AMBERmag.com: What was going through your mind the day of the shoot?
Beverly Johnson: There was a rumor that the photos might make the cover, but you don’t really pay attention to any of that. Francesco Scavullo was shooting that day. He was a major photographer, right up there with Richard Avedon. I learned a lot from him. He was a teacher and a mentor. I was very nervous that day. Everything was heightened. When you work with the big magazines, everything gets heightened.


AMBERmag.com: How did you react when you learned that you’d landed the cover?
BJ: When I got the call from Wilhemina that I got the cover I was elated. It was like hitting the lottery.  Other than having my daughter it is definitely the highlight of my life. I remember putting on my clothes and running down the street to the newsstand. I was so excited. The cover was pretty and I was blown away. I'm getting excited now just thinking about it.  I remember looking at the cover and saying, ‘I can't believe this is me.'  But I was so excited, I ran out of the house without money and nobody would loan me any.  I couldn’t even buy my own issue. I had to go all the way home to get my money and come back.


AMBERmag.com: Did you have any idea of just how groundbreaking an achievement it was? 
BJ: I was only in the business for a little while, so I was shocked to learn that there had never been a person of color on the cover.  I remember thinking, ‘you're kidding; this can’t be.'  I got angry about it.  I asked my agent and an editor at Vogue, like, hey what's that about?  I didn't get it at all.  And no one could give me a good answer.  In many ways, that cover marked the beginning of my education about my heritage.  I decided it was time for me to learn about black history, where I came from.


AMBERmag.com: You’ve been called the Jackie Robinson of the modeling world.
BJ: When I realized the magnitude of what I’d accomplished, it became kind of scary. And then I started thinking, 'why me?'  It was a bit overwhelming. I remember speaking with leaders like Shirley Chisolm and Jesse Jackson and these people were telling me what it meant, the significance of what I’d done. Being compared to Jackie Robinson was incredible.  I went to Africa and made a movie and they even knew me there and that was incredible. They knew me in Europe.  It was big deal and it is still a big deal.


AMBERmag.com: Do you know how the magazine sold?
BJ: I was told that it tripled in circulation. All of a sudden they had all of these new black readers who weren't picking up Vogue before.


AMBERmag.com: You were an athlete studying criminal justice at Northeastern University in Boston. How did you end up a cover girl in New York?
BJ: I was a competitive swimmer, swim instructor and lifeguard. Swimming and school. That’s all I did.  One summer my mother made me get a job at a boutique before I went to college, so I could buy clothes for school. There was a woman who worked there named Mimi and she kept telling me that I should be a model.  I thought she was crazy.  I was going to be a lawyer. She gave me the name and phone number of a woman in New York and told me to call her if I ever changed my mind.  I tucked the number away and forgot all about it.  Well the next summer, I was working at the Roxbbury YWCA and making $28 a week teaching swimming. We had job cuts and I lost my gig. I didn’t want to go back home to Buffalo.  I wanted to stay in Boston. These girls that I went to school with were from New York and they told me I should model.  And they also told me models made $75 an hour. I was sold.  I found that number Mimi gave me and called the woman.  It turns out she worked at  Jack’s 5th Avenue, which was a huge boutique that everyone from Jackie Onassis to Harry Belafonte frequented. The woman got me an appointment with Glamour magazine and the rest is history. I remember getting a check for $300 and it was more money than I had ever seen in my entire life.


AMBERmag.com: How were you treated during those times? Did you ever encounter racism?
BJ: There was always racism. I remember doing jobs and I would shoot as many pictures as my white peers, but I would be paid less money. I did demand to get paid equally when I got in the position when I could.  I kept my mouth shut for a while, but when I could flex I did. Girls like Lauren Hutton let me in on what they were making and stood behind me and supported me when I asked for more.


AMBERmag.com: Makeup and hair must have also been an issue?
BJ: There were only white makeup artists and hair people. I was always teaching them how to do my hair and makeup.  They would look at my hair and say, oh nooooo. I was one of the firsts to bring black hair stylists and black makeup artists to the industry Once they found out how good they were with black hair and their hair, they started using them all the time.  They couldn’t get enough.


AMBERmag.com: Who are some of your favorite models from back then and today?
BJ: My favorite model was Naomi Sims.  She was my predecessor.  I loved Lauren Hutton. I loved Verushka. I loved that whole Naomi, Linda Evangelista, Kate Moss, Christy Turlington era. I don't really keep up with the girls today, but I love Liya Kebede. She's gorgeous. And she's a nice girl.


AMBERmag.com: Your daughter was modeling for some time. Were you happy when she decided to follow in your footsteps?
BJ: Ha.  She tried modeling when she was 17 or 18 and just when she was about to take off, she left.  She thought the people were full of it and she was hungry all the time and she didn’t like people constantly telling her about her looks. She’s a financial analyst now.  Don’t ask me what that means.  I’m still trying to figure out what that means.


