MARCH 1998 - She was already a rising star in the modelling world when fortune struck her in the strangest of forms. Despite the fact that she had already been the first African-American women to grace the cover of GQ and Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue, despite having already starred in John Singleton's Higher Learning and on TV's "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," it was a 14-inch; doll that etched her forever into the nation's collective conscience. Voiced by Chris Rock, it was Lil' Penny scolding Anfernee Hardaway with the now-immortal words, "That's Tyra Banks, Fool!" which made her a star among stars. Like any big break, it was both a blessing and a curse. Sure, she's rich and famous, the author of her own book (the just-released, Tyra's Beauty In & Out), an up-and-coming actress and perhaps one of the world's most recognizable faces, but she'd trade at all at the drop of a hat to be able to leave her house without hearing some idiot holler, "that's Tyra Banks, fool!" in his worst Lil' Penny voice. Well, maybe not, but it's not as far-fetched as you might think.

In this post-modern, information age, stardom means opening up your life to the media whether you like it or not. As Tyra Banks star rose, the vultures descended ready to pick apart her life to find the improprieties. They dug and they dug and they dug, and I'd guess many of them are still digging, but so far they've come up with nothing. No orphaned children, no flings with prominent, married public officials, no unauthorized video tapes, no drug-induced early morning rampages, not even a couple of naked photos taken while she was "young and naive." For chrissake, even her breasts are real. Sorry to disappoint, Tyra's about as squeaky clean as they come. She doesn't drink or smoke, she's never even tried drugs and her sexual exploits have never travelled behind the confines of her bedroom walls. Beyond that, by all accounts she's a genuinely nice person. It's enough to make your skin crawl.

Banks got her start in modelling at the behest of a friend while in high school. By 15 she had already appeared in Seventeen Magazine and at 17 she graced her first cover. Since then she's risen quickly, notching cover after cover of every major magazine in the world, scoring high-profile gigs with Victoria's Secret and Cover Girl and branching out into acting, taking supporting roles in both movies and tv. Recently she added publishing to her checklist of "things-to-do," authoring a book, Tyra's Beauty In & Out with noted fashion writer, Vanessa Thomas Bush. With so much on her plate, we were happily surprised that she was more than willing to talk to us about what's going on in her world, why she will never make a movie as bad as Fair Game, and all the reasons why she might go out with you.

A lot has been made about you being the first Black woman on the cover of GQ, the first black woman on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Do you feel its harder for blacks to break into modelling than whites?

Yes. I think if you just look at the magazines you can see the ratios. It's all about supply and demand. There's not really a big representation of black models as compared to white models. It doesn't equal the percentage of blacks in America. So definitely it is more difficult if a black model wants to get in the industry. Already as a white model you have a lot of rejection. You add you're color to that and its ten times the rejection.

Do you it changing at all or is it too ingrained in the system?

I see it changing. It's changing slowly, I wish it would change faster. As long as its changing, as long as we see a progression, that's all that matters.

Do you think the strides you've made have made a difference in changing things?

Definitely. Anytime you have a first, the next time it's no longer a big, huge deal. The next black woman to get the covers I've gotten will just be a normal thing. So I'm glad I'm knocking down all these firsts so it's not a phenomenon that it's just a normal thing.

Within the black community there has been a conflict, especially among women, between light skin and dark skin ideals of beauty. Does this transfer into the modelling world? Do you feel it was easier for you to break into modelling because you're relatively fair-skinned?

I actually disagree. In the modelling industry, if you look at the past supermodels, they were all dark-skinned models. You look at Iman, Beverly Johnson, Naomi Simms, Naomi Campbell--those were all sort of chocolate-hued models that have broken the barriers before I got there. So I think it's kind of an odd thing that I've done so well in my shade.

You had a part in Higher Learning as well as playing Will Smith's girlfriend for a little while on "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air." Do you have intentions of trying to make the jump from model to actress?

That's definitely something I want to pursue more. My modelling career gives me a chance to make a lot of money and not have to worry about acting to eat and to live. So I act when I want to or when I find something that's fun or interesting for me to do. I've been working on a book for the last two years so my acting's taken a back seat to that. Now, the book is complete so I may be doing some more acting.

Supermodels from Kathy Ireland to Cindy Crawford have made notoriously bad choices when it came to their acting careers. How are you planning to avoid those pitfalls?

Just reading the script and saying that's a stupid role, I'm not gonna do it. Just the fact that I don't have desperation when it comes to that. And the fact that I know that I can act, and I wouldn't do something that I know I'd be bad in.

Have you taken any acting classes?

