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Rizzoli is proud to announce the October publication of BECOMING, a chronicle of American icon and supermodel Cindy Crawford’s life, in which she shares stories of her professional and personal evolution, accompanied by her most iconic images, as well as never-before-published photographs from her personal archive.
The 1990s era of the supermodel was a cultural phenomenon which made stars out of a select group of strong women who surpassed mere beauty by embodying a new spirit and personality that made them celebrities in their own right. In this pantheon, Cindy Crawford blazed a trail from the runway and covers of leading fashion magazines around the world, to unconventional pop culture outlets such as then-new and cutting-edge MTV, Super Bowl commercials, and even Playboy magazine—in which she appeared not once but twice—in photo features ten years apart.
On the eve of her fiftieth birthday, Cindy Crawford looks back on a super-nova career and remarkable life. In the completely accessible, down-to-earth voice of the Midwestern girl she is, Cindy discusses the love-filled, small-town childhood that shaped both her legendary work ethic, and the professionalism for which she is so well-regarded in an often cut-throat and competitive business, but she is also candid about the devastating early loss of her brother, Jeff, and her parents’ subsequent divorce only a few years later.
Cindy describes her earliest modelling years and the process of becoming less self-conscious in front of a camera; her reaction when an early agent suggested she remove the mole that would become her trademark; and how her exile from a Chicago studio gave her the courage to “dream big”, move to New York, and learn to own her power in a business that has been known to infantilize women.
Cindy also gives us an account of her entrepreneurial accomplishments, and shares her observations on our youth-obsessed culture. The reader will be inspired to read about Cindy’s determination to create positive messages about a healthy body image that she knew would reach women of all ages; her feelings about marriage and motherhood; her thoughts on this milestone birthday, and what she would tell her younger self if she had the chance.
The 150 stunning photographs span Cindy’s entire career beginning in the mid-1980s, and feature images by every top name in fashion photography, including Annie Leibovitz, Victor Skrebneski, Arthur Elgort, Helmut Newton, Herb Ritts, Irving Penn, Patrick Demarchelier, and Richard Avedon, among others. Most fascinating are Cindy’s descriptions of the creative philosophy of each of these masters, and the priceless and very different lessons she learned from each.
Beautifully illustrated, BECOMING is an engaging series of stories that shed light into the life and work of an extraordinary woman who is as beautiful inside, as out. BECOMING is a must for anyone who has followed Cindy’s legendary career, is fascinated by the worlds of fashion and photography, and will be a meaningful mother-to-daughter gift for all young women who can benefit from reading this modern-day American success story with universal coming-of-age lessons.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Cindy Crawford is one of the original supermodels who defined that pivotal moment when fashion models became cultural stars in their own right. Crawford used her fame and business savvy to launch an entrepreneurial career that has encompassed beauty, fashion, fitness and home décor brands. She has appeared on over a thousand magazine covers worldwide and has been the face of brands as diverse as Revlon, Omega watches, and Pepsi. For more about Cindy please visit www.cindy.com. Katherine O’Leary and Cindy Crawford have worked together in many different capacities for over sixteen years. BECOMING is Katherine’s writing debut.