Beverly Johnson recently opened up about the dark side of her modeling career.
In a conversation with Page Six, Johnson disclosed the extreme measures she took to maintain an ultra-thin frame. It was a journey that involved a dangerous combination of diet restrictions and drug abuse.
In the 1970s, Johnson found herself caught in the grip of drug addiction as she succumbed to pressure from the fashion industry to achieve a “chiseled to the bone” appearance for photo shoots.
“Everyone used drugs back in the day, but [cocaine] for models was used because we did not eat,” she explained.
The models, including Johnson, were “led to believe” that cocaine was not addictive.
Describing her extreme diet, Johnson mentioned consuming only “two eggs and a bowl of brown rice a week.”
The consequences of this lifestyle became evident as she recalled moments when she would be “shaking in a cab” and felt compelled to stop for a bag of M&Ms just to cope.
Despite the toll it took on her health, Johnson continued down this perilous path, driven by the praise she received for her thin features.
“Every time you came to work they would say, ‘Yes! Chisel to the bone girl. Yes,’ like congratulating you. Nobody really told you the truth,” she shared with the outlet.
It was a turning point in Johnson’s life when her mother, Gloria, intervened. After a bath one day, Gloria confronted her daughter with a three-way mirror, allowing Johnson to see, for the first time, the impact of her lifestyle on her body.
“It was the first time I saw my bones looking back at me,” she expressed.
This moment served as a major wake-up call, prompting Johnson to break free from her unhealthy habits. Since then, she proudly revealed that she has been sober for over 50 years.