No, I think it's just something that comes naturally to me. I like acting the fool. I usually act the fool with my friends. In fact, when my mom's friends used to come over for holidays, I'd get my cousins and friends together and we'd choreograph dances and songs and I'd always have to be the lead singer and perform. So I just have that inside of me.

So should we be looking for Tyra Banks Sings the Hits in stores soon?

Oh no. (laughing) I can dance and move like Janet Jackson but when I open my mouth it does not sound like Mariah Carey. So I don't think that will be happening anytime soon. Some people want to do everything. I know what I'm good at.

You've expressed pretty open disdain for the modelling community and claim to have sworn off dating celebrities. What is it about that lifestyle that turns you off?

I just like to come home and not talk about work and talk about this photographer and this model and this hairdresser. So that's why I try to stay away from that whole Hollywood modelling scene. Like, I'll come home from something and my little cousins will be like, "Tyra did you see any stars? Who did you see? Who are your friends?" And I'm like "I kind of know that person and that person but it's not like we're hanging out." It's not that they're bad people--there are some great people in the industry--I don't know for some reason, I've just never really been able to relate. I mean, I have some friends who are quote-unquote famous. But they have the same kind of views I do: that they're strange.

Yeah but you dated Seal for a little while though and he's pretty strange. Which brings up another good point: why do so many beautiful models date ugly rock stars?

Well, I think in the 80s it was a pretty big thing--when I wasn't modelling--that all these models were dating rock stars. And then towards the mid- to late 90s, I mean I dated someone for like a month, really casual--it wasn't even a boyfriend, it was really quick--and people put me in that group. But with me, it's just whoever asks me out and is really nice and has a little something going on, I'll go out with them. And that happens about once a year. (laughs)

Y'know, I've read that stuff before, and I don't buy it.

It's true. They're just so intimidated. I was just going out with this guy now that's just so scared of me that finally I was just like--goodbye. You just aren't strong enough to handle me.

Damn. Dumped by Tyra Banks. I guess there's some dignity in that...

(laughs) Yeah, so when somebody asks you out and they're really aggressive, but in a smart way not like (in a low, guttural voice) "Hey, baby...." But if he's like a nice guy and he's flirting and paying you some attention, you're not used to that. So you're like, "Wow! I'll go out with you."

Damn. I can't believe it's that easy. All this time I've spent trying to think of some elaborate plan...

Yeah. It's pretty simple. Anybody can go out with me you just have to know how to do it.

So we've established that it's easy for a guy to go out with you, but how would a man go about really charming you?

Okay. Just be really nice, be really funny. Joke with me. Don't be afraid to compliment me. A lot of guys think, "oh you're a model, so I'm not gonna say you're beautiful. I'm not gonna say your hair looks nice." It's okay to say that because if a guy says that it's different than a photographer saying it or a fan saying it. And just be aggressive. Be nasty.

Okay. Now that we've charmed you, how can you tell if we're really interested or if we just want to be known as "the guy dating Tyra Banks."

You can't tell. Some guys are real slick and you can't tell what their agenda is. That's something that just takes a little bit of time. That's the kind of guy who'll be really cool in the beginning and then after a while he's like , "Dress up like you did in that picture and come with me to my high school reunion." Or other times some guys might show it off really soon in the beginning. They might just keep calling me by my first and last name a lot. Y'know, "Tyra Banks, can you pass the salt? Tyra Banks..."


The fashion industry has been criticized for sending a bad message to young girls--especially in the 90s with the whole "heroin-chic" thing--do you think things have improved at all recently?

The modelling industry goes in and out of different styles and body types that are supposed to be hot at that moment. And right now, it's not so much the heroin-chic, because the models are looking a little bit healthier to me--and when I say healthy, I don't even mean body type, I mean just facial pigment and stuff like that. They have blush on their cheeks now again and they look a little healthier. But still such a stick, skinny ideal--which would have worked for me when I was 11 years old because I was 98 pounds and my same height and now I'm 130. So I was really, really thin and insecure. It would have worked well for me to look at that in a magazine and see that that was called beautiful. But the majority of little girls aren't that way. The majority of them are struggling with their weight and are the opposite way. So I just think it's important to show different body types and say that they are all beautiful which is not really what they do. They tend to dictate a certain look every 5-10 years.

Do you think there's a difference between white people's ideals about women's beauty and black ideals?

