Beverly Johnson
Beverly Johnson (born October 13, 1952) is an American supermodel, actress, and entrepreneur recognized for becoming the first Black woman to appear on the cover of Vogue magazine in August 1974, a milestone that challenged prevailing racial barriers in high fashion.[1][2] Her breakthrough cover, photographed by Francesco Scavullo, featured her in a white mohair swimsuit and marked a pivotal shift in industry representation, though subsequent covers for Black models remained infrequent for years.[2] Over a career spanning five decades, Johnson graced more than 500 magazine covers worldwide, including publications like Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Essence, and Ebony, establishing her as one of the most prolific models of her era.[3] She expanded into acting with roles in films such as Loaded Weapon 1 (1993) and television series like Martin (1992), while launching business ventures including a hair care line and motivational speaking on overcoming adversity in modeling.[4] Johnson has candidly detailed the era's toxic underbelly, recounting reliance on cocaine and minimal caloric intake—such as two eggs weekly—to maintain her figure amid intense pressure to conform to slim standards.[5][6] Among notable controversies, Johnson accused comedian Bill Cosby of drugging her with a spiked cappuccino during an audition in the 1970s, contributing to broader allegations against him.[7] She has also recounted experiencing overt racism, such as a hotel pool ejection, underscoring persistent discrimination despite her successes.[8] In 1995, she obtained a temporary restraining order against actor Chris Noth, alleging physical abuse and threats.[9] These experiences highlight her role not only as a pioneer but as a forthright critic of the fashion world's exploitative dynamics.Early Life and Education
Childhood and Family Background
Beverly Johnson was born on October 13, 1952, in Buffalo, New York.[4][10] She grew up in a middle-class household as the eldest of two children.[11] Her mother, Gloria Johnson, worked as a surgical technician, and her father, Ernest Johnson, was a steelworker.[12][13] The Johnson family resided in a predominantly white neighborhood on Buffalo's East Side, where young Beverly navigated early experiences of racial segregation, including limited access to public amenities like swimming pools amid the industrial backdrop of local steel mills.[11] Described as tall and lanky in her youth, Johnson attended local public schools, including School 74 and Fillmore High School, fostering her initial interests in academics and athletics before pivoting toward modeling.[13] Her parents emphasized education and stability, with her father's blue-collar labor and mother's medical role providing a foundation of working-class resilience in a Rust Belt city.[12]Academic Pursuits and Initial Aspirations
Johnson graduated from Bennett High School in Buffalo, New York, in 1969, where she had trained as a competitive swimmer.[13] [14] Following high school, she enrolled at Northeastern University in Boston on a full academic scholarship to study criminal justice, with initial aspirations to pursue a career in law.[15] [14] Her interest in legal professions stemmed from observing the Civil Rights Movement on television alongside her father, which inspired ambitions to become a lawyer or even a Supreme Court justice.[16] During her freshman year, around 1970, Johnson balanced these academic goals with emerging opportunities in modeling, though she initially prioritized her studies in preparation for advocacy in civil justice.[2] [17] By age 18, however, she deferred her degree to focus on modeling full-time after early successes in the industry.[18]Modeling Career
Entry into the Industry and Early Challenges
In 1971, while attending Northeastern University as a pre-law student and competitive swimmer, Beverly Johnson, then 19 years old, entered the modeling industry by walking into the offices of Glamour magazine during a summer break and requesting work. Editors immediately conducted a test shoot with her, resulting in her debut cover for the magazine that year, which set sales records and led to six additional Glamour covers in the early 1970s. This breakthrough prompted Johnson to forgo her academic pursuits and relocate to New York City to model full-time.[14][19] Johnson initially secured representation with the Ford Models agency, cofounded by Eileen Ford, who recruited her after her Glamour success. However, her early career was marked by significant hurdles stemming from racial prejudice in an industry dominated by white, blonde, blue-eyed models. Agency managers, including Eileen Ford, dismissed the possibility of a Vogue cover as "unthinkable" for a Black model, leading Johnson to leave Ford Models and sign with Wilhelmina Models to pursue higher-profile opportunities.[2][19] Despite steady editorial and runway work for magazines like Vogue and Essence prior to formal agency affiliation, Johnson encountered systemic barriers, including significantly lower compensation than her white counterparts and limited access to major advertising campaigns or covers due to her race. These challenges reflected broader industry racism, where Black models were often tokenized or excluded from high-paying commercial gigs, forcing Johnson to rely on persistence and editorial bookings amid skepticism about her viability for mainstream success.[20][21]The 1974 Vogue Cover and Rise to Prominence
