Christie Brinkley has revealed that she was on the cover of Sports Illustrated at the age of 21 and felt insecure about wearing a swimsuit “in front of people” because she felt like she had to “live up to people’s expectations.” to fulfil’.
The supermodel, who turned 70 in February, first appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimming Issue in 1975 and four years later she appeared on three consecutive covers in 1979, 1980 and 1981.
During an appearance on Today with Hoda & Jenna on Tuesday, Christie opened up about the effect it had on her all those years ago and how she even perfected a “routine” to ensure people didn’t catch a glimpse of her in her swimwear. when she was on vacation.
‘After I did Sports Illustrated, I didn’t want to be in front of people in a bathing suit, because they perfect you and real life is real life, and I felt like I had to live up to people’s expectations, but that’s impossible, do you know? she explained.
‘I actually had a routine, I had the whole thing… the towel around the hips and the legs, I was sensitive in that area, you know? And I would drop it at the last minute. I would plan my departure so that someone would bring me a towel, that’s so stupid.’
Christie Brinkley has opened up about why she didn’t want to be seen in a swimsuit after modeling for Sports Illustrated
The supermodel first graced the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine in February 1979
Christie said she felt like she had to “live up to people’s expectations” after modeling swimwear
The mother-of-three continued: ‘That’s something that falls by the wayside when you turn 70, it’s like, ‘Why am I trying to please everyone?’
‘At the age of seventy you don’t have to be afraid of anything. It’s a really great time because you don’t really care what other people think of you, you just have fun [and] you just go on with your day, I just really enjoy it.”
Christie added: “I think we think people are watching us more than they actually are. You could go out with a piece of scrambled egg on your chin and it would be half a day before anyone said it!’ causing Hoda, 59, and Jenna, 42, to burst out laughing.
When mum-of-two Hoda said women ‘don’t get seen as you get older’, Christie agreed, replying: ‘Absolutely, that’s true. You notice things start to change and you start to disappear a little.
“I think it’s up to us and our generation to change that, because a lot of women my age are taking on new jobs and careers, having passionate careers, something they’ve always wanted to do… and I think that that is also the case. changes the perception of the number.
“We can’t let the numbers define us, and our generation is definitely going to change that,” the glamorous star added.
Christie is mom to daughters Alexa, 38, and Sailor, 25, and her son Jack, 28, and in February 2017 she returned to Sports Illustrated — but this time she had her two girls in tow.
In an exclusive interview with People Christie explained at the time that she had to think twice before agreeing to the shoot.
The 70-year-old said she had a ‘routine’ of making sure other people didn’t see her in her swimwear when she was younger
Now in her 70s, Christie says she doesn’t really care what people think about her and her body
Christie claimed that ‘at 70 there is nothing to fear’ and she is now more than happy to post swimwear photos to Instagram
‘My first thought was, “At my age? No way!” When I turned thirty, I thought, “This is the last time I’ll pose in a swimsuit!”
”When this song comes out, I’ll be 63. I thought, “Those days are over.” But to be able to do it with my girls, I was like, “One more time!”
In the spread, the exquisite trio showed off their model bodies in matching black suits from the beautiful beaches of Turks and Caicos.
Christie clearly has a close bond with her daughters and recently revealed that she was coincidentally diagnosed with cancer because she decided to accompany Alexa on her visit to her dermatologist.
During her appearance on Today, she explained: ‘I wasn’t even at a check-up, I was taking my daughter to the dermatologist.
“I was in the room and he had a little magnifying glass and he was looking at some of the things she was concerned about,” she said.
“I thought, ‘There’s that little spot right on the side of my head… Should I say something? It’s not my deal.’
‘At the very end… I said, ‘Before you put that down, do you think you could take a look at this?’
The blonde star celebrated her 70th birthday at sea in February and showed off her figure in a red swimsuit
Christie revealed in March that she had been diagnosed with a form of cancer called basal cell carcinoma
The doctor then said, ‘We need to do a biopsy immediately. This is something.’ Then the biopsy came back (as) cancer,” Christie added.
The blonde star first revealed on Instagram in March that doctors had found basal cell carcinoma, one of the most common forms of skin cancer, on the upper left side of her face.
“They took care of it, and luckily my hair grows that way, but the scar is barely noticeable,” she said at the time.