‘The Super Models’: Cindy Crawford Calls Out Oprah’s Dismissive Behavior Towards Her As A 20-Year-Old – “That Was So Not Okay”

Apple TV+‘s new four-part docuseries The Super Models is a juicy look behind-the-scenes at how Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington became major cultural icons in the late ’80s and early ’90s. It’s a series full of emotional reflection, glorious backstage footage, and a few delicious bits of gossip. For instance, when Cindy Crawford reflects on her early catalogue modeling days in Chicago, she makes a point of calling out none other than Oprah Winfrey for treating her like “chattel” in her first major TV interview.

“That was so not okay, really,” Crawford says, before adding, “Especially from Oprah!”

In The Super Models, we learn that unlike pals Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington — who were discovered by high fashion photographer Arthur Elgort (aka Ansel Elgort’s dad) as coltish teens — Cindy Crawford forged a path for herself by doing catalogue modeling in Chicago in the 1980s. After Crawford eventually dropped out of college, she found considerable success working with local photographer Victor Skrebneski, making upwards of $1,000/day. By 1986, she and her agent John Casablancas (aka Julian Casablancas’ dad) were asked to be guests on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

As of the morning of September 20, you could still find the clip on YouTube under the sweet heading “Oprah Meets a Shy 20-Year-Old Cindy Crawford,” but after Crawford revealed in The Super Models that she has very negative memories of the interview, it has been made “private” so viewers can’t watch.

At one point in the interview Winfrey literally asks Casablancas, “So did you have to groom her? Or did she always have this body? This is unbelievable.”

Winfrey then insists that Crawford stand up so the audience in the studio and the millions of viewers at home can take in her whole body. Crawford blushes and giggles at Winfrey’s half flattering/half jealous comments in the clip, but reveals in The Super Model that “I was like the chattel. Or a child, like, ‘Be seen and not heard.'”

It’s noteworthy that Winfrey is more interested in talking to Casablancas than Crawford, who is spoken about as if she’s not there.

Crawford admits that part of the reason why she feels negatively about the experience now is because of shifting mores and the perspective that age has afforded her.

“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 said. “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!”

Over the course of The Super Models‘ four episodes, it becomes clear that Crawford values agency when it comes to her life and her career. Being treated like “chattel” on Oprah upset her, but she later calls posing for Playboy as “empowering” — because it was her decision, and a business decision at that.

All four episodes of The Super Models are now streaming on Apple TV+.