Bethann Hardison has been many things: A trailblazing model, an agent, an activist, and fixture in the fashion industry. But there’s one title she hasn’t laid claim to— being someone’s girlfriend.
On the latest episode of “IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson,” during a special conversation as part of a limited series promoting Obama’s new book “The Look,” the 83-year-old fashion icon was joined by actress Jane Fonda and fashion designer and television personality Jenna Lyons, and opened up about plenty, including her love life.
“I have never dated in my life. Dating is a very funny word,” she declared around the 23-minute mark, to the shock and surprise of both Obama and Lyons when the topic arose.
When Obama asked her to clarify what “dating” meant to her, Hardison said, “You know, you go to a bar and you sit there and meet somebody or you start going out.”
She continued, “It seems like every time I ever met somebody, that was my boyfriend. So I never ‘dated.’”
Obama then asks, “You got a boyfriend now?” To which Hardison replied, “I have people who take care of me in a very nice way.”
When pressed for where these people were and the specifics of her arrangement, Hardison indicated they were around the world, much to the continued shock and surprise of the host and Lyons. Obama wondered aloud if they were “outing” her now or whether the men knew about each other, something Hardison merely laughed off.
“They’re not going anywhere,” she said with a smile.
Hardison also admitted she wasn’t on the dating apps because she was “too cool” for them — a sentiment the group immediately agreed with. Elsewhere in the conversation, the ever-chic octogenarian shared her advice for aging as gracefully as she has managed.
“You must maintain selfishness as you get older,” she stressed. “I think you should start becoming selfish when you’re 13, but definitely when you’re older.”
She then added that her other piece of advice is for women, especially to learn to travel alone.
“You’ll have a better trip without two or three girlfriends,” she explained. “You’ll meet more interesting people, and people approach people when you’re traveling, when you’re single, alone.”
A pioneering force in fashion, Hardison has spent decades pushing the industry toward greater diversity and inclusion, first as one of the few prominent Black models on major runways in the 1970s and later as an agent and advocate who helped change casting standards worldwide. Her story and her influence were captured in the 2023 documentary “Invisible Beauty,” which she co-directed, chronicling her rise, her activism, and her enduring role as one of fashion’s most indispensable truth-tellers.
Watch the full conversation from “IMO” below.
