Tyra Banks Offers Her Best Advice for Feeling Confident in a Swimsuit: 'Trust Me' (Exclusive)
"That cellulite that you're so worried about is now in a magazine, and it's not retouched," the supermodel told PEOPLE at the ‘Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’ 60th Anniversary issue party
Gotham/FilmMagic, Tyra Banks/Instagram
Tyra Banks shares advice to women about feeling confident in a swimsuitIf there’s anyone who can share insight on harnessing your inner confidence, it’s Tyra Banks.
PEOPLE caught up with the supermodel, 50, at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 60th Anniversary issue launch party at the Hard Rock Hotel in New York City on May 16, and she had lots of wisdom to impart on anyone wanting to own their own sexy swimsuit look this summer.
“Wear a smaller one, baby, Less, less honey. When it's a little bit smaller, I don't care, lumps, bumps, chunks, it just looks sexy, trust me,” says Banks, who returned to SI Swimsuit for its Legends 60th Anniversary issue cover this May. She’s been modeling for the brand since 1993 and became the first Black woman to land a cover for the magazine in 1996.
Related: Tyra Banks Is All Business in Sexy Blazer at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 60th Anniversary Party
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Banks, mom to son York, 8 (whom she shares with ex Erik Asla), says she's been dealing with the impact that negative societal beauty standards can have on women, especially moms, for decades. The former America’s Top Model judge is hopeful, however, for future generations.
“The world is changing so, so much. I think they have to realize that when they're at that beach or when they're at that swimming pool and they're feeling insecure, close your eyes and know that the world is changing,” she tells PEOPLE.
“That cellulite that you're so worried about is now in a magazine and it's not retouched. The jiggle, the extra oomph is now being celebrated. I often say that, if we can't see ourselves in the world represented, then we don't feel beautiful.”
Banks doesn’t encourage any extreme routines, like diets, excessive exercise or fads. Instead, she suggests seeking out a community that embraces body positivity and gives others the opportunity to feel seen.
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After all, she's someone who lives life as her most authentic self.
"I'm poppin'. I am not insecure about myself. I ain't trippin'. I often say 'Child, [I'm] 50!' before I say something. That statement gives me permission to say whatever the heck I feel like saying,” Banks, who turned 50 in December, said in her PEOPLE The Beautiful Issue feature earlier this year.
And getting older is no shortcoming for the icon, who is balancing mom and model life with being a boss at her ice cream company, SMiZE & Dream. “I do Zoom meetings with no makeup and throw my wig on. . . . 50 feels good."
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