Tyra Banks Biography
Posted on Aug 07, 2006 Under All Supermodel Biographies, American Supermodels, Tyra Banks |Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973) is an American supermodel, author, actor, executive producer, and talk show host. Banks is widely-recognized as one of the most famous models in the world and she is part of a small group of supermodels of African descent. Banks is currently ranked as the fourth highest earning supermodel
Banks was born in Los Angeles, California and raised in Inglewood, California. She attended Immaculate Heart High School, an all-girls, independent Catholic private school in Los Angeles. Growing up, she was very thin and often teased; she was considered to be an “ugly duckling.” Banks later said that this was a very difficult time for her and she developed a “very strong self-image problem.” Banks has publicly stated that she has an extreme fear of dolphins.
In 1991, Banks was about to begin her freshman year at Claremont McKenna College when Elite gave the 17-year-old her first modeling job. Prior to this entry into the fashion world, Banks had been rejected several times for modeling assignments. In fact, she states that she did not deem her first job to be the start of a long career in fashion: “An agent saw pictures of me and said that I was the only girl she wanted to take back to Paris… I didn’t leave thinking I was going to be some big fashion model. I just wanted to make money for college.” Consequently, instead of heading to university, Banks went to Paris for fashion shows and other works produced by high-fashion designers such as Versace, Yves Saint-Laurent and Dolce & Gabbana. This is where her work became internationally renowned.
Banks’ career took off when she made the move from high-fashion to a commercial market. She was the first African-American to be featured on the covers of GQ, Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue, but is most famous for her work as a Victoria’s Secret model. In 1997 she won the prestigious Michael Award for Supermodel of the Year. Banks has done runway shows in Paris, Milan, Tokyo, London and the U.S. She has been featured in a variety of magazines, commercials, and billboards. Her modeling credits include runway and/or print work for CoverGirl, Swatch, Pepsi, Nike, XOXO, LensCrafters, Tommy Hilfiger, Victoria’s Secret, Ralph Lauren, McDonald’s, Dolce & Gabbana, Yves Saint-Laurent, Chanel, Escada, Anna Sui, Liz Claiborne and Richard Tyler. Banks has graced international fashion magazines, including the covers of Vogue, ELLE, Amica, ELLEgirl, L’Officiel, Harper’s Bazaar, Photo, Cosmopolitan and Sports Illustrated.
In a time when waif fashion models were in prominence, Banks stood out with a more voluptuous physique at 5ft 9in tall and reported measurements of 34˝-23˝-35˝. Banks had to work hard to persuade fashion designers that her physique was well-suited to the catwalk and ultimately walked for the best haute couture designers all over the world. Later on in her career, Banks decided that the world of high-fashion was no longer something she wished to pursue and so began seeking work in the commercial side of fashion. She says: “I was proactive [...] I told my agency to call Victoria’s Secret, and I told them to call Sports Illustrated [...] I said my body is changing, and seamstresses are calling me grosso in Italian, and I know what the hell that means. And I’m not about to starve.” Banks addressed her physique in an interview with The Sun, saying, “I am totally against plastic surgery. A lot of people think I have breast implants because I have the biggest boobs in the business. But I was a 34C when I was 17… They stay up when I wear a push-up bra. But if people could see me when I come home and take off my bra, how could they think these are fake?” She is known for being openly proud of her body, once commenting, “Some models are quite flat-chested so they can run around without bouncing. I can’t […] Black women don’t have the same body image problems as white women. They are proud of their bodies. Black men love big butts, and they cannot lie.”
Despite her phenomenal success as a supermodel, Banks began venturing from modeling to becoming a media personality after 2000. She is the host, head judge, and an executive producer of the hit UPN television show America’s Next Top Model. She also receives executive producer credits for all ANTM spinoffs. Banks also enjoyed a brief stint as a recording artist and during season two of America’s Next Top Model the contestants danced in her first music video for the single Shake Ya Body ( Music Video) produced by experienced record producer Darkchild. Banks also acts as the patron for TZONE, a leadership program created by Banks for young girls that according to the organization, “reinforces core values of trust and support, challenges teen girls to resist negative social pressures, and enhances self-empowerment—inspiring girls to become confident leaders in their communities.” She has also established the Tyra Banks Scholarship, a fund aimed at providing African-American girls the opportunity to attend her alma mater, Immaculate Heart High School.
Banks has had a number of high-profile relationships with men, including director John Singleton, investment banker Craig Davis, basketballer Chris Webber, and Seal (who later married model Heidi Klum after Banks ended their relationship).
Banks has expressed her preference for a relationship with a ‘normal guy’ in order to escape the pressures of being together with another well-known celebrity and the media scrutiny that comes with it. She says she wants a man who “knows how to appreciate natural curves when he sees them.”
On May 8 2006, Banks was named as one of the world’s 100 most influential people in TIME magazine.