WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.140 Welcome to the deep dive. This is where we dig 00:00:03.140 --> 00:00:06.299 into a huge pile of sources pull out the interesting 00:00:06.299 --> 00:00:09.759 bits and Basically hand you the good stuff. That's 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:12.660 the plan today. We are getting into the life 00:00:12.660 --> 00:00:16.559 and really the brand of someone who just completely 00:00:16.559 --> 00:00:20.199 defined an era, Cynthia Ann Crawford. Oh, Cindy 00:00:20.199 --> 00:00:23.239 Crawford, yeah. Of course. I mean, if you were 00:00:23.239 --> 00:00:25.420 alive and paying attention in the 80s and 90s, 00:00:25.500 --> 00:00:28.140 her face was everywhere, like truly everywhere. 00:00:28.280 --> 00:00:30.800 Fashion, pop culture. Absolutely unavoidable. 00:00:30.839 --> 00:00:33.740 And the sources, they back this up. By 1998, 00:00:34.039 --> 00:00:37.240 get this, she was already on over 500 magazine 00:00:37.240 --> 00:00:40.479 covers around the world. 500, that's... That's 00:00:40.479 --> 00:00:42.340 not just famous. That's total media saturation. 00:00:42.579 --> 00:00:45.420 Exactly. It shows this incredible power she had 00:00:45.420 --> 00:00:47.840 over the global media landscape for, well, more 00:00:47.840 --> 00:00:49.840 than a decade. Yeah. And she was, you know, one 00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:51.920 of the original supermodels. That term gets thrown 00:00:51.920 --> 00:00:54.960 around. But she was core to that group that really 00:00:54.960 --> 00:00:57.439 became household names. Yeah. Way beyond just 00:00:57.439 --> 00:01:00.780 the runway. But our mission today, it's a bit 00:01:00.780 --> 00:01:03.380 deeper. We want to look at the sources and figure 00:01:03.380 --> 00:01:05.819 out how she pulled off that transition. I mean, 00:01:06.359 --> 00:01:08.019 modeling careers are usually pretty short, tied 00:01:08.019 --> 00:01:11.260 to youth. So refleeting, typically. Right. So 00:01:11.260 --> 00:01:14.799 how does she go from that to being this incredibly 00:01:14.799 --> 00:01:17.920 successful entrepreneur, a media figure, a brand 00:01:17.920 --> 00:01:21.019 that lasts? She sort of defied the usual timeline. 00:01:21.219 --> 00:01:22.939 Yeah. That's the really fascinating question, 00:01:23.019 --> 00:01:25.120 I think, because when you dig into the source 00:01:25.120 --> 00:01:29.519 material, you see signs, hints of this. very 00:01:29.519 --> 00:01:32.819 disciplined, almost calculated business mind 00:01:32.819 --> 00:01:35.340 way before she was, you know, a global business 00:01:35.340 --> 00:01:37.480 mogul. Okay. Yeah. Let's unpack that. Yeah. Because 00:01:37.480 --> 00:01:40.079 the image, right? Cindy Crawford, high fashion, 00:01:40.379 --> 00:01:42.900 Pepsi cans, the mole. The mole, iconic. Totally 00:01:42.900 --> 00:01:45.439 iconic. What you probably don't immediately think 00:01:45.439 --> 00:01:48.239 of is High school valedictorian. Full ride for 00:01:48.239 --> 00:01:50.620 chemical engineering. Exactly. And that's the 00:01:50.620 --> 00:01:52.340 surprise, the twist we find right at the start 00:01:52.340 --> 00:01:54.840 in the sources. Cynthia Ann Crawford, valedictorian 00:01:54.840 --> 00:01:57.480 to Cobb High School, class of 84. Wow. And she 00:01:57.480 --> 00:01:59.079 didn't just get into college, she got an academic 00:01:59.079 --> 00:02:01.819 scholarship to Northwestern University to study 00:02:01.819 --> 00:02:04.959 chemical engineering. Chemical engineering. That's 00:02:04.959 --> 00:02:07.060 serious stuff. It really is. And I think this 00:02:07.060 --> 00:02:10.139 detail is actually crucial. It points to this 00:02:10.139 --> 00:02:13.639 underlying brain power, this focus, this analytical 00:02:13.639 --> 00:02:15.719 skill that you just don't typically assume. associate 00:02:15.719 --> 00:02:18.039 with the modeling world. I mean, the kind of 00:02:18.039 --> 00:02:20.439 thinking you need for Khem Ang, it feels connected 00:02:20.439 --> 00:02:23.080 somehow to how she later built her whole business 00:02:23.080 --> 00:02:25.919 empire. It's systematic. Okay, so let's rewind, 00:02:26.060 --> 00:02:28.580 set the stage. Where does this journey begin? 00:02:28.719 --> 00:02:32.740 Well, she was born February 20, 1966, DeKalb, 00:02:32.740 --> 00:02:35.819 Illinois. Grew up there, had two sisters, Chris 00:02:35.819 --> 00:02:38.419 and Danielle. But there's also this really tragic 00:02:38.419 --> 00:02:40.620 event early on that the sources emphasize, and 00:02:40.620 --> 00:02:42.699 she's talked about it too. Oh, right, her brother. 00:02:42.819 --> 00:02:45.060 Yeah, her younger brother, Jeffrey. He died of 00:02:45.060 --> 00:02:46.759 childhood leukemia when he was just three years 00:02:46.759 --> 00:02:48.539 old. Oh, that's heartbreaking. And so young. 00:02:48.819 --> 00:02:51.780 Incredibly young. And according to the sources 00:02:51.780 --> 00:02:54.580 and her own accounts, this loss really shaped 00:02:54.580 --> 00:02:57.199 her outlook profoundly. It became this driving 00:02:57.199 --> 00:02:59.680 force behind a lot of her charity work later 00:02:59.680 --> 00:03:02.860 on. Is it real depth? Yeah. Definitely. But back 00:03:02.860 --> 00:03:05.219 to her own path, it really seems like this mix 00:03:05.219 --> 00:03:08.740 of, well, talent, but also just pure luck, a 00:03:08.740 --> 00:03:11.180 twist of fate. She wasn't one of those kids dreaming 00:03:11.180 --> 00:03:13.840 of modeling, sending photos out. No, she was 00:03:13.840 --> 00:03:16.080 hitting the books. Exactly, focused on academics. 