Take That to the Banks Friday, January 26, 2007 - Tyra Bank is speaking out about unflattering tabloid photos that have been published of her in the bathing suit at the beach with titles like “America’s Next Top Waddle” and “Tyra Porkchop” (which isn’t even very creative.) The former runway model and first African American model to grace the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, admits she has put on about 30 lbs since retiring from her modeling career. She currently weighs in at 161 lbs on her 5’10” frame. She graces the cover of People magazine in a bathing suit this month still looking stunning. Banks tells People, "I get so much mail from young girls who say, 'I look up to you, you're not as skinny as everyone else, I think you're beautiful.' So when they say that my body is 'ugly' and 'disgusting,' what does that make those girls feel like?" In the same candid style that has made her such a success on her talk show, The Tyra Banks Show, Banks talks about the fluctuation of her weight, putting on jeans that once fit and finding the muffin top (the fat that overflows tight fitting jeans) and the wish for a cure-all for cellulite.
Close friend and former peer on the runway, Heidi Klum, tells People, “She has a very womanly, gorgeous body that goes up and down." Banks also says that the TV exec actually prefer to see her at around 155lbs, rather than 145lbs as it makes her more relatable to the viewing audience. Think of it – issues of maintaining a healthy weight has always worked for Oprah Winfrey, right? Tyra plans on addressing the issue further on her show February 1st, along with the epidemic of eating disorder and unhealthy underweight models in the fashion world.
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