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January 31, 2007

Tyra Banks Strikes Back at Fat Tabloid Pics


She’s a model, producer and talk show host extraordinaire, but in recent days, Tyra’s war against the paparazzi has become TV’s hottest topic.

In light of the recent controversy, Tyra welcomed “Extra” to the set of her hit show to talk about the now infamous photo that launched a thousand tabloid headlines, all of which targeted Tyra’s weight.

“My whole life has been about weight,” Tyra admitted to “Extra’s” Tanika Ray. “These pictures were so celebrated, and they were saying such awful things, I was like, ‘I’ve got to say something.’”

As “Extra” sat down with Tyra, she also recalled the intense pressure to get runway thin, crash dieting to fit the perfect mold.

“At times I felt the pressure and tried to diet and all that,” she admitted. “But it just wasn’t for me.”

Now officially retired from the runway, Tyra is finally content with her current weight of 161 pounds.

“I know how to lose weight,” Tyra insisted. “I know how to be 130 pounds. I know how to be 120 pounds.”

When Tyra is eating to lose weight, she opts for a light breakfast, protein or salad for lunch and fish for dinner.

But when she’s treating her taste buds, she enjoys an IHOP breakfast, a burger or pizza for lunch and steak and some sort of sweet come dinnertime.

Now the woman who once rocked some of the most risqué outfits on the catwalk is preparing to wear her riskiest ever this Thursday, as she’ll model the exact same swimsuit the paparazzi snapped her wearing in Australia.

“It is so sad I have to go to this extreme, but I'm doing it to prove a point,” Tyra said. “It's just me walking out here with these lights and the audience sees my booty, and that was very vulnerable for me to come out and compare myself to the photo.”

Tyra also confessed to spending several sleepless nights worrying about this big show reveal, confessing, “I care about the response, I have to. I don’t obsess about it, but I care about it.”

The reason she cares? Because of the affect negative criticism might have on some of her vulnerable young fans who see Tyra as their role model.

“Young girls talking about how much they hate themselves, and how much when they look at me, they feel more beautiful because I'm curvy, and it's okay,” Tyra insisted.

See Tyra proudly baring all of her curves on Thursday’s “The Tyra Banks Show.”


Click on an image to view the Tyra Banks photo gallery!


NEXT: 'Idol's' Ian Benardo Responds to YOUR Comments -- Watch the Video!

 

Ithink the extra weight looks good! It gives you a healthy glow and you dont look fat at all! THERES A BIG DIFFRENCE BETWEEN FAT AND THICK ! MAYBE THEY SHOULD EAT SOMETHING AND STAY OFF THE DOPE ! BECAUSE IF THEY SEE FAT WHEN THEY LOOK AT YOU THEY MUST BE ON SOMETHING ! ME MYSELF WENT FROM 120 TO 139 AND AT 5’6 IM LOVING IT ! LOVE YOURSELF AND WHAT YO MAMA GAVE YOU !


- Latia
Posted 01/28/09 11:49 AM
 

HELLO TYRA,MY NAME IS KIM JUST WON’T TO TALK,I look at your show all the time i think you are wonderful don’t let anyone stop you.Now i have 3 grandkids that lives with me and i take care of some time’s it get so hard i go in my room and cry an say god you gave them to me help me show me what to do.And then i look at your show and say this is she would say YOU CAN DO IT thank you for being you. love kim.


- KIMBERLY
Posted 11/04/08 03:27 PM
 

she getting fatter.


- stroker
Posted 10/10/08 01:37 PM
 

hi tyra i admire the way u help individuals who are women…. and u make them feel wanted keep up the good work .. can u give some tips on makeup and fashion.. thanks take care


- shamela doodnath
Posted 09/19/08 08:43 AM
 

doesnt tyra alwasy talk about big is beautiful and tellin thick women to be comfortable with their bodies??? but the minute the tabloids start calling HER fat for once she goes beserk and goes all out to deny deny deny the claims AND even wears the actual bathing suit on her show next to an enlarge photo of her fat picture..to PROVE to the world that she, Tyra Banks, is indeed not fat. how can she preach what she preaches and then go do that?? be comfortable tyra! youre beautiful even if youre a fat cow


- ella
Posted 07/03/08 03:52 PM
 

doesnt tyra always talk about BIG is beautiful on her show, and how women should be comfortable with their bodies. but the minute the tabloids call HER fat for once..she goes beserk and fights to deny it…be comfortable tyra! even if you are a cow!


- Anonymous
Posted 07/03/08 03:47 PM
 

Leave tyra only all u haters she rocks


- Brittany Hamilton
Posted 01/26/08 08:45 AM
 

tyra, who died and made you the standard? i saw the ugly makeover of you on your show. if you want to pick people’s looks apart, look in the mirror and see your frankenstein forehead’


- marlane
Posted 12/03/07 11:08 AM
 

it dosent matter if u are fat or not Tyra u is still pretty and a wonderful person.


- Khadijah Andrews
Posted 11/15/07 12:04 PM
 

Dear who ever wants to read this:
I consider myself one of Tyra’s biggest fans! I just love her show and is so angry to hear some people say negative things about her, she is just human like the rest of us and we all make mistakes in our lifes. I use to watch her show every day but now that im a working mom i dont get the time to watch her show, my working hours are just to much… I take my hat off for her coz she is awesome and i just love her! It would be a great honour to meet her someday if not now maybe in our next life, but she is one person i would never forget.
Your biggest fan: Nicoline


- Nicoline Schoonraad
Posted 11/13/07 07:28 AM
 

hi i hope you are fine. i love your show back in keny.


