The life of Tyra Banks

Brut America

Tyra Banks was the first black woman to ever appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. That’s not the only glass ceiling she broke for black women in the modeling industry.

Transcript

00:00KISS MY FAT A**

00:25When I was 11, I grew 3 inches and lost 30 pounds over a 3 month period.

00:29And it wasn't an elective thing. It was something my body was going through.

00:32And I looked odd. I looked weird. Even adults would make comments. People would stare at me.

00:36And it was like the lowest point of my life. I had very low self-esteem.

00:40And so I know what it feels like. I know what it feels like to be young and just to feel awkward.

00:46To feel really lost.

00:52I went through different stages. I wanted to write for television commercials.

00:56Right before I graduated from high school, I got accepted to 5 colleges for film and TV.

01:01I wanted to write and direct movies.

01:03And I got discovered with the whole modeling thing 2 weeks before my first day of college.

01:08And went to Paris instead of Loyola Marymount.

01:11But I'm here!

01:26You ain't never gonna change!

01:39I'll give you last word!

01:41Oh no you not!

01:42Oh yes I am!

01:43Damn!

01:57This is another step toward my destiny and my passion.

02:04Which is to broaden what we call beautiful.

02:08Whether it is skin tone.

02:10Whether it is the weight that the number says on the scale when we step on that in the morning.

02:17I'm Eve. And you're my special friend.

02:26At T-Zone we talk about sex, dating, and relationships.

02:29And drug and alcohol abuse.

02:31And cultural diversity.

02:33And stereotyping.

02:34And beauty and body image.

02:36And I have an open forum where I lead these discussions.

02:39And I call it lemon squeezing.

02:40Like getting the truth out of these girls and the pain and emotion.

02:54Every day on my talk show I try to do that for my audience.

02:57I try to give them the strength that mama gave me.

02:59Not everybody has a mama like me or somebody in their life like that

03:03so I try to give that to them.

03:05Not everybody has a mama like me or somebody in their life like that. So I try to give that to women

03:22I have something to say

03:24So all of you that have something nasty to say about me or other women that are built like me

03:29I have one thing to say to you

03:32Kiss my fat

03:35I

03:58Love challenges, and I love challenging myself

04:00I think a lot of people in the entertainment industry compete against others. They're in that race, and they keep going like this

04:07And I don't do that. I just keep going like this

04:10Push my chest out when I get to the finish line, and then I'm okay

04:13Where's the next race I'm constantly competing against myself trying to beat my own time

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