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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!

 

Hi tyra my name is sallie davis am am seriously over weight 445pounds, i’ve try every diets, exercise etc., Please can you help me incan’t walk because my leg have lymerdarma big bbogges of fat rubbing together, aways tried. hard to breath, i have chf, high blood. depression. please trya help me. GOD bless you@ your show! Thanks Sallie Davis


- sallie davis
Posted 06/11/07 09:43 AM
 

I think tyra is a very beautiful person no matter what size she is. She’s beautiful from the inside out, that’s what is wrong with the world always worrying about how people look on the outside. Tyra keep up the good work honey, I love you and I am a big fan of yours.


- tina shedrick
Posted 05/06/07 10:41 PM
 

I think tyra is a very beautiful person no matter what size she is. She’s beautiful from the inside out, that’s what is wrong with the world always worrying about how people look on the outside. Tyra keep up the good work honey, I love you and I am a big fan of yours.


- tina shedrick
Posted 05/06/07 10:40 PM
 

peace black woman, upon you receiving this brief notation of communication, i trust that it capture you in the best of good spirit, thus maintaining yourself mentally as well as physically.as for the true and living god in the flesh, i be all wise and civilize in the fullest of supreme education, and i honestly apply this knowledge to help the babies and with that said i say peace. now to move on to the topic i was imform by a brother of mines whos currently serving, has been incarcerated for the past tweenty seven years, i guess he seen one of your shows and was very inspire by the informal imformation that pertain to prisoner, basicaly i am just a message of the god. i am sending you his adresse so perhaps you can forward him the imformation. his name and or addresse is kevin dixon # 82-B-1837 hudson corectional facility p.o box 576, hudson new york 12534-0576.


- unique allah
Posted 04/29/07 06:05 AM
 

I can’t beleive you people have the NERVE to ridicule one of the MOST beautiful woman in the world with a picture!! Come on!! She is gorgeous,and always will be so all you jelous LOSERS, get a life EXSPECIALLY APRIL 110 pouds PROUD!! Probably living in a trailer in Alabama!! I weigh 187 and look good!! I’m a curvy woman, with breasts and a booty!! So all you obviously jelous people get over yourself, HEY April what does your face look like???? i can only imagine!! Tryra knows, i know. Im pretty, you are the one that’s INSECURE!! You make these girls think they need to weigh 100 pounds, and it’s SICK!! YOU GO TRYRA!! You are a beautiful volupous, woman and keep up the good work!!

Kerry Ann


- Kerry Ann Murphy
Posted 04/26/07 12:12 PM
 

Tyra Banks is such a wonderful insperation to me and as well as many other young teens.She always has a touching show that means so much. She trys to help young girls with self esteem issues.She founded the Tzone foundation in 1999, which is a non-profit organization that helps young disadvantaged girls.She spends about 1 week with them in the summer in California.She says to these young girls that ” What I tell the girls is that all the insecruities we have, we can’t let those defeat us.We’ve got to keep on keepin’ on”. Tyra is such a great role model to me, and many other differen’t types of people. She trys to reach out to people and tell them it is o.k just the way you are.Don’t change yourself just because others want you to. What I love about Tyra is that she is so honest. I think you all remember the time when people were calling Tyra”Tyra porkchops”,and “America’s Next Top Model”,??She had the guts to come out on national television and tell the truth about her weight.One thing Tyra if you even get this you are NOT FAT! You are so gorgeous.Many people would die to have that body.It is perfectly natural to be 161 pounds and 5”10.Don’t listen to the media.Tyra says to people magazine that”With all the self-esteem my mom instilled in me,[The Criticism] still hurts”. Tyra has so many people that love her and espically her fans.We will all love you for who you are and not what you look like.What I see is a wonderful caring person, and who is beautiful in the inside and out.Tyra also says that the media is so obsessed with celebrities gaining and losing weight.She trys to encourage women that you do not have to be stick thin to be pretty or model. Tyra has a huge show that has expanded in the popularity of teens called “America’s Next Top Model”. For this season of cycle 8 she has decided to have two plus size models on the show. I think this is so great of Tyra.She is trying to address the issue with models who think they are healthy but really they are putting their life in danger and almost dying.Tyra also has a show called “The Tyra Banks Show” and her goal is to empower women all over the world.I think Tyra is certainly making a differnce. She always is so caring towards people, and she makes peoples dreams come true even if they thought it was impossible the reach. I love you Tyra and you are NOT FAT!!! Do not listen to the talboids..Tyra you are GORGEOUS!! I made a site for Tyra it is.. http://www.tyrabanks15.piczo.com/


