Last month, I was fortunate enough to be invited by Omega to Hong Kong to interview Cindy Crawford and be one of the first in Asia to view the documentary she narrated and starred in with her daughter Kaia. The film, “Hospital in the Sky,” was set in Peru and documented one of the many trips taken by Orbis International to help people in low-income or hard to reach areas restore their eyesight. Omega is one of Orbis’ biggest supporters, and Cindy, being Omega’s longest running endorser was excited at the opportunity to be part of it. Admittedly, she was initially on board because she wanted to see Machu Pichu, having known close to nothing about Orbis. However, the trip quickly turned into something more meaningful once she stepped on that plane and started communicating with the locals in need.
We were able to catch up with Cindy herself at a press interview and here are a few snippets:
You’re releasing a book soon, Becoming. What’s it about and what are your future plans?
CC: That’s my main thing. I have my skincare line, but definitely the book has been taking up a lot of time and energy. It’s coming out the end of September, so I’ll be promoting that at the end of the year. I’m excited because it’s really hard to do a book, it’s takes a long time, much more than I was aware. As I say in the book, it’s what I’ve been doing for the last 30 years but more importantly, what I learned from it and why it matters.
You’re reaching an important milestone next year, you’re turning 50. How do you feel about that and how do you maintain your looks and attitude?
CC: I think doing the book was really how I’m dealing with it, because 50 is something you either run from and try to avoid but it comes anyway. Or, you realize that the alternative is not being here to celebrate 50, which is not something I’m interested in either. You have to do the work, do you know what I mean? I’m not 25, I don’t want to be 25, I wouldn’t mind looking 25, but that’s why taking stock of what you’ve learned is such an important part of aging gracefully. It’s easier to accept when you realize the journey you’ve been on, and I’ve had great fun being Cindy Crawford, you know? That’s not going to stop, but it’s evolving and changing and that’s why I’m working with companies like Omega, who are allowing me to evolve and change and still it’s not just about, “Are you on the cover of Vogue and Sports Illustrated?” You’re a woman who has this brand and it’s a nice partnership. But look, I’m a woman too. I don’t like seeing wrinkles; it’s not fun.
If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?
Probably “Don’t take yourself so seriously.” I think I would probably have had a little more fun. But because when I moved to New York I was from a small town and I didn’t feel necessarily… after dinner I would go back to my room and read a book because I didn’t want to be in a situation that I didn’t understand, which probably is the reason why I’m known as such a professional and why my career went on so long, but in retrospect, I could have had a little more fun. I have fun now.