00:03:16.180 --> 00:03:18.139 So how did the modeling even start? I heard it 00:03:18.139 --> 00:03:20.340 was kind of accidental. Yeah, almost like a movie 00:03:20.340 --> 00:03:23.199 plot. Sophomore year of high school, she gets 00:03:23.199 --> 00:03:25.560 this phone call saying, hey, we want you to model. 00:03:25.900 --> 00:03:28.879 Turns out, total prank by some kids at school. 00:03:29.080 --> 00:03:32.189 Oh, seriously? That's brutal. Classic high school 00:03:32.189 --> 00:03:35.389 stuff, right? But, you know, even though it was 00:03:35.389 --> 00:03:38.050 fake, the sources suggest maybe it planted a 00:03:38.050 --> 00:03:41.009 little seed. Because the next year, she did do 00:03:41.009 --> 00:03:43.189 a little fashion shoot for a local store, just 00:03:43.189 --> 00:03:44.870 with other high school girls, nothing major. 00:03:44.949 --> 00:03:47.210 OK. But the real turning point, the story goes, 00:03:47.770 --> 00:03:50.229 was junior year. She was working a summer job. 00:03:51.250 --> 00:03:53.569 Detasseling corn. Detasseling corn. Okay, that's 00:03:53.569 --> 00:03:56.389 very Illinois. Very Illinois. And this local 00:03:56.389 --> 00:03:59.689 photographer, Roger Legel, he usually shot college 00:03:59.689 --> 00:04:01.949 students for the local paper, the DeKalb Night 00:04:01.949 --> 00:04:04.250 Weekly. He saw her working and asked to take 00:04:04.250 --> 00:04:06.889 her picture. Just like that, out in the cornfield. 00:04:07.250 --> 00:04:09.889 Pretty much. And that photo, the one he took 00:04:09.889 --> 00:04:12.770 while she was detasseling corn, that became her 00:04:12.770 --> 00:04:16.269 first cover on the DeKalb Night Weekly. Wow. 00:04:17.069 --> 00:04:20.050 Talk about humble beginnings. Right, and apparently 00:04:20.050 --> 00:04:22.589 the local reaction to that picture was really 00:04:22.589 --> 00:04:24.750 positive enough that it made her think, okay, 00:04:24.790 --> 00:04:26.449 maybe there's something here. So that's when 00:04:26.449 --> 00:04:28.389 she started pursuing it more seriously. Yeah, 00:04:28.389 --> 00:04:31.170 she signed with a small local agency first, which 00:04:31.170 --> 00:04:33.790 then kind of conveniently got bought by Elite 00:04:33.790 --> 00:04:36.329 Model Management. Ah, Elite, the big leagues. 00:04:36.610 --> 00:04:40.410 Exactly. And by 1983, so she's 17, she ends up 00:04:40.410 --> 00:04:43.310 in the national finals for Elite's Look of the 00:04:43.310 --> 00:04:45.529 Year contest. Okay, so things are moving fast 00:04:45.529 --> 00:04:47.930 now. Very fast. And this is where we see that 00:04:47.930 --> 00:04:51.209 first big strategic decision. She goes to Northwestern, 00:04:51.470 --> 00:04:53.290 starts the chemical engineering program. Right, 00:04:53.410 --> 00:04:55.529 the scholarship. But she only stays for one quarter. 00:04:55.889 --> 00:04:58.449 Then she drops out to model full time. Whoa. 00:04:58.790 --> 00:05:01.470 OK, that's a huge leap. Giving up Northwestern 00:05:01.470 --> 00:05:04.069 Chem Eng for modeling? It's a massive gamble, 00:05:04.089 --> 00:05:07.779 right? But maybe, maybe. having proven she could 00:05:07.779 --> 00:05:10.199 get in, having that academic validation, gave 00:05:10.199 --> 00:05:12.120 her the confidence, like a safety net. She knew 00:05:12.120 --> 00:05:14.019 she had the brain, so maybe she felt she could 00:05:14.019 --> 00:05:16.480 risk it on this, you know, image -based thing 00:05:16.480 --> 00:05:18.860 that might not last. That makes sense. A calculated 00:05:18.860 --> 00:05:22.800 risk. Seems like it. So 1986, she makes the move, 00:05:23.279 --> 00:05:26.160 New York City, signs with Elite New York, and 00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:28.139 boom, left off. The rocket launch, yeah. Yeah. 00:05:28.300 --> 00:05:31.339 But before we get fully into the supermodel... 00:05:32.079 --> 00:05:34.100 The source has mentioned some really interesting 00:05:34.100 --> 00:05:36.459 stuff about her family history, her ancestry. 00:05:36.740 --> 00:05:38.620 Oh yeah, that's fascinating too. Her background 00:05:38.620 --> 00:05:41.420 is mostly, you know, German, English, French. 00:05:41.709 --> 00:05:44.629 Pretty standard American mix in some ways. But 00:05:44.629 --> 00:05:46.790 she also traces back Scottish roots from Northern 00:05:46.790 --> 00:05:49.410 Ireland through her dad's side, great -grandfather 00:05:49.410 --> 00:05:52.189 David Crawford. OK. But then it gets deeper, 00:05:52.810 --> 00:05:54.970 like historically deeper. Research found she's 00:05:54.970 --> 00:05:57.730 a descendant of Thomas Trowbridge. Who was Thomas 00:05:57.730 --> 00:05:59.990 Trowbridge? He was an English Puritan settler, 00:06:00.149 --> 00:06:02.110 one of the founders of the Congregational Church 00:06:02.110 --> 00:06:04.689 over in New Haven, Connecticut. Early colonial 00:06:04.689 --> 00:06:07.350 history. And apparently, she was actually raised 00:06:07.350 --> 00:06:10.470 in that same faith, Congregationalist. She felt 00:06:10.470 --> 00:06:12.339 those values. has kind of trickled down through 00:06:12.339 --> 00:06:14.699 her family. That's a neat connection. But wait, 00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:17.519 there's more. The big shocker came from that 00:06:17.519 --> 00:06:20.180 TV show, Who Do You Think You Are, back in 2013. 