- She's been in "Vogue."
She's been in "Elle," "Harper's Bazaar,"
and was discovered here in Chicago.
Straight from DeKalb, Illinois to New York modeling,
please welcome Cindy Crawford.
[CLAPPING]
Well, Cindy, from DeKalb to New York.
That's a long journey.
Yes.
OPRAH WINFREY: Very.
Well, tell us what it's like for you now.
I live here in Chicago, because I prefer living here,
because I'm close to home.
But I've been traveling quite a bit.
I just got back from Mexico and Key West
on two trips for bookings.
It's great.
I mean, I'm having fun.
And I also was in school for part of the time,
two years while I was modeling.
OPRAH WINFREY: Where'd you discover her?
Well, she was actually discovered by my partner,
[INAUDIBLE] from Elite here in Chicago and entered
into our Look of the Year contest, where
she was one of the finalists.
And that's how we started our relationship.
OPRAH WINFREY: So did you have to groom her, or was she--
did she always have this body?
This is unbelievable.
Stand up just a moment, because no one
saw you come in standing up.
Now this is what I call a body.
[LAUGHS]
OPRAH WINFREY: Very good, very good.
But I'm not-- I don't weigh 100 pounds.
I'll tell that lady on the phone that I do not weigh 100 pounds.
It's just--
OPRAH WINFREY: Are you about 5' 9", 5' 10?
5' 9", and I try to stay around 120.
OPRAH WINFREY: OK.
I'm happy for you.
[LAUGHS]
So did you have to do anything with her?
Did she have to go through that training period or no?
Well, with Cindy, in terms of looks, it was very easy.
It was much more psychologically,
she was not sure if she really wanted to model.
She didn't see, I think, as clearly as we did,
the potential that she had.
So it's been a very slow process, you know.
I'm still trying to get her out more often, to Paris
and to New York and all that.
For her, it was more a question of mental stability.
She wanted to feel good and comfortable,
and that came before her-- CINDY CRAWFORD: It was hard.
--her career objectives.
OPRAH WINFREY: Really?
With school had always been my important thing.
And then--
OPRAH WINFREY: What's your major?
CINDY CRAWFORD: Well, I was in engineering at Northwestern.
And you know, high school was always my big thing.
And this, definitely, you can't do both 100%.
OPRAH WINFREY: So like, this is not a lifetime
dream for you to be a model?
It's not something that I grew up wanting to do.
But I've decided now that school can wait,
and I'm having a great time.
OPRAH WINFREY: These girls are saying, you bet it can.
CINDY CRAWFORD: Well--
OPRAH WINFREY: So you're having a hard time
getting her to Paris.
Yes, I mean--
I went once.
Not so much now.
You know, I think that we've been patient,
and it's been paying.
Because little by little, her ambition is growing, I think,
with--
she's getting a sense that she could be--
and I'm saying it now on this program--
if she wants to, she can be maybe the number
one in the business, if she--
OPRAH WINFREY: Oh, well, Cindy. - --and get it.
OPRAH WINFREY: Wake up and smell Paris.
[LAUGHTER]