Tyra+Banks

Tyra was born in Los Angeles, California on December 4, 1973. Her parents divorced when she was 6 years old. She grew up in Inglewood, California a suburb of Los Angeles, and she was always teased because she was so tall and skinny. Tyra has a brother named Devin who is a captain in the Air Force. Tyra’s mother, Carolyn London, worked as a medical photographer to support her and the two kids. Tyra attended school at [|Immaculate Heart High School] ,a catholic school in Los Angeles. Tyra started doing catalog modeling in the 11th grade after school. Her career began at 17 just before she was her freshman year in college. She was going to attend [|Loyola Marymount University]. A French designer saw some of her pictures and asked her to come to Paris to model, Tyra did not think of this as the start of her career, she thought she was just going to make some money for college. In Tyra’s first season in Paris, in 1991, she booked 25 fashion shows, with renowned designers such as [|Chanel]. Tyra started gaining weight in the mid-90s and her mother shifted her career focus to compensate. Instead of doing European runways, Tyra had a contract with Victoria’s Secret and did a lot of modeling in America. Tyra was the first African American model to be on the covers of GQ and the swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated. She won the Michael Award for Supermodel of the Year in 1997, which is a prestigious award in the fashion industry. Tyra retired in 2005 after 15 years of modeling. The supermodel did runway shows in numerous cities including Paris, Milan, Tokyo, and London. She had a 10 year contract with CoverGirl and another long standing contract with Victoria’s Secret. After retiring from modeling, Tyra focused on her entertainment career. Tyra started a production company, Bankable Productions in 2003. Tyra is in two of her own shows, America’s Next Top Model, and the Tyra Show. In America’s Next Top Model, Tyra acts as a judge and the host, while training young girls to be successful models. The show is very successful in America and in over 100 other countries. The show will be airing its 14th season this March. The Tyra Show is a day time talk show that has been airing since 2005 and will complete its final season this year. Tyra had the chance to interview 2008 election candidates including President Barack Obama, and the show also won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Informative Talk Show for two consecutive years.

Tyra also gives back to the community with a scholarship she started when she was 19 to her high school, Immaculate Heart High School. And in 2000, she created [|TZONE], a summer camp for teenage girls to raise self esteem and encourage independence. TZONE has become a grant-making organization, helping community organizations that aid low income women and girls. She is dedicated to helping young girls because of the ridicule she went through when she was young because of the way she looked. She wants to encourage a strong self esteem and positive self image among female adolescents. Tyra Banks’ most important contributions to our society and are the barriers she has broken in the fashion industry, and the successes she has made in the business and entertainment industry. Being the first African American model on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue is a very big accomplishment and she has paved the way for many other models in the industry. All of her accomplishments as a supermodel provide a positive role model to young aspiring models and help them achieve their dreams. The legacy Tyra will leave behind is of a powerful African American woman who helped many others achieve their dreams through her successes and her help.

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