Cindy, Naomi, Linda and Christy were the ‘original influencers’, says Super Models docu director

LOS ANGELES – Before there were reality television stars and social media influencers, there were supermodels.

And an upcoming series catches up with four of the most famous of them – Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington – as they pull back the curtain on their rise to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s, when the word “supermodel” was first popularised.

Debuting on Apple TV+ on Wednesday, the four-part documentary The Super Models is helmed by American directors Roger Ross Williams and Larissa Bills, who got unprecedented access to the four women – now in their 50s – as they reminisced about the highs and lows of their careers.

In a Zoom chat with The Straits Times, Bills says there are parallels between the ubiquity of the supermodels of that era and the influencers of today.

“They were the original influencers – because they were around before social media, before the Internet, and yet they were everywhere. Everybody knew their names, they were in every magazine, they were in the tabloids.”

And for those who remember that time, it might be somewhat startling to hear in-depth interviews with the likes of Crawford, 57, or Turlington, 54, two of the top American models of their day.

“To hear them speak was sort of unexpected, because you’re so used to (just) seeing them.

“And I’m from a similar age group and was in college when some of these iconic (magazine) covers came out. So (in this series), it was sort of like they were dolls come to life,” says Bills, who produced the documentary series On Pointe (2020), about a top American ballet school.

“But it was really great to see the human side of them. It was like speaking with friends.”

The women also reflect on how different the fashion industry was back then – and, as Crawford puts it, distinctly less “woke”, or socially progressive.

They hint at having been objectified, bullied and taken advantage of at various points in their careers, while English model Campbell also found herself being discriminated against because of the colour of her skin.

Bills says: “Naomi really went through it because back then they were still not casting her, as a black model, in nearly as many campaigns or shows as the other women.”

But Campbell, now 53, “has taken it upon herself to really push for more diversity in the industry”, she adds.

“We attended an event that she hosted for that, and it was really moving and meaningful.”

Asked if the process of ageing is harder for these models given how they made their living, Bills says: “Yes, it’s hard for anybody, but I think when you’ve made your whole career on it, it’s a different animal.”

“But I also think they’ve blazed a trail in terms of being able to continue their careers,” she adds.

All four women continue to model and promote philanthropic causes.

Crawford also has a line of home furnishings, Campbell recently designed a collection with fast-fashion brand PrettyLittleThing, and Turlington is a partner in various clothing and skincare lines.

“Linda is somewhat the exception because she’s been out of the spotlight for a few years,” says Bills.

She is referring to the fact that Canadian model Evangelista, 58, retreated from the public eye for more than five years after a fat-reduction procedure left her “brutally disfigured”, she revealed in a 2021 Instagram post.

“But I think they’ve all been very upfront about how they’ve handled ageing, and I appreciate that they’re willing to own those things,” Bills says.

Above all, the director hopes viewers will come away from the series realising that “supermodels are more than just beautiful faces and bodies – they are real humans”.

“And they truly are empowered women,” she notes.

“You can be feminine, beautiful and wear beautiful things but still be a powerful woman. That’s a second-wave feminism way to look at it, but I think they sort of ushered in that era as well.”