00:06:20.399 --> 00:06:22.500 Oh, I love that show. What did they find? Get 00:06:22.500 --> 00:06:25.959 ready for this. She's descended from Charlemagne. 00:06:26.600 --> 00:06:29.180 Charlemagne. Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne. 00:06:29.339 --> 00:06:32.240 The one and only Emperor Charlemagne. No way. 00:06:32.459 --> 00:06:35.439 That's incredible. Talk about deep roots. Isn't 00:06:35.439 --> 00:06:38.459 it? It puts her whole story in this massive historical 00:06:38.459 --> 00:06:41.500 context, not just, you know, 90s fashion icon, 00:06:41.899 --> 00:06:45.259 but lineage stretching back over a thousand years 00:06:45.259 --> 00:06:47.680 to European royalty. It's kind of mind -blowing. 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:51.269 Seriously. Okay, so from Charlemagne. Right, 00:06:51.350 --> 00:06:54.029 let's jump back to the slightly more recent past, 00:06:54.290 --> 00:06:57.910 the supermodel Genesis. Basically, 1986 to 1991, 00:06:58.569 --> 00:07:00.670 moving to New York in 86, signing with Elite, 00:07:01.009 --> 00:07:02.990 that was the launch pad. And she quickly became 00:07:02.990 --> 00:07:04.649 part of that group, right, the ones who really 00:07:04.649 --> 00:07:06.889 earned the supermodel title. Absolutely. That 00:07:06.889 --> 00:07:10.370 iconic British Vogue cover from January 1990, 00:07:10.550 --> 00:07:12.769 that's the moment many people point to. Oh yeah, 00:07:12.870 --> 00:07:15.759 the Peter Lindbergh shot. That's the one. Her, 00:07:15.939 --> 00:07:18.220 Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, T 'Channa 00:07:18.220 --> 00:07:21.660 Petit's Naomi Campbell, just boom. It wasn't 00:07:21.660 --> 00:07:23.939 just a fashion photo, it was a cultural statement. 00:07:24.040 --> 00:07:26.759 It cemented them as the group and it gave them 00:07:26.759 --> 00:07:29.160 incredible power in the industry. Yeah, you could 00:07:29.160 --> 00:07:32.000 feel that collective energy. And that power immediately 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:35.399 spilled out of magazines. Later that same year, 00:07:35.720 --> 00:07:39.430 1990, That same group. They all starred in George 00:07:39.430 --> 00:07:43.050 Michael's Freedom 90 music video. Oh, that video. 00:07:43.329 --> 00:07:45.930 Still amazing. Lipsyncing the lyrics. Totally. 00:07:46.129 --> 00:07:48.730 And that was huge. It took them from being these 00:07:48.730 --> 00:07:51.370 like... static images and magazines to being 00:07:51.370 --> 00:07:54.889 dynamic, moving pop culture figures, reached 00:07:54.889 --> 00:07:57.029 a whole different audience, massive visibility 00:07:57.029 --> 00:07:59.110 boost. And she kept using music videos, didn't 00:07:59.110 --> 00:08:01.730 she? She did. She was in that John Bon Jovi Christmas 00:08:01.730 --> 00:08:04.089 song video in 94. Please come home for Christmas, 00:08:04.129 --> 00:08:06.829 yeah. Right. Then, much later, she played one 00:08:06.829 --> 00:08:09.029 of the band members in Duran Duran's Girl Panic 00:08:09.029 --> 00:08:11.730 video in 2011. Oh yeah, hers's John Taylor. That 00:08:11.730 --> 00:08:14.350 was fun. And then even Taylor Swift's Bad Blood 00:08:14.350 --> 00:08:17.829 video in 2015. She was the headmistress. Huh. 00:08:18.450 --> 00:08:21.790 Right, so her face, her image, it really stayed 00:08:21.790 --> 00:08:24.769 relevant across like three decades of music videos. 00:08:25.149 --> 00:08:27.649 That's impressive staying power. Totally. So 00:08:27.649 --> 00:08:29.649 let's talk about the specifics of the look, the 00:08:29.649 --> 00:08:32.850 brand elements. Height, five foot nine and a 00:08:32.850 --> 00:08:36.389 half, brown hair, brown eyes, measurements, classic 00:08:36.389 --> 00:08:40.529 for the era, 34, 25 .5, three to six. Standard 00:08:40.529 --> 00:08:42.889 model specs maybe? Yeah, but the thing that made 00:08:42.889 --> 00:08:46.269 her instantly recognizable, her trademark. The 00:08:46.269 --> 00:08:48.429 mole. The beauty mark. Right above her upper 00:08:48.429 --> 00:08:50.250 lip, it became so famous, it was almost like 00:08:50.250 --> 00:08:52.470 its own entity. Didn't they joke about it in 00:08:52.470 --> 00:08:55.870 an ad? They did. There was this Australian ad 00:08:55.870 --> 00:08:57.929 campaign for flavored milk where she's in the 00:08:57.929 --> 00:08:59.909 commercial and she literally licks off the mole. 00:09:00.070 --> 00:09:02.090 That's hilarious. Shows incredible confidence 00:09:02.090 --> 00:09:03.929 in your brand recognition. Exactly. It's like, 00:09:04.029 --> 00:09:05.730 yeah, this mole is so famous we can make jokes 00:09:05.730 --> 00:09:07.870 about it licking it off. It makes her image stick. 00:09:08.289 --> 00:09:11.029 Instantly identifiable. Which is gold for marketing. 00:09:11.309 --> 00:09:13.980 Was she compared to anyone else early on? Yeah, 00:09:14.159 --> 00:09:15.799 the sources mentioned she was sometimes called 00:09:15.799 --> 00:09:18.379 Baby Gia because she resembled Gia Keronghi, 00:09:18.399 --> 00:09:21.059 the model who had that really tragic story. Ah, 00:09:21.059 --> 00:09:23.600 right. But Crawford's path was obviously very 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:26.639 different, very managed. Very managed. She was 00:09:26.639 --> 00:09:29.000 clearly in control. And her influence wasn't 00:09:29.000 --> 00:09:32.240 just about her face. We see proof of her immediate 00:09:32.240 --> 00:09:34.799 fashion clout with that red dress. Oh, the Versace 00:09:34.799 --> 00:09:38.669 dress at the Oscars. Yes. The 63rd Academy Awards, 00:09:38.809 --> 00:09:42.909 1991, she wore this stunning red Versace gown, 00:09:43.210 --> 00:09:45.990 and the sources say it caused an absolute sensation. 