- peris ratemo
Posted 11/12/07 03:57 AM
 

What a shame,disappointing, and low,for a beautiful (on the outside) Tyra to stoop so low to embarass women on t.v. for the sake of what? Ratings? A few more bucks? You must be out of touch with ‘real’ life,and real women. Seek help. This type of crap makes you ugly,not beautiful. cal


- cal newell
Posted 11/05/07 04:55 PM
 

U ROCK TYRA! U are not fat! U are just a little bigger than before but oh well! We should not judge u 4 that! U are a true romodle!


- LOLA
Posted 10/22/07 07:23 AM
 

TYRA WELL I JUST DON’T WHAT TO SAY ALL I CAN SAY IS DO WHAT YOU DO AND EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED !!!!!!


- Sherita
Posted 09/02/07 03:47 PM
 

I THINK SHE IS DOING A WONDERFUL JOB HELPING WOMEN BUILD THEIR SELF ESTEEM AND CONFIDENCE, HOWEVER, ON A DIFFERENT NOTE, WITHOUT BEING A GUEST ON HER SHOW, HOW DOES ONE SEEK OR GAIN ADVISE ON OTHER PRESSING MATTERS?


- RUTH
Posted 08/28/07 07:05 PM
 

I so can’t believe u ppl who go on abt how tyra’s isecure abt being fat. Did it ever occur to u guys that everyone is comfortable with their weight up to the point where they want it to be? Tyra doesn’t want to b fat doesn’t make her less of a role model. She doesn’t have to get fat to prove that it’s ok to be fat. She says, if u’r ok with the way u r then be happy n not to let ppl like u bring u down. She’s a beautiful person with her own physical as well as character flaws. Let’s c how y’all wld perform if u were in her shoes. Great job Tyra.


- Anonymous
Posted 08/14/07 03:30 PM
 

No doubt, I think what Tyra is doing is pretty amazing. And it must of been really hard on her hearing other peoples disgusting comments on her weight. I dont know what I would of done if I were in her shoes.

I for one think she is goregous, and not in anyway fat.

But reality check, just because she is saying that its ok to be fat, its ok to have fat thighs rub togehter while you walk, its ok to be overweight. It doesnt make the world a better place. You still have all those guys out there, all those paperthin girls saying “Omgosh I would never date her/him, she/he is so fat!” You still have people making fun over stupid stretch marks. And you hear rude comments like “Maybe you should eat a tweenki it’d make you feel better”, all those fat your mama jokes. So saying does nothing. Sure it may make people feel ok about there bodies for awhile, but when people make fun there just gonna feel even worse.

I for one feel alittle better about my body now that I’ve heard, and read some of peoples comments about this topic. But Im a shy girl, and i hate my body, so nothing I hear is going to make me be like “Im chubby but my butt is gigantic! So What!?” Cuz no matter what anyone says does not change the worlds opinion! Sure might make people be like “Oh im going to like some fat people now that Tyra says its ok to be fat”


- Amber K
Posted 07/26/07 04:02 PM
 

I think what Tyra did was awesome!! And to 110 April, I am a heavy girl and you are so right, I am one of those girls that is saying, YOU GO GIRL!!!! We of all shape, size, color or whatever, should be proud of what and who we are, you make me think that you are not proud of what you look like! Tyra, keep up the good work, and me, myself being a BLACK WOMAN, you make me so proud to say SO WHAT!!!


- Nicole
Posted 07/18/07 11:49 AM
 

OMG OMG OMG!! TYRA IS NOT FAT BUT SHE MAKES ME MAD..

APPARANTLY TYRA MADE A SEX TAPE WITH THIS ITALIAN BASKETBALL PLAYER IN 2005-2006?? I CANNOT BELEIVE THIS!!

SHE MAKES GIRLS POSE NUDE ON TOP MODEL AND SHE DOESN’T EVEN. HER MOM WOULDN’T LET HER BUT THE GIRLS SAID THEIR PARENTS WOULDN;T LIKE IT AND THEY GET ELMINATED.!! THAT’S NOT FAIR!

I DO NOT LIKE TYRA ANYMORE

SHE LIKE MADE A SEX TAPE?? DO I STILL LOOK UP TO HER??

CHECK OUT t-banks.com for TYRA UPDATES ITS A FAN SITE WHERE YOU CAN BLOG TOO


- kelly
Posted 06/24/07 03:02 PM
 

It’s amazing that after all that hype on her show about “It’s okay to be fat, but I’m not fat on my pictures, but it’s okay though…all the contradictory crap she spewed, that I just saw her on the cover of a magazine a few weeks ago where she has lost about 20lbs. Hmmmm what happened to “It’s okay to be “big” and if my self asteem was low I would be on a diet right now” Seems to me that being a little bigger does seem to bother her. What message is she sending to her young fans now. “It’s okay to be “big” as long as other people don’t tell you your big but then once they do, act like it doesn’t matter tell people to kiss your fat a@@ and than lose the weight and take pictures so people can say you look good again. Man…she is really nuts. And that SI swimsuit issue thing…what crap!!! That further let us know just how “insecure” she is about being “big”. And to mock Black History Month with it…my goodness.


- Akua
Posted 06/20/07 09:34 AM

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