot of those—posted something like, ‘Ah, why are you still doing those at your age?’” Crawford declared. She also clapped back at those who responded adversely when she posed nude for legendary photographer Russell James’ book, Angels, at the age of 53.
“I was like, ‘Is there an age where being nude isn’t beautiful?’” Crawford asked. “It’s just a different kind of beauty. That is part of the reason I still do shoots,” she added. Crawford also shared her secret to looking and feeling young. “Avoiding the sun, not smoking, drinking a lot of water, and getting enough sleep is key to looking and feeling good at any age,” she said.
Cindy Crawford’s daughter Kaia followed her mother into modeling, and the mom was also criticized for allowing her daughter to start in the industry at a young age. “Now everyone’s a model in their everyday life,” she said, defending her parenting choice. “Every young person is modeling in their own life,” she added. “I had no trepidation at all about saying yes to Kaia,” she revealed. “I felt comfortable and I was like, ‘Go for it, have fun and I’m always here if you have a question.'”
Unlike her mom, Kaia has to contend with developing her career and personal life in the age of social media. “It’s a much different landscape than it was kind of when I was her age,” Crawford said. “Like anything, there’s good and bad sides to it,” she adds. “The good thing is you have direct communication with your audience. The bad thing can be, it’s a lot of pressure and you see a lot of snarky comments on there.”
