"We are stronger together than apart" Tyra Banks weighs in on the Supermodel war
Supermodel and former
America's Next Top Model host, Tyra Banks on Wednesday, shared her two cents on the 'supermodel war' that has been
raging between past and present supermodels. Taking to her website, the
42-year-old media personality explains that she thinks the feud stems from how
hard it was to be a supermodel before all the technological advances. Read her
full post below..
"Why do I feel in the middle? I’m a model that started my career in high fashion, that transitioned to the girl-next-door sexy Supermodel, and then created a modeling reality show that catapulted my career and personal brand further than I could have ever imagined. I’m not 100% couture, nor am I 100% TV star. So, yes, I exist in the middle. A sort of hybrid. There’s a level of poetic first-hand experience and understanding that I have and want to share about this escalating battle between Supermodels of the past and present.
First, I want to speak
to the original Supermodels… my sisters… my girls…
We worked runways and
shot magazine spreads together, schlepped to countless go-sees, used pay phones
for on-the-go communication, and subways for transportation around the globe –
no cell phones, Ubers or Lyfts around. Our GPS were huge, awkward maps in
Italian and French that we pulled out when lost and scared. We started
out by booking low-end work for janky magazines that no longer exist and walked
in way too many showroom fashion shows at the local mall. And, after all that
hard work, dedication, sacrifice, sidewalk pounding, map folding, metro riding,
model apartment living… after all the blood, sweat, fears and floods of tears…
we finally were bestowed with the coveted title of Supermodel!
Fast forward to present
day, and some of us are in a state of shock. We witness young girls on reality
shows and super popular girls on social media now being called Supermodels and
think, “WHAT?! It’s not fair! Is that kind of success even real?” I’ve gotta be
blunt.
Yes. IT IS REAL.
There is insanely high
demand for these girls from the public, and yes, from the intimidating, elusive
fashion industry too. I know you’re thinking, “But HOW can the industry justify
them? They didn’t sweat and SUFFER like I did!!!”
But, I beg to differ.
More on that in a
moment.
Now I speak to the new
Supermodels…my sisters…my girls…
I see you.
You’re kicking ass,
working hard, running from show to show, shoot to shoot and party to party
(because you have to be seen and have a cool social media post that night
because your followers are complaining you haven’t been posting enough lately).
You’re driving yourself into exhaustion all while showing the world post by post
that it looks so easy, when in reality, it is anything but. The pressure is ON.
You have to be perfect but relatable, friendly yet intimidating, sexy but not
too much or you’ll get barraged with the capital ‘S’ word all over your feeds.
You have to look put together all the time, not just on the catwalk but as you
arrive backstage. The world is watching your every move, judging whether or not
you have acceptable personal style. Oh goodness… it’s that time again. Time for
another post on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Vine, Periscope,
Facebook Live, Pinterest… all day, every day, all the time. There’s no real YOU
time. You are THEM. Your followers. They want more and more and more. You’re
exhausted. But you love them. Adore them just as much as they adore you. You
get home and want to crash but before you lay-me-down-to-sleep, you snap 12
goodnight pics, choose one and then share one…more…post.
One
More
Time.
So, the controversial
question remains:
Are you a Supermodel?
A REAL Supermodel.
You’re on countless
covers, rule all the campaigns, walk everyone’s runway, have top designers on
speed dial and everyone knows your name.
I think the answer is
obvious.
Don’t you?
So, now that we’ve
settled that score, let’s take a step back. My mom always tells me to imagine
things from someone else’s perspective. In this case, it’s the Supermodels of
the past’s perspective. The glamazons that may be having difficulty giving
credit where credit is due.
I ask you to empathize
for a moment and to put on designer sunglasses tinted with her SPF – Supermodel
Perspective Factor.
Ok, here we go:
Change is hard. And when
you’re a legend, and have ruled the roost, it’s even harder. It can be
frustrating, painful, and sometimes can leave one in disbelief.
I’ll break it down
further:
Think about 30 years
from now. You’ve hung up your catwalk stilettos and have an impressive digital
archive of all your Supermodel achievements. Simply said, you’re retired.
You’re in your 50s and suddenly witnessing a seismic shift in the modeling
industry.
The fashion earth is
shaking.
There’s a new, young
girl everyone is obsessing over that is the hottest thing the industry has seen
since…you. She is beyond the “it” girl. She is THE girl. She’s a little odd
though. She never showers. She never brushes her teeth. And doesn’t have to
watch what she eats, nor exercise. Damn, she’s mind-blowing. A type of gorgeous
the world has never seen. A kind of stunning that leaves people spellbound.
Her name?
Ratava
Spell her name backwards
and you’ll begin to understand what she’s made of. Your 50-year-old self
is seeing this “person” living this extravagant life and the receiver of the
public’s (and your teenaged daughter’s) obsessive adoration and you can’t help
but think, “How dare she get all of this credit and shine. She doesn’t have to
workout. She doesn’t have to stress. She doesn’t have to go go go until
exhaustion makes her feel like she wants to faint. She doesn’t have to post and
post and post and post. She doesn’t even have a PULSE!!!”
But you my fellow, young
Supermodel DO indeed have a pulse. You’re living and breathing, fighting and
winning. And you deserve EVERYTHING that comes your way. Seeing you
succeed makes me feel SO DAMN GOOD! You are validating an industry I have dedicated
the majority of my life to. I thought Supermodel-dom was over. I thought it was
the end of an era. But then you appeared and made it mean something again.
Selfishly, the pain, the struggle, the blood, sweat, fears and tears of past
Supermodels is not in vain. We won’t die off like an endangered species.
And that is thanks to…
YOU.
Yesterday’s “Trinity” is
today’s #Squad. And what we all must remember is that we are stronger together
than apart. I hope we can start to act like it. I’ve had enough pain from my
modeling years in the past and seeing my sisters in conflict today brings back
those gut-wrenching memories. So, let’s band together and unite. Please end the
fight.
#SupermodelSquad
And we must open our
arms even wider. The modeling industry is no longer an exclusive, unattainable
club that few can access. Anyone can be a model! If you have social media
accounts, you can pose and post away, build your followers and make cold hard
money all while having lots of fun. The modeling world is now a democracy and
we need to celebrate it, lean into it.
#IGModelForce
The universe constantly
changes and evolves, and will continue to do so until the end of time.
It’s inevitable. And it’s beautiful.
Just like all of you
reading this right now.
Eye See Your Beauty.
Do you?
Fierce & Love,
Tyra
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