when i grow up i want to be...

There is no doubt about it, Cindy Crawford was the single model that made an impact on me growing up. I used to walk around saying, 'When I grow up I want to be 5'10 like Cindy Crawford.' Turns out she isn't actually even 5'10? She's 5'9... so my stubby little 5'7 isn't as far away from her height as I always feared. I'm not really sure when or how this fixation occurred. But if I had to pick the ideal look it would definitely have been hers. Tall, dark hair, big lips, strong brows, an inherently all-American fresh faced look. Geeze, she even has a mole. That probably sealed the deal. Can you believe it, for her first Vogue cover in January 1987 they removed it?! What a catastrophic mistake that was.

For me, she's the ultimate supermodel... one part of a monumental force that no longer exists. Glamour, power, force, strength. These girls embodied an era and a mentality. The whole insanity that developed around Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz, Christy Turlington and Cindy Crawford raised the bar of success to new heights in the modeling world. Has anyone been worthy of the title since? Some would argue England's own Kate Moss has... she certainly represented a new type of model dubbed 'heroin chic'. A look that took on such a force that even the then President Bill Clinton felt the need to speak out against it. Surely such emaciated and chid-like models gave rise to the outlandish use of photoshop that we are still recovering from. Clearly our sense of 'beauty' is an ever evolving concept. For me, it's all about being healthy instead of all emaciated and gaunt like... plus, who am I kidding? I like food way too much. What do you think? Have any models made an impact on you?

Think you've got a face that deserves to be on the cover of Vogue or a body that will inspire girls to want to be just like you when they grow up? Well, Next is currently running a modeling competition and all you've got to do to enter is upload your photo on Facebook for your chance to win. Click here to find out how to enter.

p.s. That's right, I've included a little Facebook 'Like' button. There is a little blogger competition going to help promote this Next modeling competition... whoever gets the most 'likes' wins. So, be sure to click 'like' if, in fact, you like it... Images sourced from here.