Christie Brinkley Shares Throwback Photo of Her 1977 Cosmopolitan Cover & Shares Body-Positive Message for 2020

Christie Brinkley shared her views on body image as she nostalgically welcomed the new decade with a throwback 1977 Cosmopolitan cover that "caused a stir" back in the day.

During the late 1970s, Christie Brinkley became a renowned supermodel who graced the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue for three consecutive years.

Having appeared on countless other covers over the years, Christie singled out her June 1977 Cosmopolitan magazine cover to ring in the new decade with a body-positive message to her fans.

THE BOLD BIKINI

The picture shows a 23-year-old Christie clad in a Norma Kamali purple halter bikini top with a connecting high-cut ruched bottom, a daring look at the time as Christie elaborated:

"In 1977 this bathing suit caused a stir! At the time all the bikinis were low slung on the hip.This high leg cut made the hip a new erogenous zone. I couldn’t figure out how to put it on as just one string holds it all together!"

HOW PHOTOSHOOTS WORKED BACK IN THE DAY

Photographer Francesco Scavullo shot all the covers for Cosmopolitan at the time, and with technology far more advanced now than it was then, photoshoots worked differently.

Scavullo had a large umbrella that contained a light. With a string attached to the umbrella at one end and the other end at the tip of the model's nose, he achieved the "perfect light" for a photoshoot.

With picture editing unheard of at the time, every strand of hair and the required makeup had to be perfect before Scavullo started snapping away.

CHRISTIE VIEW ON THE MODELING INDUSTRY

Christie recalled feeling self-conscious about her appearance and worried that she "looked fat." But looking at how much the industry changed in the last four decades, Christie added:

"I’m so glad that today our industry appreciates all shapes and sizes so we can just focus on being healthy. Not cookie cutter. Still there is something in some young girls that often makes them feel they just don’t measure up. I was one of them. I look back at these and think that worry was such a waste of time."

Welcoming of the shift in focus to a healthier lifestyle, Christie, who turns 66 in February, sees it as the younger generation taking a "giant step in the right direction."

CHRISTIE'S AGELESS BEAUTY

In 2017, Christie showed that her bikini days are far from over when she appeared on the February cover of Sports Illustrated, but she wasn't alone.

Joined by her daughters Sailor and Alexa Ray, they had to encourage Christie to get back into a bikini as she thought those days had long gone. But for the sake of sharing the experience with her daughters, Christie gave it "one last go."

Divorced four times, Christie Brinkley shares her daughter Alexa with Billy Joel, who she divorced in 1994. A brief marriage to real state developer Richard Taubman soon followed, and the couple welcomed a son named Jack.

In 1996, Christie and architect Peter Cook tied the knot. During their marriage that lasted twelve years, the couple welcomed their daughter Sailor to the world. Christie's first marriage to Jean-Francois Allaux in the 1970s ended in divorce in 1981. The pair had no children.