Supermodel, Role Model, Entrepreneur and Smokin’
08/12/07 4:35 by Cary Jobeski for SuperModelCalendars.com

Say what you will about Tyra Banks as a TV host, reality-show judge, recording artist, or humanitarian. One thing is for sure: She is smokin’ hot.

Being smokin’ hot is how she makes her living, really. She’s a supermodel; hotness is part of the job description. She was born in 1973 in L.A., and she’s presumably been hot ever since. Bow down before the hotness of Tyra Banks!

Her modeling career began in Europe in the 1990s, and she soon became a worldwide phenomenon. She has appeared on the covers of countless magazines, making history by becoming the first African-American woman to be featured on the cover of GQ, the Victoria’s Secret catalog, and the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Countless men devoted countless hours to staring at her photos, which were everywhere you looked.

Banks always had ambitions beyond just modeling, however. She appeared in several episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1993 and went on to do guest spots on other TV shows, including Just Shoot Me and Felicity. She co-starred in several lousy movies, too: Love Stinks, Coyote Ugly, and Halloween-Resurrection, none of which should be watched without the aid of alcohol.

Savvy businesswoman that she is, she hit on a great idea with America’s Next Top Model, a reality show that premiered on UPN in 2003 and promptly received the young network’s highest ratings ever. Banks is the show’s host and main judge, as well as one of its executive producers. The success of that program led to her own talk show in 2005, which features “regular people” and their “regular issues” — like Oprah, only, you know, hotter.

For some reason, Banks decided in 2004 to release a single called “Shake Ya Body,” a critical and popular failure. She’s sung a few other songs before and since (including the “America’s Next Top Model” theme song), but no full album so far.

Back in the land of good sense and reason, Banks made news in early 2007 when she re-created her 1997 Sports Illustrated swimsuit photo shoot — complete with a bikini that demonstrated how much larger her body had gotten since then. She told People magazine that she’s 30 pounds heavier now than she was in 1997, but that she feels comfortable with her body. With her talk show aimed at ordinary American women, she likes that she’s not so ridiculously thin that ordinary women can’t relate to her.

While so many supermodels are vain, shallow, and diva-like, Tyra Banks is a breath of fresh air. Her talk show speaks to women on a daily basis, her work with TZONE helps empower young girls, and her reality show launches careers. It’s also a blast to watch.

And that’s something else that separates Banks from most of her colleagues. She has talent beyond the runway — she hasn’t modeled since 2005 — and cares about the world around her in more than just a superficial way. She puts the “super” in “supermodel.” And did we mention she’s smokin’ hot?

For more great Tyra information, photos and videos, check out these sites:
Tyra Banks’ Official Site
Top Sexy Women (She certainly qualifies)