Tyra Banks from America’s Next Top Model

Former supermodel Tyra Banks has many talents. As a model, she had several high profile contracts including the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue (in 1996, she was the first African American model to appear on the cover) and Victoria’s Secret. She was named Supermodel of the Year in 1997. She walked the runways in Paris, Milan, London, Tokyo, and the U.S. While that might seem like enough credibility for some, Tyra was just getting started.

She has:

authored a book (Tyra’s Beauty Inside and Out)
starred in movies (Higher Learning, Love and Basketball, Coyote Ugly)
starred in television shows (“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “The Hugheys,” “New York Undercover,” “Soul Food,” and “American Dreams”)
been a reality tv host/judge (“America’s Next Top Model”)
been a talk show host (“The Tyra Banks Show”)
recorded singles (“Shake Ya Body” and K.O.B.E. with Kobe Bryant)
and has appeared in music videos (Tiara Summers’ “Wild Girls,” Michael Jackson’s “Black or White” and George Michael’s “Too Funky”)

All these accomplishments have help Tyra become one of the few African American women who has ranked among Time Magazines most influential people.

Most people today probably know Tyra as the host and head judge (not to mention executive producer) of “America’s Next Top Model.” Having done runway or print work for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, and Chanel as well as appeared in magazines such as Vogue, ELLE, and Cosmopolitan, Tyra knows what it takes to be the next supermodel. The show started in May 2003 and was one of the highest rated shows on the UPN Network. It now appears on the newly formed CW and it is the network’s highest rated show.

In September of 2005, Tyra’s daytime talk show, “The Tyra Banks Show,” began. It draws over 1.9 million viewers and features a wide variety of topics facing women today. During her first month on the air, Tyra underwent a sonogram to prove to people her breasts weren’t fake. She visited to a strip club in 2006 to try to understand why men go to them. Tyra also donned a fat suit, which made her appear to weight 450 pounds so she could see first hand the weight discrimination that goes on. She even had her appearance altered so she could look like a man. Some people compare the show to the early format of the Oprah talk show as it focuses on both celebrities and real people. For her work on the show, Tyra has been nominated for a daytime Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show Host. The show has been renewed to run through the 2008-2009 seasons.

Tyra tries to give back to the community. She is the patrol of TZONE, a leadership program that helps reinforce the core values of trust and support in young girls and set up the Tyra Banks Scholarship for her alma mater, Immaculate Heart High School.

Tyra was recently criticized for gaining weight, but she is something that many supermodels are not – comfortable in her own skin. Tyra knows who she is and perhaps that is why we love her.

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