00:09:46.230 --> 00:09:48.210 I remember that dress. It was everywhere. Exactly. 00:09:48.470 --> 00:09:51.269 It sparked this massive wave of copies and fix 00:09:51.269 --> 00:09:54.049 almost overnight. It proved she had this power 00:09:54.049 --> 00:09:57.129 to take high fashion and instantly make it mainstream, 00:09:57.470 --> 00:09:59.570 make people want it. That set a huge precedent 00:09:59.570 --> 00:10:01.830 for everything she did next. OK, so that really 00:10:01.830 --> 00:10:04.269 sets the stage for her becoming this multimedia 00:10:04.269 --> 00:10:06.480 force, right? Yeah. Moving beyond just the runaway. 00:10:06.860 --> 00:10:09.179 Absolutely. This period, late 80s through the 00:10:09.179 --> 00:10:11.440 90s, this is where you really see the business 00:10:11.440 --> 00:10:13.919 mind clicking in. Maybe that analytical chem 00:10:13.919 --> 00:10:16.679 -ang brain applying itself to brand strategy. 00:10:16.779 --> 00:10:19.259 Because being a supermodel then meant endorsements. 00:10:19.529 --> 00:10:21.830 Big ones. Huge ones. And she played the field 00:10:21.830 --> 00:10:24.009 perfectly. High fashion, mass market, everything. 00:10:24.129 --> 00:10:26.789 Go on the high end. You've got campaigns for 00:10:26.789 --> 00:10:30.710 Versace, Calvin Klein, Rivlon, Guessus, Hermes, 00:10:30.889 --> 00:10:34.009 Balmain, all the big luxury names. That kept 00:10:34.009 --> 00:10:36.750 her position at the absolute peak of aspiration. 00:10:37.009 --> 00:10:39.429 Right. Solidifies the fashion cred. But then 00:10:39.429 --> 00:10:41.690 the move that made her a household name everywhere, 00:10:41.889 --> 00:10:45.750 not just in fashion circles, Pepsi? Ah, yes. 00:10:46.080 --> 00:10:49.379 The Pepsi ads, that can, the cutoff shorts. Iconic 00:10:49.379 --> 00:10:52.720 Americana, especially that 1992 Super Bowl commercial. 00:10:53.159 --> 00:10:55.820 That ad just burned itself into the collective 00:10:55.820 --> 00:10:57.820 consciousness. It really did. They keep referencing 00:10:57.820 --> 00:11:00.399 it, even now. Exactly. It was remade in 2016 00:11:00.399 --> 00:11:03.379 and then again just recently in 2023 for that 00:11:03.379 --> 00:11:06.799 one Margarita remix song video. The fact that 00:11:06.799 --> 00:11:09.220 a single commercial still resonates 30 years 00:11:09.220 --> 00:11:11.700 later, that's incredibly potent branding. So 00:11:11.700 --> 00:11:14.340 how does she manage both? the high fashion and 00:11:14.340 --> 00:11:16.519 the, you know, selling soda. That was her genius, 00:11:16.519 --> 00:11:18.799 I think. Her image somehow managed to be both 00:11:18.799 --> 00:11:21.759 totally elite and aspirational, but also kind 00:11:21.759 --> 00:11:23.620 of approachable, relatable. Yeah, she didn't 00:11:23.620 --> 00:11:25.600 seem intimidating maybe. Something like that. 00:11:25.600 --> 00:11:27.820 So she could sell fancy Omega watches, right? 00:11:28.200 --> 00:11:31.399 But also Maybelline makeup at the drugstore and 00:11:31.399 --> 00:11:34.500 Clarell hair dye. She navigated both the luxury 00:11:34.500 --> 00:11:37.019 and the mass consumer markets at the same time, 00:11:37.120 --> 00:11:39.399 seamlessly. And she wasn't just the face, right? 00:11:39.480 --> 00:11:41.220 She started taking control behind the scenes, 00:11:41.480 --> 00:11:45.799 too. Big time. MTV's House of Style. From 1989 00:11:45.799 --> 00:11:49.320 to 1995, she wasn't just the host, she was the 00:11:49.320 --> 00:11:51.500 host and executive producer. Executive producer, 00:11:51.679 --> 00:11:54.639 that's key. Crucial. It gave her control over 00:11:54.639 --> 00:11:58.259 the content, over her image. It positioned her 00:11:58.259 --> 00:12:00.960 as an authority, someone shaping the conversation 00:12:00.960 --> 00:12:03.139 about fashion, not just someone being featured 00:12:03.139 --> 00:12:05.570 in it. That's a power move. A shift from model 00:12:05.570 --> 00:12:08.509 to media exec, basically. Exactly. And that momentum 00:12:08.509 --> 00:12:10.730 carried right into her fitness ventures. This 00:12:10.730 --> 00:12:12.490 is where you almost see the engineer again applying 00:12:12.490 --> 00:12:15.009 systems thinking, but to the body. Ah, the workout 00:12:15.009 --> 00:12:17.590 videos. Those were huge. Massive. She launched 00:12:17.590 --> 00:12:19.909 them through her own company, Crawdaddy Productions, 00:12:20.029 --> 00:12:22.909 with Good Times Home Video. The first one, Cindy 00:12:22.909 --> 00:12:26.590 Crawford. Shake Your Body workout in 1992 with 00:12:26.590 --> 00:12:29.570 that trainer, Radu Tieterescu. It wasn't just 00:12:29.570 --> 00:12:31.570 another celebrity tape. It was a phenomenon, 00:12:31.909 --> 00:12:34.169 sold millions. Everyone was doing it. I think 00:12:34.169 --> 00:12:36.769 my mom had that tape. Probably. And it was so 00:12:36.769 --> 00:12:38.830 successful, she followed it up strategically. 00:12:39.389 --> 00:12:41.409 Cindy Crawford, the next challenge workout in 00:12:41.409 --> 00:12:44.669 93. But then the really clever one was Cindy 00:12:44.669 --> 00:12:47.850 Crawford, a new dimension in 2000. Notice the 00:12:47.850 --> 00:12:50.669 timing. This one was specifically for new moms 00:12:50.669 --> 00:12:53.980 getting back in shape after having a baby. launched 00:12:53.980 --> 00:12:56.600 right after she had her son, Presley. Exactly. 