“I’m Not 25 So Why Should I Be Trying to Look 25?” Cindy Crawford, 57, Wants People to Stop Calling Her Ageless

Hollywood stars face unrealistic societal expectations, and models are often expected to maintain eternal youthfulness and the body of a 20-year-old. Cindy Crawford is tired of these standards. She has embraced her age and no longer tries to look younger.

Crawford defined the ’90s supermodel era.

When we think about ’90s supermodels, one of the first names that come to mind is undoubtedly Cindy Crawford. Her rise to fame started in 1990 when she appeared on the cover of British Vogue alongside names like Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington. Since then, Crawford frequently walked and posed for the biggest fashion houses and magazines of the decade.

In 2000, exactly 10 years since her career had skyrocketed, Crawford quit full-time modeling at the age of 34. Since then, the former supermodel has written a book, Becoming, worked as a spokesperson for several brands, and even launched her furniture line. Still, even though she hung up her modeling hat over 2 decades ago, Crawford is still battling with unrealistic expectations people have of others.

Getting older was tough to accept for her at first.

By the time Crawford started approaching her fifties, she’d started noticing her age in little things: “Your skin, your hair, your body. I take care of myself but I know that I’m a 51-year-old woman.”

And yet, Cindy realized that her concerns were more based on other people’s expectations of her. “I want to do my job well, and I want to deliver but I also know that what I have to offer now is different from what I had to offer at 25.”

The former supermodel also had a hard time with people online reacting to her changing appearance, saying, “I don’t need everyone on Instagram pointing out that I don’t look the same way I did when I was 20. I know that.” But after the struggle came acceptance, which we can all learn from.

Crawford has embraced her age and refuses to look back.

After some time, Crawford accepted that you can’t turn back time and it’s much more important to focus on the now. As she shared, “No matter what I do, I’m not going to look 20, or 30. I just want to look great for 50. There’s pressure on women to do the undoable, which is not age. But it’s about looking great for however old you are, regardless of what that number is.”

She also rejects the idea of being ageless and wants everyone to stop pushing that narrative. Crawford said, “Being told I’m ageless isn’t right. I know all the ways that I’ve aged. My face has gotten much thinner. My mouth isn’t as full. Being told I’m ageless isn’t right, especially because getting older is hard enough, never mind that we live in a youth-obsessed culture.”

Ultimately, Crawford’s age became her sense of pride as it reflects all her achievements. “I’m not 25, so why should I be trying to look 25? Why do I want someone to mistake me for a 25-year-old? I’ve had children. I have all this life experience.”

Cindy opened up, “Sometimes I think, screw it. Maybe I don’t want to model anymore. But then I think, gosh, then I’m just further telling women that at a certain age, we’re just expired, and we should go on the shelf. Do I want to play into that for women? And so I don’t. Even though sometimes I don’t necessarily feel as confident, or if I see pictures of me and there are things I don’t like, I still think, yeah, but that’s real. Aging is what happens if we’re lucky — it means that I’m alive.”

We completely support Cindy’s stance. Age is not just about wrinkles and extra pounds — it also represents beautiful life experiences, a long and happy marriage, and adult children. If you haven’t seen how Cindy’s children have grown up into beautiful individuals, be sure to take a look.