If there’s one thing you don’t want to do to
Tyra Banks, it’s underestimate her. From the minute she became a model, Banks always felt that she had to prove herself and rise above stereotypes and assumptions. She recently landed on the cover of New York Times magazine, for branding herself and getting on her way to becoming the next Oprah or Martha. In the interview, on stands now, she opened up about growing up in the spotlight, making time for herself amidst a hectic schedule, and how she deals with media backlash.
“I have to admit, I didn’t really expect her to have this kind of drive or creative ability,” said Leslie Moonves, the president and chief executive of CBS. “But I realized what a great producer she was when my daughter, who was then in college and is my best focus group, told me that
Top Model was her favorite show. I underestimated Tyra. I think we all did.”
“I love being underestimated. I love when they think, Oh, she’s just a model, she’s going to sit there and do nothing,” Banks said. “When I was a model, my biggest obstacle was that I was black and curvy. When I went into producing, my biggest obstacle was that I was a model. But, as I say to the girls on ‘Top Model,’ anybody who is at the top of anything has taken risks and withstood criticism and hardship. I say: ‘You think I’m just a model? Well, then, let me show you.’ ”
Tyra Banks certainly has shown everyone who ever doubted her. She makes an estimated $18 million a year and her net work is currently $75 million. Her talk show is nearing its 500th episode, she owns 25 percent of
America's Next Top Model, and she signed a deal, last year, to develop projects for Warner Brothers television.
- Gina Scarpa, BuddyTV Staff Writer
Source: New York Times Magazine
(Image courtesy of New York Times Magazine)