Supermodel Cindy Crawford Announces Her Retirement In United Airlines' Rhapsody Magazine

Cindy Crawford has announced that she is retiring from modeling. The 49-year old fashion icon turns the big 5-0 on February 20th and feels the half-century mark is the perfect time to call it quits.  The runway beauty started modeling when she was a teenager and has been flaunting her stuff ever since.

Technically, Crawford quit full-time modeling in 2000 but has still been a presence in the beauty industry.  "I'm sure I'll have my picture taken for 10 more years, but not as a model anymore and that's OK. I've done it. I've worked with all these incredible photographers." said the model to United Airlines' Rhapsody magazine before adding "What else do I need to do? I can't keep reinventing myself. I shouldn't have to keep proving myself. I don't want to."

Crawford was discovered in her hometown of DeKalb, Illinois after she posed in a bikini for a local newspaper photographer.  Little did she know at the time that would lead to her appearing on the cover of hundreds of magazines and earning 6.5 million per year.  She would also become, along with Claudia Schiffer, Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista, one of the five original women to coin the phrase "supermodel".  Crawford of course being the first of which to appear in Playboy.  The one time House of Style host was briefly married to actor Richard Gere from 1991-1995.  She then married restaurateur Rande Gerber in 1998 and had two children, 16 year-old son Presley and 14-year-old daughter Kaia. 

In a recent interview with People Magazine, the woman with the famous mole discussed growing old.  "I wish I could say it was easy." Crawford commented.  "'I see my daughter - you spend your teenage years wanting to be older. When are you just happy where you are? Both my grandmothers are still alive. One is 93 and lives by herself - but she still calls me for face cream. I wonder if she looks in the mirror and asks "Who is that?" 

Crawford recently released her autobiography Becoming where, through the use of many of her iconic images, she relates about her life, career and upcoming milestone birthday.