( CNN ) A few days ago , when British journalist Charlene White posted on Twitter an apparently unretouched photo of supermodel Cindy Crawford , she launched a firestorm of debate over what women 's bodies should look like as they get older . The image showed the 48-year-old Crawford looking sultry , but imperfect , in black lingerie , her bared stomach and thighs characterized by what appears to be some cellulite , wrinkles and sun damage . `` Take a bow , Mrs. C , '' White tweeted . To many , this was a welcome change from photos of the latest celebrity who 'd gone the cosmetic surgery route . Over the last year , when Hollywood stars like Renee Zellweger and Uma Thurman appeared in public with new faces , there was speculation that they got plastic surgery and the public reacted with harsh judgment . So it 's no surprise that when photo of Crawford was shared all over social media , many people commended White for making it public and Crawford for having `` the guts '' to open herself up to such scrutiny . White told CNN , `` Women come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes . I think it 's important to see all sorts of body shapes on our screens and in our magazines so that people have a true reflection of what people look like . '' But the photo was not , it turns out , from Marie Claire , as White acknowledged . It 's an unpublished outtake from a 2013 photo shoot from Marie Claire Mexico and Latin America , which is owned by a different publisher . The image was shared by White without Crawford 's knowledge or permission . The irony here , of course , is that White took ownership of an objectified version of Crawford 's body in exactly the same way she set out to criticize others of doing . White said to CNN , `` I want people to feel like magazines are n't responsible for their happiness when it comes to their bodies , but magazines also have a responsibility to show us an array of images . ... No one has the right to tell other people how to feel about their body . '' And yet , is n't that exactly what White did ? Crawford lingerie image stirs debate over what 'real women ' look like . If White had done her journalistic due diligence , should n't she have made sure the woman in the photo actually felt comfortable having such an intimate photo of herself broadcast to the world ? White does n't know how Crawford feels about that image , and we still do n't know . ( The supermodel has not yet commented on the photo . ) In releasing the image , White made an example of one woman 's body to satisfy a personal agenda -- that magazines should show more `` realistic '' images of women . On `` Good Morning America , '' White said , `` I thought I would tweet the picture because I found it incredibly empowering to see someone as beautiful and iconic as Cindy Crawford in her natural form . '' To be sure , there is some comfort to be found in that photo . One of the world 's most famous models has cellulite ! One of the most recognizable female icons grows old and ages just like the rest of us ! But in praising this photo , are we implicitly saying that we respect the aging process only when it mirrors our own or when it shows some imperfections ? After all , what we like here is that Cindy , in fact , does n't look all that amazing , and to say she does resonates as more than a little condescending . She is beautiful , to be sure , but what we 're celebrating as `` real '' are her flaws . The release of the photo and the response it has generated is quite the opposite of inspiring . The message it seems to convey is that the only way we celebrate a woman 's aging body is when we bear witness to its flaws . After all , we call women like 32-year-old Australian model Erin McNaught , who released photos of her toned body four weeks after giving birth , `` vain , '' `` insecure , '' and `` attention-seeking '' because we do n't find any comfort in seeing those photos . So let 's call a spade a spade . We do n't like Crawford 's image because it 's `` real . '' We like it because it 's a little startling and a little unattractive , and therefore makes us feel better about ourselves . But that is n't what empowerment is -- using others ' faults to downplay or justify our own . We 're also not cheering Crawford 's bravery in showing the world what even the most genetically blessed 50-year-old women look like , since the photo was very likely shared without her permission . We 're using her to make ourselves feel better . Which , of course , could not be more unattractive .
An unretouched photo of supermodel Cindy Crawford was posted on Twitter by journalist Charlene White . The image shows the former Miss Universe winner in a black bikini and white bra with her arms crossed over her chest.