At 17, Twiggy shut down Woody Allen with just 2 words. 60 years on, she's finally spoken about it.

It's been almost six decades since a 17-year-old Twiggy sat across from Woody Allen for what would become an infamous interaction.

Twice the teen's age, the American filmmaker probed the young model for her thoughts on "serious issues" before asking her to name her favourite philosopher.

With just a moment's hesitation, Twiggy turned the question back on the filmmaker — who famously couldn't provide an answer either.

Now, at 75 years old, Twiggy is reflecting on the controversial moment, sharing she hasn't seen Allen since that day.

"He was trying to make me look stupid," Twiggy told The Guardian.

The 1967 interview was conducted in front of an audience for The Woody Allen Special comedy show.

When Allen asked Twiggy for her favourite philosopher, the young model panicked.

Watch: Woody Allen's interview with Twiggy. Post continues after video.

"My heart sank. I remember looking at him, pleading with my eyes for him to stop," she says now.

"My whole stomach fell to my knees. It was horrible, I was so humiliated because I didn't know any."

Composing herself at the time, Twiggy told Allen: "I haven't got one. I don't know any."

Then, she asked him: "Who's yours?"

Scrambling for an answer, Allen said: "I don't know, I like them all."

"Who?" the teenager replied.

"I don't know. Just, all of them," said Allen.

Twiggy, whose real name is Dame Lesley Lawson, persisted, telling the comedian: "But I don't know their names. What are their names?"

Allen couldn't provide an answer.

"That was sheer panic," she told the Daily Mail of her iconic response. "It was such a mean thing to do to a young kid."

Looking back now, Twiggy thinks she "dealt with it pretty well".

"All I can remember thinking was 'don't cry,' 'don't cry,' because I was in such a panic," she said, adding that she didn't think Allen's line of questioning would be accepted these days.

The 75-year-old also told The Guardian that if she was in her 30s, like Allen was at the time, she "would never have behaved like that towards someone who was only 17".

Twiggy's experience with Allen was by no means her only encounter with misogyny in the public sphere. There were TV hosts who casually inquired about her body measurements, expressed a desire to see her in swimwear, and speculated about whether her career would survive if she was to gain weight.

Who is Twiggy?

After being discovered in a photoshoot for a hairdresser when she was 16, Twiggy became one of the most iconic models of the 1960s.

Known for her thin build and androgynous appearance, big eyes, long eyelashes, and short hair, she was named "the face of 1966" by the Daily Express and voted British Woman of the Year.

After four years of modelling, Twiggy retired, saying, "You can't be a clothes hanger for your entire life!" as per the Independent on Sunday.

She continued to make her mark on the entertainment industry, going on to embark on an acting and singing career. These days, Twiggy is still beloved as a pioneer of fashion and beauty.

In 2023, the former model confirmed that — unlike many of her contemporaries — she has never undergone any cosmetic surgery or procedures, including injectables.

"I'm kind of proud of my wrinkles," she told the Daily Mail. "I understand when people have little tweaks, and maybe I'll even do it, I don't know.

"But what I don't think I'd ever do is all the stuff they inject, when they get those funny cheeks that look like cotton wool balls have been stuffed in them. It would frighten me."

Speaking about anti-wrinkle injections, the 75-year-old added, "It's botulism, isn't it? And I never fancied the idea of that floating 'round my body."

Twiggy added that she goes to Pilates once a week, but it's to alleviate her back pain, not in some effort to change her body.

"I'm bigger than I was, but I should be at my age," she said in a no-nonsense fashion.

The former model also spoke about the state of the fashion industry in a 2020 interview with The Guardian, saying that while we are seeing more diversity, she doesn't think things will ever change for good.

"It's the same with older models, they're using middle-aged and older women in commercials," she said.

"I don't think the high-fashion industry will ever go completely away from slimness, but I think other parts of the industry have started to use different shapes and sizes, and I think they should."

Feature Image: Getty.