I talk about that in the fitness chapter of my book. When I lost all this weight--I went to an all-black private elementary school--and all the kids used to call me all kinds of horrible names. Then when I went to a mixed junior high school and all of my white friends would be like, "Oh my god, you're so gorgeous. You're so skinny." By the way, I looked disgusting, I looked sick. But they'd be like "You're so skinny. I wish I could be like you." And all my black friends would be like, "Girl, eat a pork chop! You are so skinny." And the white guys would be like "Tyra's cute" and the black guys would be like, "She's too skinny. She needs some booty. I don't want her." So it's so cultural. And it's sad because women, when it comes to their body types are ruled by men in their culture. So white women want to be super skinny because that's what white men seem to be attracted to. And the black guys want more meat.

Another contributing factor to all the insecurities about body-type seems to be the huge rise in plastic surgery. Most models have had at least some plastic enhancement. Do you think that adds to the problem as well? I mean, you have these girls looking at what they think to be perfect bodies which were actually sculpted by knives.

You know what, the whole plastic surgery thing with me--I think it's more about retouching of pictures and with lighting and deception in that way. Because you're not going to take a heavy, heavyset woman, give her liposuction and make her gorgeous. So, you already have to have a little something of a base to have some plastic surgery and make you look amazing and make somebody jealous. When you're in a magazine, you can shave 30 pounds off of you. I mean I do it. I make my waist smaller. I take the dark circles off under my eyes when I have control of a certain photo. And I just say models are masters of deception and illusion. So I don't think plastic surgery's such a big deal as much as looking at these retouched images that computers have created. And I look at magazines sometimes and say, "Damn! She's gorgeous!" and I don't realize they just removed all her moles and freckles and took a rib out or two.

So if all those photos are retouched what do you really look like, y'know, like first thing the morning?

Oooh. You want to know what I look like right now?

Yes. Please.

Oh my gosh. Let's see. My hair's all over my head. It's sticking straight up and it's dirty and full of dandruff. And every time I scratch my scalp, I get this gook of nasty dandruff under my nails. Dark circles under my eyes. My eyes might be puffy right now, they feel a little puffy. My mom spent the night and she turns the heater all the time so I'm all puffy probably. I think I have a little bit of a shadow underneath my armpits. I haven't shaved in two days...

That wasn't as much fun as I thought it was going to be. Maybe you could send us a picture now. We could use it for the cover.

Oh you don't want that. But if you look in my book there are some pretty raw pictures in there.

You've gotten to work with celebrities from all walks of life, most recently I know you did a Cover Girl ad campaign with Ziggy Marley. How did you guys get along?

He was so cool. He told them, "Okay, you want me for this commercial, well I want a Lear Jet, and I want suites at a hotel and I want a date with Tyra Banks." And Cover Girl wanted him so bad they were like, "OK." But when he met me he was just very shy and I was like, wait, you said he had a crush on me? He's acting like I'm not even alive. But then he warmed up and he was really fun.

What's the hardest thing about being Tyra Banks?

The hardest thing is women. Y'know, women think because their boyfriends are oohing and aahing about a retouched picture that I think that I'm all that. And they hate me because their boyfriends like me. They don't understand. They don't know how I look when I wake up how I look at a photo shoot before retouching. I probably look like them. Just taller. So that's hard, getting all those weird reactions.

How'd you first get into modelling?

I had a friend when I was in the ninth grade in high school. She came up to me the first day of school and said that I looked like a model and did I want to be a model like she was? And we became best friends and she left school early to model. She actually didn't go to the 12th grade, she went to Paris. And she tried to convince me to go and I said `no, I want to stay in school.' So I modelled part-time after school in the 12th grade. And after that I got accepted to five colleges but then a Paris agency saw some pictures of me and convinced me to come to Paris and take one year off of college and then go back to school. Which I never did (because I did so well in my modelling.)

Was it a traumatic time going to Paris when you were 18 years old?

Well, I was 17 actually cause I graduated early, so it was difficult because all my friends were making all these plans for school and they were all going to the school that I was going to go to. And from hearing that and here I am going off to Paris all by myself. So it was really difficult. One of the reasons was because I didn't speak the language. And i'm not very social. I tend to be by myself so I didn't have a lot of friends. And i'd go to movies by myself. And I was pretty lonely because a lot of models like to party and drink and hang out and I wasn't into that. I'd rather be by myself.

If you had a daughter would you let her become a model?

I'd let her become anything she's wants to become but I wouldn't encourage the modelling at all. But I wouldn't tell her, "don't do it" because of course it would only make her want to do it more. But I don't think it's the healthiest thing. I mean hopefully my daughter would be very strong but I don't know if she'd necessarily be as strong as I am. It's not cut out for everybody and I'd hope my daughter wouldn't want to do it.