Christie Brinkley, 72, Revisits Her Iconic Black Velvet Campaign — and Close-Up Footage Has Viewers Comparing Her Then and Now

Christie Brinkley has recreated the Black Velvet Whisky campaign that helped make her famous nearly 50 years ago, and new interview footage showing her then and now has viewers weighing in on her look.

Brinkley recently looked back on highlights from her decades in the spotlight and reflected on what has changed since her early modeling days.

She revisited how she once viewed herself, the career limits models were expected to face, and other moments from her younger years. But once the close-up footage reached social media, viewers had plenty to say about how Brinkley looks today.

Brinkley is shown in close-up throughout much of the Entertainment Tonight (ET) interview as she smiles and talks about her career. Her blond hair is swept into a loosely pinned updo, with longer strands framing her face, while dark eye makeup and glossy red-pink lipstick complete her look.

The footage also gives viewers a direct link to Brinkley's past. As she reflects on her younger years, archival images appear alongside her present-day interview. One Facebook frame shows Brinkley today with an image of her younger self displayed in an inset.

Seeing the two periods together gave viewers a clear point of comparison. When the footage reached social media, many of the reactions centered on how Brinkley's appearance has changed over the years.

Viewers Debate How Much Brinkley's Look Has Changed

On Instagram, one netizen focused on Brinkley's mouth and asked, "What's wrong with her mouth?" Another user shared a preference about her lips, writing, "A softer lip would be better."

A commenter then shifted the discussion toward aging and praise, writing, "We all age. She's still so beautiful." Someone else remarked, "The neck tells it all. But thr pinned up hair is giving goddess [sic]."

One viewer made a broader comparison with the Brinkley they remembered, writing, "Hardly looks like her." A different commenter singled out her lips, writing, "Lips are different."

On Facebook, the reactions were just as divided. One viewer responded, "So unnatural. 😳" The archival comparison prompted one user to focus specifically on Brinkley's jaw, writing, "Not the same person! See how much wider the younger version's jaw was."

One person went further and attributed the perceived difference to cosmetic work: "Way too much plastic surgery." Other viewers pushed back with praise. One user defended Brinkley's appearance, writing, "Christie Brinkley has always been a beautiful natural beautiful woman [sic]!!!!"

A commenter was even more emphatic: "The most beautiful woman on the planet!!!!!!" One viewer also praised how Brinkley looks today, writing, "She is more gorgeous now than ever!"

Brinkley Reflects on What She Would Tell Her Younger Self

The then-and-now segment, hosted by ET's Emily Curl, showed Brinkley an interview filmed when she was 29.

Asked what advice she would give her younger self, Brinkley said she would tell her younger self to relax, enjoy the experience, and spend less time worrying about other people's opinions. She added that she would encourage her younger self to embrace life and have a good time.

The archival footage also highlighted what Brinkley believes has remained consistent over the years. As a young model, she described herself as "chubby," preferred loose, baggy clothes, and struggled to believe the praise she received.

Looking back, Brinkley said she still favors comfortable clothing and does not always believe the compliments that come her way.

Brinkley Revisits the Black Velvet Campaign Decades Later

Brinkley said the opportunity to return to Black Velvet began when she was contacted about continuing the familiar ads. "I got a call. They wanted to do a continuation of the iconic ads and I was like, 'Of course, I am in,'" she said.

The original campaign also gave Brinkley something to laugh about when she considered how the experience of modeling has changed for her. "Well, it took a lot less time to get ready and I was a lot more flexible," she added.

The new shoot brought some of those differences into focus. Brinkley said certain poses are more difficult for her to get into now and joked that doing yoga that morning might have made them easier.

Still, she viewed returning to the campaign as an opportunity to celebrate what she continues to enjoy doing.

"I think it's a great celebration of, you know, just aging and staying active and, you know, doing things that you love and, you know, enjoying the moment," she said. Her return carries added significance when set against the expectations Brinkley encountered when her modeling career was just beginning.

Brinkley Revisits Another Moment From Her Past

The conversation also turned to Brinkley's appearance in Billy Joel's 1983 "Uptown Girl" music video. Brinkley recalled that the video was filmed on an exceptionally hot summer night. The heat created an unusual problem between takes, with her heels sinking into the softened pavement.

What surprised Brinkley more was the video's staying power. She said she never expected people would still be discussing it decades after it was filmed.

The video also came during the early days of Brinkley and Joel's relationship. They first met in St. Barts in 1983 and soon began dating. Brinkley later recalled falling deeply in love with the musician, who courted her with flowers, notes, poems, and songs.

The couple married in March 1985 and later welcomed their daughter, Alexa Ray Joel. Brinkley and Joel divorced in 1994, but she has said they remained friends in the years that followed.

The lasting attention surrounding "Uptown Girl" is not the only way Brinkley's early career continues to resonate.

Brinkley Was Once Told Modeling Came With a Deadline

The interview footage also revisited an earlier conversation in which Brinkley discussed how long women could expect to remain in modeling.

At the time, she said careers were beginning to extend into the mid-30s, a shift from an earlier period when models often saw their opportunities decline in their early 20s. Brinkley later recalled an even harsher prediction she heard when she was just starting out.

She said, "In the beginning, they said to me, 'You will be chewed up and spit out by the time you're 30.' So, like an athlete, you have a certain number of years, you're in your prime, and then it's over."

She said those expectations reflected an industry that viewed models mainly in terms of their appearance and the clothes they were hired to showcase. Brinkley believes that perception changed over time as models came to be recognized as individuals with lives beyond their work.

She also believes the modeling industry has become more inclusive and representative. "Yes, I do. I see a lot of models from my generation are, you know, coming back out, dusting off their portfolios and getting back in the game," she shared.

When discussing where she still sees room for progress, however, Brinkley pointed to age: "I think the last barrier to really fall is the age one." Christie Brinkley welcomed seeing women from her generation continue to find opportunities in modeling.

For her, a long career no longer has to follow the limits she heard about when she was starting out. "And I think it's so great. We don't have an expiration date. This is a great time to have a second or third career," she said.