We did not eat, and every time you came to work they would say, ‘Yes!
Chisel to the bone, girl.'"
Beverly Johnson is detailing the toxic reality of her early years as a model.
Beverly Johnson.Andrew J Cunningham/Getty Images
We were led to believe that cocaine was not addictive, Johnson toldPage Six.
We didnt know cocaine was addictive.
The diet and drug use developed into an unhealthy pattern that many in the model’s orbit encouraged.
Beverly Johnson in the 1980s.Anthony Barboza/Getty Images
I would just stop and get the shakes, she recalled.
We did not eat, and 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.
It was the first time I saw my bones looking back at me, she said.
It was a major wake-up call for me.
This led her to enter rehab, and she has since been sober.
She has also been an outspoken advocate for equality and representation in the fashion industry.
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, kindly go toNationalEatingDisorders.org.