00:12:56.820 --> 00:13:00.200 It was brilliant timing. Her brand grew with 00:13:00.200 --> 00:13:02.919 her life stages and with her audience's life 00:13:02.919 --> 00:13:06.080 stages. It kept her relevant, relatable. She 00:13:06.080 --> 00:13:08.100 wasn't just the single supermodel anymore. She 00:13:08.100 --> 00:13:11.039 was the fit mom. That's smart marketing. Connecting 00:13:11.039 --> 00:13:13.360 her product to her public life story. Very smart. 00:13:13.470 --> 00:13:15.830 And she even tried to capture the kids market. 00:13:16.149 --> 00:13:18.909 In 2001, she released Mini Muscles with Cindy 00:13:18.909 --> 00:13:21.509 Crawford and the Fitwits. Mini Muscles. Was that 00:13:21.509 --> 00:13:23.669 animated? Yeah, an animated fitness thing for 00:13:23.669 --> 00:13:26.830 kids. And get this, the voice cast included Kobe 00:13:26.830 --> 00:13:29.330 Bryant. Kobe Bryant. Seriously, that's random. 00:13:29.529 --> 00:13:32.070 Right. But it shows this incredible ambition 00:13:32.070 --> 00:13:35.049 to reach literally every demographic group with 00:13:35.049 --> 00:13:37.669 her rand, all under this health and fitness umbrella. 00:13:37.909 --> 00:13:40.809 Super sophisticated. OK, so she's killing it 00:13:40.809 --> 00:13:44.740 with hosting, producing, Fitness. But then comes 00:13:44.740 --> 00:13:48.919 the big screen attempt. Ah, yes. The acting career. 00:13:49.559 --> 00:13:52.539 This is where things get interesting. Yeah. And 00:13:52.539 --> 00:13:55.639 kind of disastrous, initially. Fair game. 1995. 00:13:55.799 --> 00:13:58.460 Fair game. Yeah. She starred opposite William 00:13:58.460 --> 00:14:00.240 Baldwin. It was supposed to be her big Hollywood 00:14:00.240 --> 00:14:02.279 breakthrough. It's only risen. It really wasn't. 00:14:02.360 --> 00:14:04.080 The sources are pretty blunt. It was a financial 00:14:04.080 --> 00:14:06.700 bomb, cost something like $50 million to make, 00:14:06.799 --> 00:14:10.059 only brought in about $11 million. Ouch. Yikes. 00:14:10.480 --> 00:14:13.259 And the reviews. Brutal, absolutely savage. The 00:14:13.259 --> 00:14:15.320 most famous line, often quoted, comes from Leonard 00:14:15.320 --> 00:14:18.500 Maltin. He said, in her acting debut, supermodel 00:14:18.500 --> 00:14:21.919 Crawford makes a good jogger. Oh, man. That's 00:14:21.919 --> 00:14:24.419 harsh. But why? She was so good on camera hosting 00:14:24.419 --> 00:14:26.659 House of Style. Why didn't it translate to acting? 00:14:26.940 --> 00:14:28.659 That's the million dollar question, isn't it? 00:14:28.840 --> 00:14:30.480 The sources sort of suggest it might have been 00:14:30.480 --> 00:14:32.899 a brand mismatch. Her whole persona, especially 00:14:32.899 --> 00:14:35.139 with the fitness stuff, was built on being somewhat 00:14:35.139 --> 00:14:37.600 real, approachable, authentic. You believed her 00:14:37.600 --> 00:14:40.080 as a host, as a fitness guide. Right. But Fair 00:14:40.080 --> 00:14:43.659 Game was this big, glossy, over the top action 00:14:43.659 --> 00:14:46.120 thriller. She's playing this tough lawyer on 00:14:46.120 --> 00:14:49.600 the run. Maybe audiences just couldn't buy the 00:14:49.600 --> 00:14:51.759 approachable supermodel next door in that kind 00:14:51.759 --> 00:14:54.639 of hyper dramatic role. It clashed with the brand 00:14:54.639 --> 00:14:57.289 she'd carefully built. So a tough lesson in brand 00:14:57.289 --> 00:15:00.250 extension, maybe. Seems like it. A critical learning 00:15:00.250 --> 00:15:02.789 curve about where her image could stretch and 00:15:02.789 --> 00:15:04.450 where it couldn't, at least not in that way. 00:15:04.710 --> 00:15:06.889 Did she try acting again after that? She did, 00:15:07.049 --> 00:15:10.210 yeah, but maybe more cautiously. Or in roles 00:15:10.210 --> 00:15:13.159 that played more on her existing fame. She was 00:15:13.159 --> 00:15:15.700 in an ensemble film called The Simeon Line in 00:15:15.700 --> 00:15:18.500 2001. It didn't make much noise, but apparently 00:15:18.500 --> 00:15:20.440 her performance wasn't singled out for criticism 00:15:20.440 --> 00:15:23.500 this time. Okay. And she did guest spots, often 00:15:23.500 --> 00:15:25.779 playing herself, or funny characters. Like she 00:15:25.779 --> 00:15:28.519 was on third rock from the sun, playing an alien, 00:15:29.120 --> 00:15:31.440 Masha, one of the invading Venusians. Okay, that 00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:34.240 fits the humor. Right. And Frasier, Muppets Tonight. 00:15:34.429 --> 00:15:37.210 Wizards of Waverly Place. Roles that leveraged 00:15:37.210 --> 00:15:39.350 her celebrity rather than asking the audience 00:15:39.350 --> 00:15:42.129 to forget she was Cindy Crawford. Gotcha. Let's 00:15:42.129 --> 00:15:44.070 talk about some of the other maybe unexpected 00:15:44.070 --> 00:15:46.669 things she did. The sources mentioned some real 00:15:46.669 --> 00:15:48.990 side hustles, like that George magazine cover. 00:15:49.210 --> 00:15:50.950 Oh yeah, the George cover. That was a moment. 00:15:51.289 --> 00:15:54.590 1995. It was the very first issue of John F. 00:15:54.669 --> 00:15:56.950 Kennedy Jr.'s political magazine. Right. A big 00:15:56.950 --> 00:15:59.730 launch. Huge launch. And they needed maximum 00:15:59.730 --> 00:16:01.750 impact. Who did they put on the cover? Cindy 00:16:01.750 --> 00:16:05.049 Crawford. Dresses George Washington. Wig and 00:16:05.049 --> 00:16:07.669 all. That was definitely memorable. And controversial, 00:16:07.669 --> 00:16:10.470 maybe. A bit, but mostly just attention grabbing. 