Skinny VS Curvy

On today’s skinnier models:

‘Today you are expected to be a size zero. When I started out, I didn’t know such a size even existed.’

On what she did when agencies told her she was ‘too curvy’ at the beginning of her career:

‘As my mom wiped the tears from my face, she said, “Tyra, you know what we’re going to do about this? We’re going to go eat pizza. We sat in a tiny pizzeria in Milan and strategized about how to turn my curves into a curveball. In a way, it was my decision not to starve myself that turned me into a supermodel, and later on, a businesswoman.’

… says Tyra.

Pictured: Tyra during 1998-2002. See more next!

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This, umm… innovative accessory definitely requires an explanation – and it comes from US Weekly:

Tyra Banks was in a DIY mood for Thursday’s Roberto Cavalli at French Vogue’s 90th Anniversary Party in Paris.

The model and TV host, 36, paired her tight black gown with a bizarre accessory: a netted mask pulled tightly over her head.

And Banks didn’t get the look through an avant-garde designer. “It’s homemade,” she Tweeted.

After fans incorrectly guessed that the mask was underwear, a hair net, curtains and a “wig cap,” Banks explained, “mask is [some] cheap FISHNET stockings I got n crazy store n Paris! I cut em up n made it y’all.”

Banks added: “[I] did my own hair n makeup.”

Is anybody a fan of this look?

Tyra Banks Wears a Fishnet Stocking Over Her Head – Wow or Eww?

P.S.: I wonder if and how she ate / drank anything at the party?

Tyra Banks was spotted in New York City yesterday when she was going to lunch… and she revealed her makeup-less face (and real hair?).

Tyra is certainly a natural beauty and has nice skin, but she’s looking a bit tired without her polished, flawless make-up.

In case anyone’s wondering, Tyra is 36!

2 more after the jump!

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A while back, Tyra Banks started searching for a “fiercely real” plus-size teen model – find out more about the initiative HERE!

Tyra just selected the winner of the competition – but first, let’s hear Tyra’s thoughts about the concept:

The term “Plus-sized” models sounds super old fashioned… so I’m changing the term “Plus-sized” into “Fiercely Real”! The average size of a woman in America is a size 14. Our new winner, Sheridan, now represents for all the real sized women who have been ignored by the media. As you know, the mission of my B.I.O. (Beauty Inside & Out) campaign is to expand the definition of beauty. The Fiercely Real Model Search is one way that I’m doing just that. Hundreds of thousands of teen girls sent in their best model pictures to Tyra.com, but only 6 finalists made it. After competing in 5 challenges, Sheridan, the 17 year old, size 14, fierce teen from New Jersey came out on top.

Let’s meet the winner Sheridan Watson – via Vogue Curvy:

Sheridan Watson, 17, loads of chocolate-colored curves perfectly distributed over 5ft.10in. may convert legions of American women to the religion of wellness and common sense. “You have to learn how to eat healthily – she states  – if you want to  get thinner it is equally dangerous to fast and to gulp down junk food until you explode. And it is important to exercise regularly”. At this point we can’t help but ask her how did she reach size 14 since she swears she’d rather eat yoghurt than ice-cream and tells us she takes a 30-minute walk every single day. “I owe my figure to my genes – she claims – my mother is as curvy as I am, and in any case I try to be careful: I don’t want to be too fat, obesity is a real disease”.

See some more pictures of the fiercly real winner after the jump, then share your thoughts!

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That’s right – Tyra’s new show: “Fiercely Real Teen Model Search”

From NBC:

Tyra rightly points out that the average woman’s size in America is 12-14 — not exactly the 0-2 you often see on the runway, so she’s kicking off the Fiercely Real Teen Model Search to select six finalists that will appear on the The Tyra Show (which is in its final season). There’ll be Top Model-esque challenges involved, and the winner will receive Top Model-esque prizes like a contract with Wilhelmina, a spread in a magazine, a photo shoot, and even a whole day with Tyra herself.

On the one hand, this seems like a brilliant way to take advantage of a cultural moment (i.e. plus-size models suddenly getting the fashion spotlight), but on the other hand, it seems like a way to take advantage while avoiding making plus-size models, oh, the center of an actual TV show, as opposed to a segment on a TV show currently in its last season. Why not devote an entire season of Top Model to plus-size ladies? There’ve already been winning plus-size gals on the show, and we’d certainly tune in.

What does Tara have to say about her initiative? Here it is:

“Plus-sized tends to have a negative connotation and I want young girls to realize that what’s considered plus-sized is the average American woman.”

“That woman is healthy, fit and beautiful. Adolescence is such an impressionable time in a young woman’s life, and I hope this contest helps teen girls discover their own beauty from the inside out.”

P.S.: Like many of you, I don’t like the use of “real” as synonym for “plus-size”. All sizes are real sizes.