Where Are They Now? 3 Groundbreaking Supermodels

The first African-American woman to grace the cover of Vogue, the first plus-size supermodel, and the former face of Halston, way before Sarah Jessica Parker made the label chic again-these are all milestones made by groundbreaking fashion modelsBeverly Johnson, Alva Chinn, and Emme. But where are they now? We caught up with the three former supermodels to find out what they are up to and how they are staying healthy and fit.

Beverly Johnson
Beverly Johnson

1. Beverly Johnson: In 1974, she was the first black model to land the coveted cover of Vogue magazine and went on to grace more than 500 others. The New York Times has called her one of the 20th century's most influential people in fashion , and she has been honored at Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball. But 59-year-old Beverly Johnson shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

The woman who forever changed the face of the fashion industry is now an entrepreneur with her own namesake collection of hair extensions and wigs. On the heels of the success of the hair line, Johnson is now launching a multi-cultural line of styling products called Model Logic in Target stores nationwide and also offers skincare products on her new e-commerce website BeverlyJohnson.com.

"I wanted to be more than just the face on the box or the name to help sell the product. It was time to really share my secrets, formulas, talent pool of resources, and lessons learned throughout my decades as a model and actress," Johnson says.

We also asked the beauty what she does to keep herself in supermodel form. "I stay abreast of all the latest health and beauty advice and finding my fitness passion of playing golf has been an incredible lifesaver, providing me with physical and mental nourishment," Johnson says.

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Alva Chinn
Alva Chinn

2. Alva Chinn: Another groundbreaking African-American supermodel, Alva Chinn was once the face of Halston, at a time when fashion houses were not typically using black models. She went on to appear in several blockbuster movies like Bright Lights, Big City and Regarding Henry.

The understated Chinn has since left the Hollywood scene to live a quiet life in New York City, raising her son, modeling occasionally, and teaching yoga.

"I teach several forms of yoga and Pilates to the over 50-set," Chinn says. "My focus is core strength, flexibility, building breath capacity, alignment, and an overall sense of well-being!"




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Emme
Emme

3. Emme: She's undeniably the world's first full-figured supermodel and further cemented that title when she signed on as the face of Revlon-the first plus-size model to sign a contract with a major cosmetics company. When she was chosen as one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People, 47-year-old Emme changed the 'shape' of fashion forever.

We caught up with the curvy beauty who speaks out on body image issues and arts funding in schools. "We live in a society that promotes a desire for thinness at any cost in the quest for the attainment of unrealistic beauty," Emme says. "I want women to know their self-esteem is not contingent upon their dress size and good health is attainable by more than just one body type."


To see what more groundbreaking supermodels are up to, click here!


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