00:16:10.730 --> 00:16:13.129 And it worked. The American Society of Magazine 00:16:13.129 --> 00:16:15.029 Editors later called it one of the best covers 00:16:15.029 --> 00:16:17.889 of the last 40 years. Wow. So was it a political 00:16:17.889 --> 00:16:21.289 statement, or just pure celebrity power lending 00:16:21.289 --> 00:16:24.009 itself to a launch? Hard to say definitively 00:16:24.009 --> 00:16:25.870 from the sources, but you have to assume it was 00:16:25.870 --> 00:16:28.909 highly strategic. Using her instantly recognizable 00:16:28.909 --> 00:16:32.090 face, combined with that powerful American iconography, 00:16:32.460 --> 00:16:35.419 It guaranteed headlines. Massive visibility for 00:16:35.419 --> 00:16:38.419 the new magazine. Smart move, regardless of the 00:16:38.419 --> 00:16:40.620 politics. OK, that makes sense. But maybe the 00:16:40.620 --> 00:16:44.120 weirdest side job listed. Mm. Magician's assistant. 00:16:44.500 --> 00:16:48.679 Ah, yes. That one is pretty wild. Late 90s, apparently 00:16:48.679 --> 00:16:51.279 she filled in sometimes for Claudia Schiffer 00:16:51.279 --> 00:16:54.120 in David Copperfield's stage show. Wait, Claudia 00:16:54.120 --> 00:16:56.269 Schiffer was Copperfield's assistant. Oh, right. 00:16:56.289 --> 00:16:58.690 They were engaged then. Exactly. So when Schiffer 00:16:58.690 --> 00:17:01.389 couldn't do it, sometimes Cindy stepped in. Doing 00:17:01.389 --> 00:17:03.509 what? Just standing there looking glamorous? 00:17:03.769 --> 00:17:06.569 Nope. The sources say she was actually participating 00:17:06.569 --> 00:17:09.789 in the big illusions, like getting levitated, 00:17:10.089 --> 00:17:12.950 put in a guillotine. Seriously. Getting guillotined. 00:17:13.269 --> 00:17:15.869 Apparently. And doing that classic double -sawing 00:17:15.869 --> 00:17:17.910 illusion where both she and Claudia would get 00:17:17.910 --> 00:17:19.930 sawn in half and then put back together with 00:17:19.930 --> 00:17:22.349 their bottom half swapped. Okay, that's officially 00:17:22.349 --> 00:17:26.950 surreal. A valedictorian, chem -ang student turned 00:17:26.950 --> 00:17:29.849 supermodel turned executive producer getting 00:17:29.849 --> 00:17:32.589 sawn in half on stage in Vegas. It is pretty 00:17:32.589 --> 00:17:34.309 bizarre, isn't it? But again, think about the 00:17:34.309 --> 00:17:38.200 reach. Ah, visibility. Massive visibility. Copperfield 00:17:38.200 --> 00:17:42.400 shows played to huge mainstream audiences, families, 00:17:42.759 --> 00:17:45.779 tourists, people who might not be reading Vogue. 00:17:46.259 --> 00:17:48.880 It was another way to keep her face, her name 00:17:48.880 --> 00:17:52.400 out there. Maximum cultural saturation. Even 00:17:52.400 --> 00:17:55.099 if the context was a bit, well, cheesy compared 00:17:55.099 --> 00:17:57.500 to high fashion, it shows she was willing to 00:17:57.500 --> 00:18:00.500 use any platform. OK, that tracks. So moving 00:18:00.500 --> 00:18:02.960 into the 2000s, she makes this big shift. Yeah, 00:18:02.960 --> 00:18:05.119 around 2000, she makes a very deliberate move. 00:18:05.289 --> 00:18:07.670 quits full -time modeling, still does occasional 00:18:07.670 --> 00:18:09.690 magazine shoots, special appearances, but she 00:18:09.690 --> 00:18:11.890 steps back from the day -to -day grind. But she 00:18:11.890 --> 00:18:14.309 didn't disappear. Not at all. It wasn't retirement. 00:18:14.430 --> 00:18:17.150 It was a pivot, a strategic rebranding, really, 00:18:17.549 --> 00:18:19.589 shifting focus entirely to building businesses 00:18:19.589 --> 00:18:22.109 based on the massive name recognition she'd built 00:18:22.109 --> 00:18:24.490 up. This is the second career phase. Exactly. 00:18:24.609 --> 00:18:27.150 And this is where that systematic, maybe engineering 00:18:27.150 --> 00:18:30.039 -like approach seems to really come to the forefront, 00:18:30.180 --> 00:18:32.500 building product lines, distribution deals. And 00:18:32.500 --> 00:18:35.059 she was pretty open about the upkeep involved 00:18:35.059 --> 00:18:37.119 in being Cindy Crawford too, right? Yeah, quite 00:18:37.119 --> 00:18:39.920 open for the time. She talked about getting Botox, 00:18:40.200 --> 00:18:42.819 vitamin injections. Said she first saw a plastic 00:18:42.819 --> 00:18:45.079 surgeon back when she was 29. She understood 00:18:45.079 --> 00:18:47.480 that maintaining the brand required investment 00:18:47.480 --> 00:18:49.880 and maybe being transparent about it was part 00:18:49.880 --> 00:18:52.420 of managing expectations. OK, so let's look at 00:18:52.420 --> 00:18:55.119 these businesses. The beauty line came first. 00:18:55.380 --> 00:18:58.279 Meaningful beauty, yeah. Launched in 2004. It 00:18:58.279 --> 00:19:01.259 was a collaboration with this anti -aging doctor 00:19:01.259 --> 00:19:03.400 Jean -Louis Sabat. And how did they sell it? 00:19:03.470 --> 00:19:06.069 Department stores. No. And this is key. They 00:19:06.069 --> 00:19:09.269 partnered with Guthrie Rinker. The infomercial 00:19:09.269 --> 00:19:12.609 giant. Exactly. Direct response TV. Infomercials. 00:19:12.630 --> 00:19:14.930 Direct mail. It bypasses traditional retail, 00:19:15.009 --> 00:19:17.710 goes straight to the consumer. It's highly scalable, 00:19:18.069 --> 00:19:20.269 potentially very profitable. She was leveraging 00:19:20.269 --> 00:19:23.369 her face, her association with anti -aging through 00:19:23.369 --> 00:19:26.390 this mass market direct channel. Really smart. 