Whitney Houston on the cover of Seventeen Magazine, 1981. <br /><br /> R.I.P to Whitney Houston. Many may not know that, Whitney was a fashion model before becoming a singer. She started modeling in her teens in the early 80’s. She appeared in Seventeen and became one of the first women of color to grace the cover of the magazine. She was also featured in other magazine such as Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Young Miss, and appeared in a Canada Dry soft drink TV commercial.