Tyra Banks: She Does it All
by: Nia Jones, pd. 4
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Life On Top
Tyra Banks is a screenwriter,producer,actress, singer, television personality, author, talk show host, businesswoman, and model.
Early Life
Tyra Lynne Banks was born on December 4th, 1973 in Inglewood, California. While growing up, she states she was teased for her appearance and considered an "ugly duckling".
Modeling
When Banks was 15 years old, she started modeling while attending school in Los Angeles. She was rejected by four modeling agencies before she was signed by L.A. Models and then switched to Elite Model Management at age 16. When she got the opportunity to model in Europe, she moved to Milan. In her first runway season, she was booked in 25 shows at the 1991 Paris Fashion Week. She would later appear on the covers of magazines such as Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, Teen Vogue and Spanish Vogue. In 1993, Tyra signed a contract with CoverGirl Cosmetics, launching advertising campaigns for the cosmetics company. Tyra was the first African American woman on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. In 1997, she received the VH1 award for, "Supermodel of the Year".That same year, she became the first-ever African American chosen for the cover of the Victoria's Secret catalog. She was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 1997 to 2005. In 2010, Banks re-signed with her former modeling agency IMG Models, and is now a contributor of the Vogue Italia website.
Television and Film
Later, she moved onto television and film, staring as Eve in Disney channel's Life-Size. Tyra first appeared on television on the show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and has since been featured in small roles such as Love & Basketball, and has appeared in numerous television shows, including Gossip Girl and Glee. In 2003, Banks created and became the host of the long-running reality television show America's Next Top Model(2003 - 2015). Banks was also the co-creator and was the host of her own talk show, The Tyra Banks Show, which aired on The CW for five seasons and won two Daytime Emmy award for Outstanding Talk Show Informative. In 2010, she published a young adult novel titled Modelland, based on her life as a model which was awarded The New York Times Best Seller list in 2011. Tyra Banks is one of four African Americans and seven women to have repeatedly ranked among the world's most influential people by TIME magazine.
Personal Life
On January 27, 2016, Banks and her boyfriend Erik Asla welcomed their first child, a son, York Banks Alsa.
Other Facts
Tyra Banks established the TZONE program, which aims at developing leadership and life skills . 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. In 2005, TZONE transformed from a camp into a public charity, the Tyra Banks TZONE.
Why I chose Tyra Banks
Model Stats
Height: 5 ft 10 in
Hair color: Brown
Eye color: green