The person who is the first to admit that her road to success in the fashion industry was demanding and challenging is Tyra Banks, also known as Angel Secret Victoria’s first black Model Top Next America’s Legacy. Thanks to her, she is largely considered one of the most famous supermodels in the world.
Fashion Week in Milan was a big event for designers like Armani and Dior, where she was called to walk the runway. Banks, a very young and successful model at the height of her high-fashion career, faced difficulties with unrealistic weight expectations and body image. She recently opened up about these challenges in an interview with Business Insider, where she is also the author of the book “Boring Is Perfect.”
Banks stated that her mother, Carolyn London, was instructed to inform her to shed some pounds as her buttocks were becoming excessively large.
London presented her daughter with a roster of eight designers who no longer desired to collaborate with her. Naturally, Banks became anxious.
She informed Business Insider, “Should I exclusively consume salads for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Should I engage in physical activity twice a day? Should I adhere to a strict diet? I was similar to, ‘Mom, alright, what actions should I take?’ I initiated shedding tears.”
In contrast, London informed Banks that they would devise a strategy — and brought her to a pizza restaurant.
Banks expressed, “Farewell high fashion, greetings ‘girl next door.'” “If my baby starves, I would be damned, but there is nothing wrong with that, and it’s growing because every client likes your ass when you write. She puts a pen in my hand and she puts a pen in my hand.”
She wore the renowned Victoria’s Secret Fantasy Bra on two occasions, and she was the initial black lady to appear on the cover of the Victoria’s Secret Catalogue. Additionally, she was one of the original Victoria’s Secret Angels and made history as the first black woman to grace the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, doing so twice consecutively. Banks continued to break barriers and became the first black woman in her field.
You can view that portion of Banks’ interview with Business Insider below.
The initial fact is that Banks has been the first outspoken woman to face unfair standards imposed by the public. As time goes on, media scrutiny encourages even more success, particularly in the fashion world, making it no secret that it can be a struggle to maintain a body-positive attitude.
In 2007, Tyra Banks gained 40 pounds and took the opportunity to praise her mother for raising her with self-love. She also incorrectly claimed on her daytime talk show that she went viral for clapping back at body-shamers in the media.
Banks stated, “However, that is precisely the situation that is occurring to numerous females throughout this nation. However, if I possessed diminished self-confidence, I would likely be depriving myself at this very moment. She has empowered me to become a resilient woman, enabling me to conquer such assaults, yet I deeply cherish my mother.”
However, it is evident that Banks loves to emphasize the importance of photos and how they can impact the perception of a woman’s body, particularly through the use of different angles that she presents to her audience.