Essence March/April 2025 : Tyra Banks by Kenny Germé

[vogue28]

 

[thenewclassic]

Actually kinda surprised she wants to do it again, she has always loved the spotlight (or looked comfortable/was a natural there) but seemed kinda over it especially after all the backlash she's received online, at times she just says anything and it amounts to nothing though so we'll see.

There's some good pics, and not so good pics, like most her recent shoots, although I don't necessarily think she's at fault, she will likely always have it so could be interesting to have her active again if she is serious

 

[Fiercification]

Bless Tyra...these are not the worst images she's taken in the last decade or so of her career, but that travesty of a hairdo is killing any potential allure that cover portrait had. It would be nice to see an actually competent photographer and creative team work with her again.

TBH what I really want to see though is Tyra back on the runway as one of DM Casting's #throwbackthursday surprises. I hope Piergiorgio is reading the above post on Insta and likes it (I guess she already did VS so nothing's impossible). Plus she can balance out the overcompensation of Naomi on the runway in the last 15 years!

 

[Lola701]

I respect Tyra and everything she has accomplished in her career but I would say it: she was never a good model.
A beautiful woman, a great body and great business sense but never a good model.

Happy to see an Essence cover but Tyra…

 

[blueorchid]

What is going on with the makeup in the first cover? It looks... lopsided? I suppose it's the shadows.

 

[ivano]

There's a ridiculous youtuber than only post videos with reactions and criticims about ANTM. I know that the show wasn't perfect (far from that), but making videos against Tyra over and over? Get a life girl... without Tyra's program she doesn't have content for her channel. Cancelling Tyra won't make the world a better place.

About Tyra as a model, the other day I was curious about how many Vogue covers she earned, and I was surprised to only find a Vogue Spain issue, nothing else. Same happened with Valeria Mazza at the time. There's some well known models that barely achived the Vogue front. Any model's goal over decades.

 

[Malaya]

i never understood why ppl held double standards and put her on a really high pedestal. sure she's polarizing and over the top and i don't condone all the problematic BS she did on top model

but if naomi and other proven sh*theads in fashion can get away unscathed from everything.....

dunno how serious and committed she is to making a modelling comeback but this should be interesting

 

[blueorchid]

@Malaya It's because she's the one who climbed up onto the high pedestal herself!! Do you not remember her talk show?

 

[crmsn]

Why does she look like she can cure your Disease in this photo?

 

[Malaya]

@Malaya It's because she's the one who climbed up onto the high pedestal herself!! Do you not remember her talk show?

seeing that gif and looking at them both in hindsight makes me realize that naomi is just as much of a narcissist/sociopath as tyra tbh. theyre just on the opposite sides of the spectrum lolll

 

[VanillaCrush]

What is going on with the makeup in the first cover? It looks... lopsided? I suppose it's the shadows.

They either messed up on her nose, or it's collapsing.

 

[VanillaCrush]

seeing that gif and looking at them both in hindsight makes me realize that naomi is just as much of a narcissist/sociopath as tyra tbh. theyre just on the opposite sides of the spectrum lolll

I believe Tyra said that specifically to damage Naomi's reputation and craft herself as the "nice girl". imo, they're two peas in the same pod

 

[svpernova]

As much as I hate both Naomi is on a whole other level. She’s one of the models with the most scandals in her career and it is shameful. From beating her server to being involved with oligarchs and Epstein the list goes on and on. And don’t forget her stealing the funds of her charity organisation for spa treatments. She’s horrible.

 

[KoV]

@Malaya It's because she's the one who climbed up onto the high pedestal herself!! Do you not remember her talk show?

She was 110% correct when it came to Naomi, I’ll give Tyra that!

 

[Lola701]

i never understood why ppl held double standards and put her on a really high pedestal. sure she's polarizing and over the top and i don't condone all the problematic BS she did on top model

but if naomi and other proven sh*theads in fashion can get away unscathed from everything.....

dunno how serious and committed she is to making a modelling comeback but this should be interesting

They are a bit different though.
Tyra’s show for what is worth wasn’t worse than what some young models hear and experience when working in fashion, even more in those years.

However, Naomi has always had a terrible reputation in fashion. The thing is that she was a fantastic model and some designers either entertained her diva behavior and/or, she knew when to be humble around certain designers.

Tyra never got away with what Naomi got away with. And I totally believe what Tyra said about what she experienced from Naomi in those years because it was truth and it’s widely known in the fashion industry.

However, maybe I think that Tyra’s TV career made her believe that she was a bigger model than what she was actually. Tyra represented a look of the moment but she was commercial and never forged relationships with designers. So to solely held Naomi responsible for things was ridiculous.

In reality, in those years, Brandi and Beverly Peele were Naomi’s real competition when it was a matter of black girls.

 

[Simera]

I think Naomi is nasty and still causing drama and being scandalous to this day. Let Tyra have a shot again. I would be more excited to see Tyra walking the runway over Naomi any day of the week!

 

[Snejana Onopka]

Why does she look like she can cure your Disease in this photo?

screaming for me babyyy

 

[Malaya]

They are a bit different though.
Tyra’s show for what is worth wasn’t worse than what some young models hear and experience when working in fashion, even more in those years.

However, Naomi has always had a terrible reputation in fashion. The thing is that she was a fantastic model and some designers either entertained her diva behavior and/or, she knew when to be humble around certain designers.

Tyra never got away with what Naomi got away with. And I totally believe what Tyra said about what she experienced from Naomi in those years because it was truth and it’s widely known in the fashion industry.

However, maybe I think that Tyra’s TV career made her believe that she was a bigger model than what she was actually. Tyra represented a look of the moment but she was commercial and never forged relationships with designers. So to solely held Naomi responsible for things was ridiculous.

In reality, in those years, Brandi and Beverly Peele were Naomi’s real competition when it was a matter of black girls.

I don't really care about the ins and outs and dynamics of whatever happened between them at this point tbh. Clearly their moral compass has been thrown out of the window long ago so why bother? The only difference I could think of between them is Tyra's stone cold in a cut throat, business sense. Naomi's hot tempered who lashes out when things don't go her way.

As someone said - two peas in the same pod. They're both narcissistic and sociopathic.

And I'm bored of Naomi. Get that Prada exclusive Tyra!

 

[tigerrouge]

About Tyra as a model, the other day I was curious about how many Vogue covers she earned, and I was surprised to only find a Vogue Spain issue, nothing else.

From what I remember at the time, she was regarded as more of a swimsuit model than a fashion one - and also as being business-minded. So not that different from Elle Macpherson. They could be on the front of Sports Illustrated, then do a cover shoot for Elle - but they were never going to be the star attraction in a couture show.

Given what high fashion was like at the time for Black models, who'd blame her for going in a more commercial direction, and taking control of her career as she has done.