Beverly Johnson recently shared a troubling experience of racism she faced during her career in the modeling industry. The 71-year-old, who made history as the first Black model on the cover of Vogue nearly 50 years ago, revealed a previously unknown incident that occurred around 40 years ago.
During a conversation at Eileen Ford's 90th birthday party in 2012, Johnson's friends brought up an incident from the '80s where a hotel had drained the pool after she went swimming. Beverly was shocked to learn about it, as she had no knowledge of the incident at the time. She believes this was a clear case of racism, although she refrains from naming the hotel to avoid potential legal issues.
In her discussion with Page Six, Johnson mentioned that such discriminatory incidents were not uncommon in her modeling career due to her skin color. While she did not provide specific details in the interview, her 2015 memoir, "The Face That Changed It All," and a 2020 op-ed shed light on other instances of persistent racism within the industry.
Adding an interesting perspective to her story, Beverly Johnson revealed that fellow model Lauren Hutton consistently supported her in securing modeling opportunities. Hutton would openly question why Johnson wasn't featured on magazine covers and asserted that Beverly was just as beautiful. Lauren Hutton's advocacy, given her influential status at the time, made a significant impact.
Beverly Johnson is currently promoting her new one-woman show, "Beverly Johnson In Vogue," set to debut Off-Broadway. Despite the challenges she faced, Johnson remains resilient and excited about her upcoming project.
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