'Drug abuse, starving to look thin': Supermodel Beverly Johnson reveals the ugly truth of modelling
Supermodel Beverly Johnson
The modelling world harbours a lot of dark secrets including how models have had to starve to retain their figures, to look “chiseled” and to be able to don designer pieces without any alteration before a fashion week. Confirming those doubts that people have had for long, supermodel Beverly Johnson revealed all the extreme steps she undertook to maintain shape.
"Chiselled to the bone"
In a new interview that is now trending, she told Page Six that she had to starve to look “chiseled to the bone” at the height of her modelling career. The 71-year-old supermodel revealed that there was immensepressure to look extremely thin for photoshoots in the 1970s and 1980s. She even used cocaine, which is known to have appetite-suppressing effects.
She revealed, “Everyone used drugs back in the day but that particular drug for models was used because we did not eat."Speaking further thesupermodel said that all models were “led to believe” at the time that “cocaine was not addictive.”
“I remember eating two eggs and a bowl of brown rice a week,” she continued. “I would be shaking in a cab, and I would say pull over because I have to get a bag of M&Ms.”
Depending on so many drugs ultimately led to an unhealthy pattern for the model. She remembered how wild it got at that time when she would start shaking if she would stop the drug use.
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Breaking out of unhealthy patterns
Johnson said she was eventually able to break out of the unhealthy routine thanks to her mother, who got her out of the bathtub one day and made her look at herself in a “three-way mirror.” The incident finally opened her eyes to the toll her lifestyle was taking on her body.
Recalling that eye-opening moment, she told Page Six, “It was the first time I saw my bones looking back at me. It was a major wake-up call.”
Turning 50 in style: Kate Moss celebrates alcohol-free birthday
Sober for 50 years now
Beverly Johnson has now been sober for at least 50 years.
In 1974, Beverly became the first Black woman to grace the cover of US Vogue. She also recently made a runway comeback, walking in several fashion shows including Sergio Hudson and Bibhu Mohapatra's 2022 shows and Dennis Basso's 40th-anniversary show at New York Fashion Week in February.
