Update (2/2): Crawford's changing her tune a bit in terms of retirement. In a new Instagram post, she wrote: "Every year, I tell my kids I'm retiring. It's a running joke in our family. And yet every year, opportunities pop up that really excite me. While it's true that I'm eager to shift my focus a bit to concentrate on my businesses, friends and family — I'm not making any final statements (not all headlines tell the whole story!). I have loved being part of the fashion industry for the past 30 years — and if that time has taught me anything, it's this: never say never."

While the release of Cindy Crawford's new book has made a contribution to the literary universe, it's also signaled a crushing loss to the worlds of fashion and cosmetics.

The supermodel, who got her start 30 years ago, told United Airlines' Rhapsody that her upcoming 50th birthday will mark her official retirement from modeling, and that she's finally ready to pull out of the rat race. Becoming is the start of a new chapter, she noted.

"I’m sure I’ll have my picture taken for 10 more years, but not as a model anymore," she said. "And that’s okay. I’ve done it. I’ve worked with all these incredible photographers. 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."

And while she's likely the standard of perfection to many, Crawford said she's still seeking self-acceptance.

"I think at your core, you’re always you [but] for better or worse, I feel that there is that pressure," she said. "I’m out on book tour. I don’t look the same that I did 25 years ago, and I don’t want to disappoint. Maybe that’s the Midwesterner in me. I want them to like me. But when do we just be happy where we are?"

So do we all burn off our vanity lesions now, or...?

Check out a collection of controversial magazine covers:

 

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