In August 1974, Beverly Johnson appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine's American edition, marking the first time a Black model had been featured on its front page in the publication's 82-year history.[19][1] The photograph, shot by Francesco Scavullo, depicted the 22-year-old Johnson in a close-up beauty shot wearing a red Ferragamo silk scarf and a white sweater by Kasper, embodying the era's head-and-shoulders cover style that Vogue favored through the 1970s and 1980s.[22] This milestone came despite industry skepticism; Johnson's agent at Ford Models, Eileen Ford, had previously deemed a Black model on the Vogue cover "impossible," reflecting entrenched racial barriers in high fashion.[23] The cover propelled Johnson from relative obscurity to supermodel status overnight, transforming her into one of the most sought-after faces in modeling. Prior to this, she had booked editorial work but faced limited opportunities as a Black woman in an industry dominated by white standards; the Vogue feature shattered that ceiling, leading to bookings with major designers and photographers.[24] Following the August issue, Johnson's career accelerated, with her appearing on over 500 magazine covers worldwide, including three additional Vogue covers in subsequent years, solidifying her as a trailblazer who expanded visibility for Black models.[20][24] This breakthrough not only elevated Johnson's prominence but also influenced industry norms, inspiring greater inclusion of diverse models in editorial and advertising campaigns during the late 1970s and beyond, though she later reflected on instances where her success felt tokenized amid persistent discrimination.[25][26] By the mid-1970s, she had become a fixture in runway shows and campaigns for brands like Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent, cementing her role as a pivotal figure in redefining beauty standards.[27]Peak Achievements and Industry Impact
Johnson reached the zenith of her modeling career in August 1974 when she became the first Black woman to appear on the cover of the U.S. edition of Vogue, photographed by Francesco Scavullo in a close-up beauty shot.[19] This milestone not only catapulted her to international prominence but also marked a pivotal shift in fashion media representation, challenging the industry's longstanding exclusion of Black models from high-profile editorial positions.[2] Over the subsequent years, she amassed appearances on more than 500 magazine covers worldwide, including multiple features for Glamour (14 covers by 1977), Cosmopolitan, Essence, Ebony, and the French edition of Elle—where she was the first Black model to grace the cover in 1975.[28] Her portfolio extended to thousands of editorial pages and hundreds of advertising campaigns for major brands, solidifying her status as one of the era's most booked models.[28] Beyond personal accolades, Johnson's breakthroughs exerted lasting influence on the fashion industry by demonstrating commercial viability for diverse talent, paving the way for subsequent Black supermodels like Naomi Campbell and Iman.[24] The New York Times recognized her among the 20 most influential figures in fashion, crediting her role in broadening beauty standards that had previously marginalized non-white features.[29] Despite persistent barriers, her success compelled agencies and publications to reconsider casting practices, fostering incremental inclusion in runway shows, editorials, and campaigns during the late 1970s and 1980s.[30] This impact is evidenced by the increased visibility of Black models in major markets following her Vogue appearance, though full systemic change remained elusive for decades.[31]Realities of Modeling: Dieting, Drug Use, and Racial Barriers
During her peak modeling years in the 1970s and 1980s, Johnson subsisted on extreme caloric restriction to maintain the industry's demanding thinness standards, often consuming no more than a bowl of brown rice and two eggs per week.[32] [5] This regimen left her weighing just 103 pounds after agency representatives deemed her initial 130-pound frame "too fat" upon entering the profession in 1971.[33] Industry pressures encouraged models to appear "chiseled to the bone," with Johnson recalling that upon arriving at shoots, agents would check for visible eating and provide cocaine to suppress appetite if hunger was evident.[34] [35] Cocaine use became integral to Johnson's routine as an appetite suppressant and energy booster, which she described as the "secret sauce" prevalent across the modeling world during that era.[36] This practice escalated into addiction, with Johnson admitting in interviews that her minimal food intake combined with frequent cocaine consumption hooked her, leading to health crises including dizziness and near-collapse from malnutrition.[37] [38] She later reflected that these habits, normalized by peers and bookers, reflected broader industry tolerance for substance abuse to achieve the waif-like aesthetic dominating high fashion.[35] Recovery came only after intervention, underscoring the causal link between professional demands and personal dependency.[5] As a Black model breaking into a predominantly white industry, Johnson encountered explicit racial discrimination that compounded physical tolls. In the early 1970s, during a South African photoshoot, an apartment complex drained its pool upon learning of her presence, citing racial policies—a direct manifestation of apartheid-era segregation affecting her work.[39] Agencies routinely overlooked Black women for major bookings due to entrenched biases favoring Eurocentric features, with Johnson noting that even after her 1974 Vogue cover—the first for a Black model—opportunities remained scarce compared to white counterparts, who faced fewer barriers to consistent high-profile assignments.[40] [41] Colorism and pay disparities further marginalized darker-skinned models like her, requiring her to outperform white peers empirically to secure equivalent visibility.[42] These realities delayed her prominence until persistent self-advocacy and undeniable market appeal forced incremental change, though systemic exclusion persisted.[31]Entertainment and Business Ventures
Acting Roles in Film and Television
Beverly Johnson's acting career, pursued alongside her modeling prominence, features supporting and guest roles in films and television from the late 1970s onward, often leveraging her public persona for character parts.[43] Her appearances are sporadic, with a concentration in 1990s comedies and occasional dramatic turns, reflecting opportunities extended to established figures in entertainment.[44] Key acting credits include:| Year | Title | Role | Medium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 | Doris Luger | Film[45] |
| 1993 | The Meteor Man | Woman Doctor | Film[46] |
| 1992 | Martin (episode) | Miss Trinidad | Television[47] |
| 2002 | Crossroads | Kit's Mom | Film[48] |
| 2012 | Tyler Perry's Good Deeds | Brenda | Film[49] |