The hair. The body. The mole. If ever there was a quintessential cover girl, it has to be Cindy. Born February 20, 1966, Cynthia Ann Crawford appeared on her first Vogue cover in 1986, at the age of 20. Today, over two decades later, Cindy Crawford is still a household name and continues to be synonymous with the word supermodel.

The DeKalb, Illinois, farm girl never gave modeling a thought until a local photographer spotted her shucking corn. A few photos later, Cindy was named runner-up in John Casablancas’s Look of the Year contest.

The high school valedictorian dropped out of her chemical engineering program at Northwestern University and headed for New York City. The move east proved wise—in no time at all, Cindy was gracing the covers of magazines across the globe, including British, French, and Italian versions of Vogue. After signing contracts with massive brands like the Gap and Revlon, Cindy was well on her way to earning supermodel status.

While the sexy girl-next-door racked up a record-breaking number of magazine covers (over 500) and traipsed down countless runways, she always had a head for business. Cindy keyed into the “model turned...” concept incredibly early. MTV captured the nation’s obsession with models with the long-running series House of Style, first hosted by Cindy. She continued to capitalize on her assets with Cindy Crawford: Shape Your Body Workout and a beauty book, Cindy Crawford’s Basic Face: A Makeup Workbook. She also recognized the power of global branding when she managed to make the simple act of drinking a can of Pepsi look steaming hot.

Cindy Crawford, the brand, has continued to evolve over the years. Cindy has successfully launched two businesses, Meaningful Beauty and Cindy Crawford Home. Her beauty line brings the secrets of Parisian doctor Jean-Louis Sebagh to the masses, and her furniture collection represents the style maven’s Malibu-chic aesthetic.

As Cindy Crawford “the business” booms, Cindy Crawford “the woman” embraces her life as a mother and wife. After a tabloid-fodder marriage to Richard Gere, Cindy met restaurateur Rande Gerber. They married in 1998 and have two children, Presley and Kaya.

Motherhood, a job she’s as serious about as any other, shook up the activist in Cindy. She recently designed an eco-chic aluminum water bottle for PUR Water Filtration System’s Thirsty for Change campaign. The bottle’s benefits are twofold: It helps to save the environment, and the proceeds provide clean water to children around the world. This isn’t the first time Cindy has used her fame for good, however. Her brother’s childhood death inspired her tireless commitment to research and raising awareness for leukemia. She also sits on the celebrity board of the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Cindy’s participation in PETA’s I’d Rather Go Naked than Wear Fur campaign, her performance in George Michael’s “Freedom” video, and her provocative Vanity Fair cover with the freshly outed singer k.d. lang are all memorable moments that have helped shape modern fashion as we know it. Topping off her varied career, it's still a delight when this timeless beauty takes the occasional fashion assignment and we get to see Cindy back in action.