Tyra Banks: “Too Heavy” at 17 to Make it in Today’s Industry (PHOTOS)
When Tyra Banks began modeling at age 17, she was a size four – a size that she says is now considered ‘too heavy’ for a model. In an open letter to models, posted on the Daily Beast, Tyra applauds Vogue’s recent decision to stop featuring models who are too young or “appear to have an eating disorder” and calls for “a toast over some barbecue and burgers.”
Banks goes on to explain that the modeling industry has changed drastically since she began, and that if she were just starting out in 2012, she never would have had the incredible career that she did.
“In my early 20s I was a size four,” explains the America’s Next Top Model hostess. “But then I started to get curvy. My agency gave my mom a list of designers that didn’t want to book me in their fashion shows anymore. In order to continue working, I would’ve had to fight Mother Nature and get used to depriving myself of nutrition.”
Tyra goes on to tell the story of how her mother helped her come up with a plan to make her body work for her, size be damned. And it did. Tyra went on to be one of the world’s top supermodels, make millions of dollars, appear in hundreds of magazines, and become a successful businesswoman.
Now, she’s calling on mothers to step up and help shape their daughters’ body images in a positive way. The model encourages moms to point out models whose photos have been retouched, and to celebrate bodies of all shapes and sizes.
Here are some pictures of Tyra Banks looking so totally fat (that’s sarcasm – she’s super hot):
The infamous 'bathing suit' picture, in which Tyra looks... like a regular person.
What do you think? Should the modeling industry be implementing restrictions to keep super-skinny women off the covers of magazines? Weigh in in the comments.
