Bad pose, gaping mouth, ugly shoes, and Tyra isn’t even “smiling with her eyes.” At least I don’t think she is, but I’ve always been confused by that “skill.” [NYC, 7/30/09] Keep reading »
Tag Archives: tyra banks
Tyra Asks “Gay For Pay” Actor If He Gives Or Receives … Christmas Presents?
Fascinating topic on “The Tyra Show” today — gay for pay porn actors! In the clip above, Tyra asks a married father of three why he prefers to, ahem, receive presents rather than give them. TyTy has such a knack for making XXX subject matter seem G-rated. Keep reading »
Quick Pic: Tyra Banks Rocks Jackson Style At BET Awards
Tyra gives tribute to Michael Jackson at last night’s BET Awards through dress—it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white, ’cause you can wear both. [Los Angeles, 6/28/09] Keep reading »
“ANTM” Ousts Paulina Porizkova, Plus “Top Model” Judges Past And Future
Last night, former supermodel Paulina Porizkova revealed that she got booted from her position as judge on “America’s Next Top Model.” Producers told her that she had an ego problem and had to go. They gave Paulina the news on her birthday over the phone. [KansasCity.com] Ego problem? They have met Tyra Banks, right? Paulina is hardly the first supermodel judge to strut her stuff out the “Top Model” door. Keep reading »
Tyra Banks Has No Business Discussing How Black Hair Affects Self-Esteem
Tyra tackled the issue of black women and girls hating their natural hair and examined the lengths they go to straighten it. I found it extremely sad that a six-year-old girl could hate herself so much at such a young age and has already figured out that she doesn’t fit the beauty ideal. I wonder if/when she’ll start hating her skin color, too. The idea that straight, silky hair is better than kinky hair is nothing new in the black community. In fact, Chris Rock’s “Good Hair” documentary examined it, too. Keep reading »
Men’s Magazines Prefer Black Models With Lighter Skin
Last week, Tyra Banks said she’s trying to expand the idea of what the fashion industry considers beautiful. According to her, black models with lighter skin are deemed more commercial, whereas darker-skinnned black models are considered more high fashion. We’ve noticed this phenomenon holds true when a woman’s “hotness” is being judged, too. Keep reading »
Tyra Banks Wants To Expand The Idea Of Beauty
Over the weekend, Tyra Banks took part in The New York Times‘ “Times Talks.” Besides demonstrating to the audience how to do a few of her 275 smiles, Tyra said she wakes up every day to “expand the idea of beauty,” which encompasses trying to change people’s views of what is beautiful. “In the high-fashion world, darker black skin is considered beautiful,” Tyra said. “But on the commercial side, you have girls like myself, Beyoncé, and Halle Berry, with light black skin. I make a point to have beautiful chocolate girls on ‘Top Model’ who are also girls next door.” But this isn’t entirely true. For the most part, black models tend to have lighter skin, whether they appear in advertisements (Beyonce, Selita Ebanks) or walk the runway (Arlenis Sosa, Chanel Iman). There aren’t many darker black women appearing in magazines these days. For years, Alek Wek represented on the pages of Vogue, on runways, and in ads for Clinique and other brands, but even her presence has dwindled. Tyra is trying her best to shift things, at least on “America’s Next Top Model.” Of the four remaining women in this season’s running, two (Teyona and Aminat) are black. While Tyra can’t change the world, she’s doing what she can through ANTM — even if the show’s winners tend not to make much of a mark on the modeling world after their season ends. [NYMag.com, Cutblog/Twitter] Keep reading »
An Ode To The Ugly Ducklings Of “America’s Next Top Model”
Ann Ward is by leaps and bounds the most awkward girl to appear on “America’s Next Top Model.” At 6’2″ she towered over the other already-tall contestants and she had a Vivien Lee-sized waist that caused controversy before Cycle 15 even started. Oh, and her personality. Ann is not just soft-spoken—when she speaks, it actually sounds like it hurts her to force out words—and she is shy to the millioneth degree. While Ann continuously blew the judge’s away with her photos over the course of the season, when it came to walking the runway she was like a baby giraffe to take its first steps. And when it came to shooting commercials, it was just hard to watch. See: her falling over and over again and breaking into tears during the roller skating commercial.
But now, SPOILER ALERT, Ann is no longer the season’s the freaky girl. She is America’s Next Top Model. She somehow managed to out-model her icy blonde competitor, Chelsey, and will get the most high fashion placement the show has offered this far—a spread in Vogue Italia as well as representation by an agency. Ann, of course, represents a familiar “Top Model” archetype—the ugly duckling Tyra hopes to turn into a swan. Let’s take a look back at Ann’s sisters in awkward. Keep reading »
Quick Pic: Tyra Goes To Court
TyTy’s hair was a total “DO” as she left court after testifying against the man on trial for stalking her. [New York City, 4/29/09] Keep reading »