AMBERmag.com: What were the words of wisdom that you shared with her?
BJ: It's such a short-lived career and you really have to prepare yourself for life after modeling. It was paramount that she get her education, so that she never had to worry about having something to fall back on. People don't realize that 99.9 percent of the girls leave the business broke. You come in at a very young age. It's a physical world so nothing else is being developed mentally or spiritually. You're emotionally stunted. You don't know how to manage your money and then you wake up one day and it’s over. You try and go into the work force and you don't have any credentials other than modeling.  You don’t really have a resume or marketable skills.  It's sad. I credit Eileen Ford with warning me about that.  I always wanted to make sure I had something to transition into, that's why I started with the acting classes, and writing books and journalism.  It's easy to get caught up in the glamour and the parties, but all good things come to an end.


AMBERmag.com: You’re a big proponent of healthy living, but when you were modeling you battled bulimia and anorexia.
BJ: Back then we didn’t do anything like eat healthy or exercise. That wasn’t so common.  We just didn’t eat.  I’d survive on a bowl of brown rice and an egg a week to be that 103 to 117 pounds.  To maintain that wait you can’t eat.  I lived on coffee, champagne and cigarettes. The more thin you are the more fabulous you become.  That was the ruler. That’s all that mattered. It was intense.  I had a lot of eating issues.  I remember not even wanting to drink water because I thought it was fattening.  I eventually got over it with lots of therapy.


AMBERmag.com: You’ve written two books. But the first, Beverly Johnson's Guide to a Life of Health and Beauty, is filled with many beauty tips about living an organic lifestyle—you way before your time. Explain what was going on in your life that made your write this book?

BJ: That book was really good.  I was definitely ahead of the curve. True Beauty, my second book, is more about the spiritual and the metaphysical.  That was also before its time.  My daughter's father was really into healthy living and I had friends who were heavy into meditation.  People come into your life and teach you all sorts of things and I really wanted to share that.


AMBERmag.com: You still look incredible after all these years.  How do you keep yourself fit and fly over 50?
BJ: I'm really into health and beauty. People walk in my bathroom and they’re like whoa, it looks like CVS in here. Every few months I also do a little regime. I eliminate anything that tastes good. No carbs. No sweets. I only eat lean protein (200 grams of lean protein three times a day), some fruit, lots of vegetables and lots of water. The first day you think you’re going to kill somebody. You're just hating the world.  After the first day you’re really sailing.  I also golf everyday.  It's very athletic. It not only keeps you fit, but it’s also a mental game so it keeps the mind agile. There are spiritual lessons you can learn from golf too.  You have to let go after you miss a shot, because you won’t be able to move on to the next if you’re holding on to negative thoughts.  You have to be in the present.


AMBERmag.com: You’re a model, writer, television personality and avid golfer.  But you also have a thriving wig and hair extension business.  What drew you to that industry?
BJ: I've been in the wig and hair extension business for the past 10 years. A small $300,000 business that was going under came to me and asked me to become involved. My manager told me not to do it.  No one wanted me to do it.  But I decided to take the risk. I liked the fashion aspect and I know black women love their hair and that’s not going to change.  We are going to get our hair did. My instincts told me it was going to do well. I just had a good feeling. And now we do $60 million retail annually.


AMBERmag.com: What advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
BJ: Spare expenses as much as possible.  In business it’s all about the bottom line.  If you can have your home double as your office please do that.


AMBERmag.com: Was there ever a point that you doubted you could make the transition from supermodel to business owner? If so how did you overcome it?
BJ: I didn't know where I was going to land, so that's why I tried so many things. I was going to keep dancing until I found out.  You never know what will lead to the next thing.  It's also important to switch up the rhythm. If you're the type of person that has 50 things on your to-do-list, cut it down to three so you can open up your life for more to come in.  If you're the type of person that only has three things on your list, put 50 on there so you’re out there more. There was a point when I was pushing and pushing and nothing was really working and I switched up the rhythm and decided to relax.  That’s when She Got the Look came to me.


AMBERmag.com: You're one of the judges on the reality series She’s Got the Look. What’s that been like for you?
BJ: I didn't know that it was going to be this big of a hit.  I liked the concept of a supermodel over the age of 35.  I'd been a judge on America's Next Top Model and the girls were cute, but I couldn't really relate.  I like this show, because it's about second chances, going after that dream you've always had but may have been too afraid to pursue.  I thought there wouldn’t be any drama because the women are older, but golly there is drama. It's fun.

AMBERmag.com: Let’s talk makeup. First, what foundation do you use?
BJ: I love all M.A.C makeup. I love the Armani foundation. It's absolutely beautiful. I love Dermablend.  It’s thicker, but it goes on nicely. Iman has great bronzing powders that I love. I love NARS body oil.


AMBERmag.com: What are some other favorites?
BJ: Chanel makes a great black powder for the eyelids. I've been wearing a lot of Chanel No. 5 lately.  I’m going back to the old stuff.


AMBERmag.com: Can you fill in the blank: I can never leave home without….?
BJ: A little foundation.


AMBERmag.com: Relaxation means___________________
BJ: Playing golf and reading. I love to read. I read two hours every night before I go to bed.  I'm in the bed by 7 p.m. and I'm asleep by nine and up by 5. I love to sleep. I need more than eight hours. I need nine to 10 hours.


AMBERmag.com: What’s next for Beverly Johnson?
BJ: I'm keeping my fingers crossed about a third season of She's Got the Look. I also have a hair care line that I'm working on with a major company. It's going to be really big. It will be everywhere.

To view Beverly's wig collection, click here.

View our photo gallery of Vogue's black cover models.

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