00:19:26.589 --> 00:19:28.809 OK. So beauty products make sense. But then she 00:19:28.809 --> 00:19:31.140 went in a totally different direction. Furniture. 00:19:31.299 --> 00:19:34.019 Right. Almost at the same time, 2005, she launches 00:19:34.019 --> 00:19:36.619 the Cindy Crawford home collection. Furniture. 00:19:37.000 --> 00:19:39.119 Sofas, tables, the whole bit. That seems like 00:19:39.119 --> 00:19:41.460 a leap from skincare. It does. But think about 00:19:41.460 --> 00:19:44.160 the rebranding we talked about. The fitness videos 00:19:44.160 --> 00:19:48.019 for moms. She was shifting towards this image 00:19:48.019 --> 00:19:52.390 of home, family, practicality. Furniture fits 00:19:52.390 --> 00:19:54.930 right into that. Ah, okay. Tapping into that 00:19:54.930 --> 00:19:57.750 huge home goods market. Exactly. And the sources 00:19:57.750 --> 00:20:00.329 say she wasn't just licensing her name, she was 00:20:00.329 --> 00:20:04.049 involved. Consulting on styles, colors, features, 00:20:04.410 --> 00:20:06.490 things she thought families would want. She was 00:20:06.490 --> 00:20:08.910 translating her personal brand's aesthetic into 00:20:08.910 --> 00:20:11.609 products for the home. And who sold it? Big retailers. 00:20:12.109 --> 00:20:15.450 Rooms to go, Raymore and Flanagan. Later, JCPenney 00:20:15.450 --> 00:20:18.430 joined, too. This established her as a serious 00:20:18.430 --> 00:20:21.089 player in a completely different, very competitive 00:20:21.089 --> 00:20:23.029 industry. That's quite an empire she built. And 00:20:23.029 --> 00:20:24.789 she's still involved in business, right? Even 00:20:24.789 --> 00:20:27.170 recent stuff. Yeah, like in 2019, she and her 00:20:27.170 --> 00:20:29.049 husband, Randy Gerber, along with some other 00:20:29.049 --> 00:20:31.269 big names, Michael Meldman, Jeff Schell, Jay 00:20:31.269 --> 00:20:34.130 Schurz, they actually bought Nate Now. The famous 00:20:34.130 --> 00:20:36.349 deli in Hollywood. That's the one. Apparently 00:20:36.349 --> 00:20:38.089 it was going to close and they stepped in to 00:20:38.089 --> 00:20:40.509 save it, which shows a different kind of investment 00:20:40.509 --> 00:20:43.089 strategy, maybe mixing profit with preserving 00:20:43.089 --> 00:20:45.809 something historic, community focused. Interesting. 00:20:46.009 --> 00:20:47.829 Let's touch on her personal life, too, as it 00:20:47.829 --> 00:20:49.710 weaves through this career. Her first marriage 00:20:49.710 --> 00:20:53.380 was very high profile. Oh, yeah. Richard Gare. 00:20:53.640 --> 00:20:56.539 They got married in 1991 right at the peak of 00:20:56.539 --> 00:20:58.519 her supermodel fame. But it didn't last that 00:20:58.519 --> 00:21:01.440 long. No, they divorced in 1995. And then she 00:21:01.440 --> 00:21:04.960 remarried. Yes. In 1998, she married Randa Gerber. 00:21:05.279 --> 00:21:08.240 He's a businessman, also a former model himself. 00:21:08.359 --> 00:21:11.240 They have kids. Two kids. A son, Presley Walker 00:21:11.240 --> 00:21:14.920 Gerber, born in 99, and a daughter, Kaia Jordan 00:21:14.920 --> 00:21:17.700 Gerber, born in 2001. And Kaia's modeling now 00:21:17.700 --> 00:21:19.990 too, right? Very successfully. Very successfully. 00:21:20.089 --> 00:21:22.589 It's like a dynasty. They even did a Vogue Paris 00:21:22.589 --> 00:21:26.130 cover together back in April 2016. Wow. That's 00:21:26.130 --> 00:21:28.309 quite the legacy transfer. Keeping the Crawford 00:21:28.309 --> 00:21:31.329 name relevant in fashion through the next generation. 00:21:31.809 --> 00:21:34.210 Exactly. And speaking of looking back and owning 00:21:34.210 --> 00:21:37.069 the narrative, she was involved in that big Apple 00:21:37.069 --> 00:21:40.150 TV Plus documentary last year, The Supermodels. 00:21:40.349 --> 00:21:42.769 Oh, right. With Naomi, Christy, and Linda. Yeah. 00:21:43.009 --> 00:21:44.589 And she wasn't just interviewed. She was listed 00:21:44.589 --> 00:21:46.950 as an executive producer on that, too. So again, 00:21:47.529 --> 00:21:50.250 actively shaping how that whole era, her era 00:21:50.250 --> 00:21:53.390 is remembered, maintaining control of the story. 00:21:53.809 --> 00:21:56.190 Smart. OK, finally, let's circle back to something 00:21:56.190 --> 00:21:59.119 you mentioned early on. Her charity work. The 00:21:59.119 --> 00:22:01.920 sources emphasize this was a major long -term 00:22:01.920 --> 00:22:04.980 focus. Absolutely. And it all stems back to the 00:22:04.980 --> 00:22:08.059 loss of her brother, Jeffrey, to childhood leukemia 00:22:08.059 --> 00:22:09.759 that seems to be the driving force. She said 00:22:09.759 --> 00:22:12.019 he's still one of the most influential people 00:22:12.019 --> 00:22:14.380 in her life. So what does she support specifically? 00:22:14.700 --> 00:22:17.480 Her main focus has been the pediatric oncology 00:22:17.480 --> 00:22:19.420 program at the University of Wisconsin -Madison. 00:22:19.519 --> 00:22:21.440 That's where Jeffrey was treated. She's been 00:22:21.440 --> 00:22:23.400 a supporter for decades. How does she support 00:22:23.400 --> 00:22:25.900 them? Fundraising? Yeah, fundraising awareness. 