Beauty Evolution: Tyra Banks
Banks made a business out of instructing aspiring models—and critiques herself with an equally unforgiving eye. The founder of Tyra Beauty, a new makeup line, looks at her highs and lows.
By Catherine Q. O’Neill
1992
Vogue
"When I was young, I hated my hair up—I used to think it made me look like a granny. But I look at this and I look really young, so I don’t know what I was thinking."
»See what Tyra says about her eyebrows.
1997
Sports Illustrated
"I don’t have a thigh gap. If you want a space between your thighs, do what I did here. Stand with your feet pigeon-toed and bend your knees. Crop the photo at midthigh, but do not diet."
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1998
Victoria’s Secret commercial shoot
"At the fashion shows back then, they would put us in lingerie and maybe hook a wing on our back. And that felt high-tech. Now the girls have diamond wings and bats flying out of their suits."
2000
ESPY Awards
"I thought, I’m going to do a bikini with a long skirt for modesty. I told my hairdresser, ‘I need two ponytails.’ I bought those cuffs at Macy’s for $20 each. I thought I was fine. Now, to me, it’s one of my worst fashion mistakes."
See more: 50 Beauty Products to Try Before You Die
2014
Flawsome Ball
"My mom tells me, ‘Trust your beauty, Tyra. You don’t have to look like a drag queen.’ She told me to do my hair as if I’d done it that morning and then go to the red carpet. So that’s ESPY Awards, 2000 what I did."
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PHOTOS: PATRICK DEMARCHELIER, COURTESY OF SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, GETTY IMAGES (3)
