August 1974, Beverly Johnson was the first African American model to grace the cover of American Vogue.
Born in Buffalo, NY, becoming a model was not Johnson’s first career choice. She attended Northeastern University in Boston on a full-academic scholarship with aspirations of becoming a lawyer. However, with her 5’8” frame and beautiful face, friends encouraged her to look into modeling. With hope and a new dream Johnson and her mother headed to New York City’s Madison Ave.
With failed attempts to find a modeling job, fate changed when she walked into the office of Glamour magazine. After meeting with the editors, Johnson was hired immediately. With her first appearance on the cover of Glamour, the magazines circulation doubled. Within two years, Johnson appeared on the cover of Glamour magazine six times. A model icon was born.
But it wasn’t until her groundbreaking Vogue cover that changes not only took place in her modeling career, but within the fashion industry and the world. It was with this cover the world noticed that black is beautiful. In 1975, Johnson returned again as a cover girl for the “American Woman” Vogue issue. Within the same year, the rising star broke another barrier and was the first African-American to appear on the cover of French magazine Elle.
Before the term “supermodel” was widely used in the fashion industry, or a song by drag queen RuPaul, Beverly Johnson worked the runways for famous fashion designers, was one of the highest-paid models in the industry, graced hundreds of magazine covers, and appeared in several television commercials.
Listed as one of the 20th Century's most influential people in fashion, Beverly Johnson has added to her resume, actress, author, and businesswoman.
source: examiner.com
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