Christie Brinkley Reveals Body-Positive Throwback Bikini Photo From the '70s

Christie Brinkley is treating fans to a peek behind-the-scenes of her 1977 Cosmopolitan cover as she ruminates on her own journey with body image and the modeling industry's changes over the years. The supermodel took to Instagram Monday to share the June 1977 cover, which featured her in a high-cut lavender bikini she recalls having caused quite the stir.

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A post shared by Christie Brinkley (@christiebrinkley) on Jan 13, 2020 at 10:17am PST

"In 1977 this bathing suit caused a stir! At the time all the bikinis were low slung on the hip," she wrote. "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!"

Remembering working with photographer Francesco Scavullo, Brinkley revealed to fans that he tracked the "perfect light" with the use of a "big umbrella with a string that ran from the middle of the umbrella which contained a light to the tip of your nose."

"They did not have retouching back then so they really perfected the make up and every strand of hair," she said of the interesting method of finding perfect light. "I remember I was worried that I looked fat."

"I'm so glad that today our industry appreciates all shapes and sizes so we can just focus on being healthy. Not cookie cutter," she continued. "Still there is something in some young girls that often makes them feel they just don't measure up. I was one of them."

Looking back, the Dancing With the Stars alum knows that worry about her body "was such a waste of time."

"If only the perspective we gain with age that alleviates the worries could be passed on and absorbed by the younger generation," she mused. "But I do think shifting the focus to feeling great is a giant step in the right direction. Just thinking out loud as I sift thru (sic) a few photos . Wishing everyone a great day ( and decade! )"

Photo credit: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images