- Brittany
Posted 03/04/07 11:52 AM
 

Tyra your awesome! Your one beautiful woman with intelligence, humor and one fantastic personality. I am not overweight but I feel the pressures with my family and friends. My friends are pressured to be size 0-2. Hey! I am a size 7 and healthy. I love to enjoy food and life. I refuse to live in LA since thats how they judge people on how skinny they are and not the quality of the person. I dislike pretention and Tyra your for real woman! I admire that. I enjoy watching your shows since I always have something to learn from and you make the show real.

I like that you fight back on those commments on weight. There is more to a woman than how skinny she is.
THANK YOU TYRA!!!!


- victoria
Posted 02/23/07 06:28 PM
 

Tyra, you are so beautiful, inside and out. You do not have to be stick thin to be valued?. Why can’t people see that we are more than just a body? I applaude you for standing up for yourself the way you did! God made us each individually and aren’t you so glad that he did?


- Melissa
Posted 02/21/07 07:53 PM
 

Tyra You are beautiful forget what all them people have to say, they just dont have anything better to do with their time so they gotta be talking out of their booties just for some type of attention, i love you girl your awsome screw what they say your gorgeous


- A.P
Posted 02/14/07 09:58 PM
 

Tyra ur doing something thats actually nice and i think u should go on and forget those haters!


- Lilta
Posted 02/14/07 09:00 PM
 

i bet you soon enough she’ll be doing a show on how to lose weight. if she didn’t think she was, it would not have bothered her. and only the heavy girls are like ‘you go girl, blah blah blah’.


- april, 110 and proud
Posted 02/11/07 08:25 PM
 

y does it matter to tyra or anyone else if all america thinks shies fat… does she feel she has to prove a point by pointing out shes not! people wonder y kids nowadays are soo confused one day cool be fat next day ok starve to death. the average woman is no model!!!! live with it


- chynna
Posted 02/09/07 05:42 PM
 

Hey Tyra, I think you’re wonderful…the attention that you get for being “fat” and the willingness to stand up for yourself, and be happy where you are, is fantastic. Frankly you’re at my Ideal weight…


- Jenna
Posted 02/06/07 10:53 AM
 

i think this is great, i cant stand those little tooth pick super models. Its not the least bit attractive. Real women have curves! Whats wrong with a woman with a little meat on her bones, nothing!


- josh
Posted 02/05/07 03:25 PM
 

if half the people took a look at themselves they would not talk about a goodlooking lady like trya-fat or shinny she,s awesome, i rather look at her than rosie o,donnell in a size 2


- w perry
Posted 02/04/07 01:53 PM
 

Leave Tyra’s weight alone. Some of you tabloid authors aren’t attractive in any way, some of you are fat and some of you look like your on crack.


- None ya
Posted 02/01/07 12:28 PM
 

TO FAT…TO SKINNEY CAN’T THESE TABLOID SHOWS AND MAGAZINES MAKE UP THEIR MINDS.


- Heather
Posted 02/01/07 12:12 PM
 

Well Tyra i think your beautiful… all i ever think about is mt weight i obsess over it i cry over it..it’s last thing i think about before i go to bed atnight and the first hink i think about when i wake up..you make me feel like it’s ok to be me thank you alot…


- SASHEL
Posted 02/01/07 11:56 AM
 

I am so proud that Tyra has comeout and said it is ok to not be a size 6. Be who you are and be proud of yourself.


- howard
Posted 02/01/07 11:49 AM
 

To Ann

There is absolutely no comparing cindy crawford and tyra banks! They are two totally different people with totally different ethnic backgrounds. Tyra is the perfect example of how african american women are built. We have mega curves and something for our men to hold on to, that’s how we get down!


- Uvette
Posted 02/01/07 10:25 AM

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