Dubbed ‘Australia’s most beautiful woman’ after her nightclub photo went viral, Ryli Johnson has dealt with overnight fame.
And the Murri woman from Moree, north-west New South Walessaid Sunrise on Monday that the attention has been ‘crazy’.
‘(I have received) a lot of support from everyone around me. “It’s made me think a lot about what I want to do next,” the 20-year-old said.
‘It’s crazy. Honestly, I think I’ll just ride the wave and see what it brings me, to be honest. Now we just have to wait.’
Ryli recently starred in her first photo shoot, appearing on the cover of Stellar magazine, and she loved every minute of it.
Dubbed ‘Australia’s most beautiful woman’ after her nightclub photo went viral, Ryli Johnson (pictured) has dealt with overnight fame. And the Murri woman from Moree, in north-west New South Wales, told Sunrise on Monday the attention has been “crazy”.
‘I didn’t think it would be the cover when they approached, but I was very excited. “It’s a great opportunity, I’m very grateful,” he said.
‘Honestly, the atmosphere was incredible. I really liked it. It was my first session, so I was a little nervous. But the photographer really helped me come out of my shell.”
The stunner told Stellar that she hopes to pursue a career in modeling and that the attention is helping to grease the wheels.
‘I have this completely new opportunity. And I have always believed in saying yes to any opportunity and seeing where it leads,” she stated.
Ryli recently starred in her first photo shoot, appearing on the cover of Stellar magazine, and she loved every minute of it.
The beauty was delighted with the photoshoot and says it inspired her to pursue her dreams.
‘I loved the atmosphere. Honestly, I had a wonderful time. “It definitely gave me some inspiration about what I want to do as a model,” she added.
Ryli rose to fame after a photo of her and her boyfriend Tyreice Baira was posted online.
The stunner had She traveled with her boyfriend and friends to Townsville, in far north Queensland, for a weekend getaway and was enjoying a night out at The Bank nightclub when a photographer snapped a photo of the couple.
‘It’s surreal. I was at a concert recently, waiting to use the bathrooms with 500 other people, and these two people walked up and recognized me. Then everyone started cheering. It’s like, ‘What the hell?’ she told Stellar about the attention he has gained.
The stunner had traveled with her boyfriend and friends to Townsville, in far north Queensland, for a weekend getaway and was enjoying a night out at The Bank nightclub when a photographer snapped a photo of the couple ( in the photo) that went viral.
Johnson says she didn’t think much about the photo, it was shared on the club’s Facebook page and was soon inundated with comments praising its beauty.
Countless internet users declared that she should become a model and her fame spread when Daily Mail Australia spoke to Johnson in March.
Since then, her newfound fame has only increased and her beautiful face has graced the cover of this weekend’s issue of Stellar magazine.
“One night out in Townsville she was dubbed ‘Australia’s Most Beautiful Woman’. Ryli Johnson is ready for her close-up,” reads the cover caption.
Johnson’s only other experience as a model was at the age of 12, when her mother entered her in an Aboriginal model search competition, which her cousin won.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia about her latest venture into the fashion industry, Johnson said she could see herself working as a model.
Ryli tells the publication that she hopes to pursue a career in modeling and that the attention is helping to grease the wheels.
“I really see myself doing it, maybe not full time, but I’m really excited to see where this takes me,” she said.
Johnson recently moved to Port Macquarie on the New South Wales mid-north coast and is working in office administration while waiting to hear if her application for a job with Qantas as a customer service agent is successful.
Before that, she had been considering going to college to study to be a teacher.
The beauty said that while her height of 5’3′ might mean she’s too short for the catwalk, she was looking forward to more photo shoots.
While she is incredibly grateful and humbled by her newfound fame, Johnson has also learned of the downsides that stardom can bring.
‘I have this completely new opportunity. And I have always believed in saying yes to any opportunity and seeing where it leads,” she stated.
“I got a lot of derogatory comments and I had to put my Instagram on private,” she said.
“I was a little discouraged and that made me turn away. Some of the messages were really disgusting, people were saying ‘oh I’ve seen other beautiful black women.’
She was also inundated with messages of support, and even a makeup artist offered her services to the young woman.
“First Nations girls were sending me messages saying ‘you’re a beautiful girl, you keep paving the way for us’ and that really touched my heart,” Johnson said.
“I’m a very proud First Nations woman and I just want to represent my culture and show people that it doesn’t matter what skin tone you have.”