The Beauty of Retrospect: Beverly Johnson Week, Part Five

True beauty never fades.  Remember when Neil Sedaka sang how, however young and beautiful you may be, someday your looks will be gone?  Don't buy it.  Because Beverly Johnson still looks beautiful into her sixties, as this picture from 2013 demonstrates.     

To respond to that inevitable counterpoint comprised of two words - "plastic surgery" - I would say that even if Beverly Johnson has had a face lift (she once joked that everyone should have enough money to afford one), here she still looks like a woman in her early sixties.  Because no one should ever want to look as young as they used to be; they should only want to look their best for their age. And someone as beautiful as Ms. Johnson has always been has no problem looking their best as they get older.

And besides, even if someone does have plastic surgery, who am I to judge? 

And with that, I close the book on this week devoted to Beverly Johnson.  My next week-long tribute to a model previously featured on this blog, Cynthia King, commences shortly.  

The Beauty of Retrospect: Beverly Johnson Week, Part Four

So if Beverly Johnson can look gorgeous with little or no effort, imagine how gorgeous she looks with a lot of effort!

At her most glamorous, her beauty inspires superlative descriptions that make her what people like to call a "supermodel."  Which is obvious from the picture below.   

I actually featured earlier on this blog a photo that was taken the same day as this one - same red strapless dress, same tall bottle of Evian . . . and both look like photos from a party.  This one looks like she's even much less conscious of the camera than the previous one I showed (which is here), allowing for a more mysterious, somewhat mischievous smile . . . which of course, adds to her appeal.

It's a smile that has been a an asset of Ms. Johnson for her entire modeling career.  Below is one of her earliest pictures in her portfolio, from 1973. 

What was making her smile here? Possibly the thought of a long, fruitful modeling career ahead of her? :-)

The Beauty of Retrospect: Beverly Johnson Week, Part Three

There's a reason why Beverly Johnson was and remains such a pioneer for black women in modeling.  Her beauty is simply too obvious to be denied by even those who hold the most racist standards of feminine beauty.  This closeup photo of Ms. Johnson demonstrates that quite clearly.   

How . . . sublime.

Here, Ms Johnson isn't aiming for over-the-top glamour, and she isn't trying to command attention.  She's just looking into the camera the way any woman would when having her picture taken.  Yet she still comes across as a goddess. 

I guess that's why she's been vaed the "goddess next door." :-)