00:22:26.180 --> 00:22:28.599 She used to donate proceeds from her calendars 00:22:28.599 --> 00:22:31.200 back in the day to medical research. She's also 00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:33.599 an honorary board member for the Multiple Myeloma 00:22:33.599 --> 00:22:36.299 Research Foundation. And she even tied her iconic 00:22:36.299 --> 00:22:40.140 ads to it, right? Yes. That's brilliant. In 2021, 00:22:40.539 --> 00:22:44.380 she recreated the famous 1992 Pepsi ad pose, 00:22:44.500 --> 00:22:46.819 working with photographer David Yarrow, and the 00:22:46.819 --> 00:22:48.839 whole point was to raise money for the American 00:22:48.839 --> 00:22:52.140 Family Children's Hospital in Madison. Wow. Using 00:22:52.140 --> 00:22:54.599 that 30 -year -old pop culture moment for philanthropy 00:22:54.599 --> 00:22:57.519 today, that's savvy. Incredibly savvy. It shows 00:22:57.519 --> 00:22:59.900 the enduring power of that original branding 00:22:59.900 --> 00:23:02.940 and her commitment to the cause. She's also involved 00:23:02.940 --> 00:23:05.859 with Ronald McDonald House Charities. Any political 00:23:05.859 --> 00:23:08.640 activity mentioned? Some. The sources note she 00:23:08.640 --> 00:23:11.920 endorsed Barack Obama back in 2008. But they 00:23:11.920 --> 00:23:14.240 also point out she specifically denied reports 00:23:14.240 --> 00:23:18.220 that she endorsed Mitt Romney in 2012. Hmm. So 00:23:18.220 --> 00:23:20.220 maybe trying to stay somewhat neutral overall. 00:23:20.440 --> 00:23:22.960 Seems like it. Probably smart for maintaining 00:23:22.960 --> 00:23:25.440 a brand with broad appeal, especially as things 00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:28.420 got more polarized. Carefully navigating that 00:23:28.420 --> 00:23:31.299 space. Okay, so pulling this all together. What's 00:23:31.299 --> 00:23:34.220 the big picture? We started with this 90s icon. 00:23:34.339 --> 00:23:36.539 Yeah. But the sources reveal so much more, right? 00:23:36.859 --> 00:23:39.900 This incredibly strategic arc. Valedictorian 00:23:39.900 --> 00:23:42.380 thinking about chemical engineering. Yeah. Becomes 00:23:42.380 --> 00:23:45.920 a global phenomenon. Then Pivots builds this 00:23:45.920 --> 00:23:49.430 whole second career in beauty. home goods, manages 00:23:49.430 --> 00:23:51.890 her brand meticulously. Exactly. It's not just 00:23:51.890 --> 00:23:53.769 about a pretty face that lasted a long time. 00:23:53.910 --> 00:23:56.170 It's about calculated risks, diversification, 00:23:56.529 --> 00:23:58.630 understanding brand equity, and applying that 00:23:58.630 --> 00:24:01.130 perhaps innate analytical intelligence. So the 00:24:01.130 --> 00:24:03.829 key takeaway from listening isn't just about 00:24:03.829 --> 00:24:06.009 Cindy Crawford's fame. It's about understanding 00:24:06.009 --> 00:24:09.109 a career built layer by layer, transitioning 00:24:09.109 --> 00:24:12.650 from image to tangible products, from runway 00:24:12.650 --> 00:24:15.640 to boardrooms, essentially. Right. And her success, 00:24:15.900 --> 00:24:18.200 especially the later business success, it seems 00:24:18.200 --> 00:24:20.720 rooted not just in the initial stardom, but in 00:24:20.720 --> 00:24:23.759 this ability to monetize that stardom effectively, 00:24:24.400 --> 00:24:26.359 translating the image into products people would 00:24:26.359 --> 00:24:29.619 actually buy, skin care, furniture, and doing 00:24:29.619 --> 00:24:32.019 it through smart channels like direct response 00:24:32.019 --> 00:24:35.279 TV. She managed her exit from full time modeling 00:24:35.279 --> 00:24:37.759 perfectly, timing it with the launch of these 00:24:37.759 --> 00:24:40.220 businesses focused on home and health, just as 00:24:40.220 --> 00:24:42.039 her own life was shifting in that direction. 00:24:42.180 --> 00:24:44.319 It really was a master class. managing public 00:24:44.319 --> 00:24:47.119 perception over decades. She guided the narrative, 00:24:47.180 --> 00:24:49.640 didn't she, from this unattainable high fashion 00:24:49.640 --> 00:24:52.880 glamour to something more relatable. Motherhood, 00:24:53.220 --> 00:24:55.299 fitness for real women, making a comfortable 00:24:55.299 --> 00:24:57.960 home, the later fitness videos, the beauty line, 00:24:58.019 --> 00:25:00.400 the furniture, it all feeds into that more accessible 00:25:00.400 --> 00:25:03.539 yet still aspirational image. She made herself 00:25:03.539 --> 00:25:06.240 seem grounded even while maintaining that star 00:25:06.240 --> 00:25:08.160 quality. Which leaves us with a final thought, 00:25:08.200 --> 00:25:10.980 maybe something feeds you on. When someone pivots 00:25:10.980 --> 00:25:14.769 like this from a career totally based on image, 00:25:15.049 --> 00:25:18.809 like modeling, to building a whole business empire 00:25:18.809 --> 00:25:22.369 on that image. How much of that long -term success 00:25:22.369 --> 00:25:25.190 comes down to the original fame, the luck of 00:25:25.190 --> 00:25:27.789 being the face at the right time? Versus. How 00:25:27.789 --> 00:25:30.930 much is due to genuine business skill, real strategic 00:25:30.930 --> 00:25:33.289 thinking? I mean, was that chemical engineering 00:25:33.289 --> 00:25:35.890 scholarship just a quirky footnote or was it 00:25:35.890 --> 00:25:38.289 actually the first sign of the disciplined analytical 00:25:38.289 --> 00:25:40.529 mind that would later build this multi -decade 00:25:40.529 --> 00:25:42.349 diversified business structure? That kind of 00:25:42.349 --> 00:25:43.910 brain power had to go somewhere. Where did that 00:25:43.910 --> 00:25:45.950 intellectual rigor get channeled? Something to 00:25:45.950 --> 00:25:46.309 think about.