As Cindy Crawford, one of the original supermodels, celebrates being over 50, she opens up about what life has taught her so far…
Turning 50
I’m happy, I love my life, but I don’t like birthdays. My husband [businessman Rande Gerber] always wants to plan things for my birthday, but we always end up cancelling and having dinner at home with the kids, and I’ll do baked potatoes and caviar.
The build-up is worse than the reality. That’s what I found at 40. Now it’s finally happened, and I’m in my fifties. I feel the same; I feel great. But it’s daunting. It’s a big number, especially for women. You can’t pretend you’re a girl anymore. You might feel girlie inside, but you hopefully are kinda like, this is who I am with my flaws.
Being a mother
My mother was very young, and that worked out great, but, for me, it was great that I wasn’t a young mother. I was able to be selfish with my time in my twenties – to try to figure out who I was and what I wanted.
When I did finally have kids [daughter Kaia, 15, and son Presley, 17], I was ready to put myself second, or third, or fourth… All of a sudden, your priorities just change. I was ready to let something else be the focus. I’m still figuring it out. But I do know that kids watch you.
So, I’m kind to myself, and not going, “Oh my God, I hate my… (fill in the blank).” Even though I still have insecurities, I want to be a good example, even if I’m faking it sometimes.
Best beauty secret
I’m a huge fan of double-duty beauty, because good things take time, and none of us have enough of it! I try to include beauty treatments in my workouts. For instance, since I know I’ll be washing my hair right after I exercise, I put a pre-wash conditioner in it, especially on the ends, before I work out.
Finding confidence
By my age, hopefully, you have inner self-confidence. My daughter says, “I hate my eyebrows, I hate my hair.” But I was that age too, and I hated my eyebrows and my hair, and my mole.
Making time
Some of my biggest fails happen when I don’t take the time to really listen to what my kids, or my husband, are saying. You say the wrong thing, or you say it at the wrong time. Later, I think, “I could have handled that so much better if I had just slowed down.”
We all over-commit. We don’t have the time to just be.
Life lessons
If I could go back in time and tell my younger self anything, it would be that we all are insecure at times and we all feel like we don’t belong at times. I wish I would have realised that someone else at the table was feeling that same way too…
I think I would have taken advantage of a few more opportunities. Insecurity is a part of being human.
Becoming (Rizzoli), by Cindy Crawford and Kate Betts, is out now.
