Christy Turlington

Christy Turlington (born January 2, 1969, Walnut Creek, California, U.S.) is an American fashion model best known as a face of the cosmetics company Maybelline and the Calvin Klein fashion house. Turlington appeared on more than 500 magazine covers and walked the runways for the world’s top fashion houses, including Chanel and Valentino.

Turlington was raised in Danville, California, near Oakland. Her father was a commercial airline pilot, and her mother worked as a flight attendant. While horseback riding in Miami, Turlington was spotted by a photographer, who sent pictures he took of her to a local modeling agency, which agreed to represent her. She began modeling at age 14, and two years later she was signed for representation by Ford Models—one of the world’s largest modeling agencies. At age 18 she moved to New York City to pursue a professional modeling career. She appeared in the English pop-rock band Duran Duran’s music video “Notorious” (1986) and on the cover of the German edition of the leading fashion magazine Vogue (January 1987), gaining international recognition.

At age 20 Turlington signed a record-setting seven-figure contract as the new face of Calvin Klein (1989–2007) and was subsequently featured with fellow models Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, and Tatjana Patitz on the cover of British Vogue (January 1990). The grouping of several top models attracted significant attention, and they were chosen to again appear together in pop singer George Michael’s “Freedom! ’90” music video. Gianni Versace, then a top fashion designer, in turn hired Turlington, Campbell, Crawford, and Evangelista to simultaneously walk the runway to the video at his 1991 couture show, which elicited a standing ovation from the audience. The event is believed by many industry professionals to have marked the official debut of the “supermodel”—a top fashion model who appears simultaneously on the covers of the world’s leading fashion magazines and is globally recognized by first name only. Turlington signed a contract as the new face of Maybelline in 1992. The following year, the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art christened her the “Face of the 20th Century,” creating a line of mannequins in her likeness.

Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.

SIGN UP

By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

As the supermodel phenomenon began to rise, Turlington was at the forefront of a small group of models—known in the industry as “the supers”—who became worldwide celebrities, increasingly dominating both the high-fashion runways and the global media. American singer RuPaul captured the phenomenon in the 1993 hit song aptly titled “Supermodel,” which mentioned the year’s top models—including Turlington, Campbell, Crawford, Evangelista, Claudia Schiffer, and Niki Taylor—by first name only. Turlington, Campbell, and Evangelista were regularly booked as a trio for some of the most prized assignments and were soon known in their own right as “the holy trinity.”

Turlington copartnered (1995–97) with Campbell, Elle Macpherson, and Schiffer to promote the heavily hyped restaurant chain Fashion Café (1995–98). She also appeared in the fashion documentaries Unzipped (1995) and Catwalk (1996).

The late 1990s marked the end of the supermodel era. Turlington earned dual bachelor’s degrees in Eastern philosophy and comparative religion from New York University (1999), founded her own company, Turly Inc., and launched a string of products and services that included yoga-inspired clothing and day spas. Turlington authored Living Yoga: Creating a Life Practice (2002). She married the Hollywood actor, director, and producer Ed Burns in 2003. Turlington was featured in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition “The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion” (2009), which showcased the models who epitomized fashion during the 20th century.

Turlington was also a noted activist. In 2010 she launched Turly Pictures, LLC, and founded Every Mother Counts, an organization dedicated to improving maternal health and reducing maternal mortality. Turlington made her directorial debut with the maternal health documentary No Woman, No Cry (2010). She also directed the short film Every Mile, Every Mother (2014), in which members of Every Mother Counts competed in a lengthy overnight race; the documentary was meant to highlight the fact that many pregnant women are far from maternity care.

Explore Britannica Premium!

The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.

SUBSCRIBE