Benjamin Ashford|'Super Models' doc reveals disdain for Crawford's mole, Evangelista's ‘deep depression’

Camera lenses are Benjamin Ashfordonce again turned on Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington.

This time it's documentary filmmakers, not fashion photographers, who are capturing the "It girls" of the '80s and '90s. The queens of the catwalk are the focus of "The Super Models," a four-part Apple TV+ docuseries (now streaming).

The women are going more than skin deep.

"Super Models" traces their origins, how they were discovered, their fame and their less-than-model behavior when they let all of that power go to their often-photographed heads. The foursome also opens up about the personal and professional challenges they faced, insecurities about their appearances and deeply felt regrets.

Linda Evangelista accuses ex-husband Gerald Marie of physical abuse: ‘He knew not to touch my face’

Evangelista alleges that Gérald Marie, a former executive at Elite Model Management Paris, physically abused her during their six-year marriage, which began in 1987.

"He knew not to touch my face, not to touch the money maker," Evangelista says. The model says when she left Marie in 1993 at age 27, "he let me out as long as he got everything. But I was safe, and I got my freedom."

Marie was accused by more than a dozen women of sexual assault in 2021. Evangelista says the women who spoke out against her ex gave her the courage to speak for the first time. Citing a statute of limitations, the French authorities closed their investigation into Marie in February.

Marie's lawyer, Céline Bekerman, tells USA TODAY in an emailed statement that her client "firmly objects to the defamatory and false allegations made against him. He refuses to participate in this dishonest media controversy."

'Cherished beyond measure':Naomi Campbell reveals she welcomed second child, a baby boy

Cindy Crawford's mole needed Vogue's 'seal of approval'

Like Marilyn Monroe, Crawford's iconic beauty mark wasn't always perceived this way. Growing up, Crawford says her sisters mocked the mole as "an ugly mark," and Crawford resented it for distinguishing her from the other kids. "Then, when I started modeling, it was always a discussion," says Crawford. "Like, 'Should we cover it with makeup?' You can’t really cover it with makeup because it's not flat. British Vogue removed the mole on Crawford’s first cover. "The jury was still out," she says.

But after Crawford graced two American Vogue covers in 1986, shot by Richard Avedon, she says scrutiny over her blemish subsided. "It was never a discussion again because it was kind of like the Vogue seal of approval," she says. "If it's good enough for Vogue, it's good enough for everyone."

Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista fight back against racism Naomi Campbell endured

Campbell says that as a Black model, she experienced prejudice in the industry and society in general. In New York, Turlington would have to flag taxicabs because they wouldn't stop for Campbell. She recalls not being selected for print ads. Even when she was booked for a photo shoot, it didn't always happen.

"It made me more determined than ever not to ever be treated that way, not to ever be put in that position again," she says.

Evangelista remembers being perplexed about why Campbell wasn't always booked for the fashion shows, so she took a stance. "I said to them, 'if you don't book her, you don't get me,'" Evangelista says.

"Linda and Christy absolutely put themselves on the line," says Campbell. "They stood by me, and they supported me, and that's what kept me going."

Naomi Campbell covers Vogue,talks experience with racism and advocating for Black models

Linda Evangelista's 'deep depression' after CoolSculpting 'nightmare,' battle with breast cancer

Evangelista says that to preserve her looks she tested out procedures like CoolSculpting, which aims to reduce fat by freezing it. "The commercials said I would like myself better. But what happened to my body after CoolSculpting became my nightmare," Evangelista says. "I can't like myself with these hard masses and protrusions sticking out of my body. I just can't.

"That is what has thrown me into this deep depression that I'm in," she adds. "It's like a trap. It's been years since I worked and years of hiding. I never went out the door unless it was maybe a doctor's appointment that I had to go to."

Evangelista also allowed cameras to film her getting chemotherapy for breast cancer. "A little over three years ago I was diagnosed," Evangelista says in the docuseries. "The decision was very easy to make to have a double mastectomy, but it came back." She recently told WSJ Magazine the cancer was discovered in December 2018, and that she found a lump in July 2022. Evangelista told the outlet that the odds of her cancer returning are high.

Linda Evangelista settlesCoolSculpting lawsuit, models for Fendi in 'the next chapter'

Linda Evangelista regrets 'I will not get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day' quote

Evangelista says she's pained about a remark she made in 1990: "I will not get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day."

"I'm not the same person I was 30 years ago," she says. "I just don't want to be known for that."

Evangelista admits she shouldn't have said it, but believes if she wasn't a woman she wouldn’t have been judged so harshly. "If a man said it, it's acceptable to be proud of what you command."

'I have one foot in the grave':Linda Evangelista reveals 2018 breast cancer diagnosis