As Cindy Crawford prepares to celebrate her 50th birthday next year, the supermodel has opened up about ageing. In her new memoir, Becoming, the mother-of-two revealed that she is often shocked when she sees paparazzi photos of herself, especially when she spots changes she hadn't noticed.
Cindy Crawford has spoken about the pressures of ageing in the fashion industry
"Having been a model now for more than 30 years and dependent on my looks for my work, seeing those changes might even be a little bit harder for me," she admitted.
The fashion icon went on to describe what she has called 'the illusion of Cindy Crawford', explaining that she often feels pressure to look every inch a supermodel even when she's just out and about running errands.
"At times the pressure to live up to the fashion industry's expectations feels overwhelming," she confessed.
The supermodel will celebrate her 50th birthday in February
It's not the first time that Cindy has admitted she has felt vulnerable in the spotlight. Earlier this year a photo emerged of the supermodel which was allegedly unretouched, which Cindy said left her feeling "conflicted".
"It put me in a tough spot: I couldn't come out against it because I'm rejecting all these people who felt good about it, but I also didn't embrace it because it wasn't real – and even if it were real, I wouldn't have wanted it out there," she told Elle Canada. "I felt really manipulated and conflicted, so I kept my mouth shut."
However, the photo itself received a lot of praise from some women, with Cindy revealing she understood why it could cause such a positive reaction.
"Sometimes, the images that women see in magazines make them feel inferior – even though the intention is never to make anyone feel less. So somehow seeing a picture of me was like seeing a chink in the armour."