*It’s 2024 and Beverly Johnson remains aware of the racist activity against her, despite breaking barriers as the first Black model on the cover of Vogue magazine. Chatting with Page Six, Johnson remembered when she found out about a hotel draining its swimming pool after she took a dip. All of that is because of the color of her skin.
“I did not know until we all went to the Eileen Ford’s 90th birthday party,” Johnson recalled.
Ford, a famed modeling agent, died in 2014 at age 92, Page Six noted.
“All the models were there, and the very rich people and one girl said to me, ‘Remember when they drained the pool?’ When you got in the pool at the so-and-so hotel?” Johnson said. “I was like, ‘They did?’ And she said, ‘You didn’t know that?’”
Despite the revelation, Johnson didn’t name the hotel where the incident occurred.
“This was during the ’80s, I would not say the name of the hotel because I don’t want to get sued,” the fashion legend added.
“So you get a lot of that. People draining pools, it was racist. As a model, different kinds of things would happen to me because I was Black.”
Johnson’s remembrance comes as she celebrates the 50th anniversary of her iconic Vogue cover in 1974. In addition to Vogue, “The Face That Changed It All: A Memoir” the author carved her own historic niche in fashion by making the cover of Glamour 15 times, among other things.
And while she conquered, some denied Johnson the respect she deserved. Yet, Johnson found support and advocacy in the “it girl” of the time, Lauren Hutton.
The model/actor was not shy about bringing Johnson’s name out in the open to publications that put her on their respective covers.
“Lauren Hutton would go to photo shoots and say out loud, ‘Why isn’t Beverly on the cover of magazines? She is just as pretty.’ Johnson said. “And at that time Lauren was on every cover. She was the it girl. So it was major for her to say that out loud at the time.”
In honor of the anniversary of her Vogue cover, the 71-year-old supermodel is going theatrical by starring in her one-woman play, “Beverly Johnson: In Vogue.” The production is currently playing at the 59E59 Theatre in Manhattan, NY until Feb. 4.
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