Tyra Banks' Teen Search

Tyra Banks has launched a search for teenage plus-sized models.

The model-turned-TV presenter - who is the driving force behind 'America's Next Top Model' - has revealed her latest search will focus on finding beautiful girls who are over 5ft 9ins tall and wear a US dress size between a 12 and 20.

She said: "I've always felt it was my mission to expand the narrow perceptions of beauty. Through 'America's Next Top Model', 'True Beauty' and 'The Tyra Show', I challenge industry and universal standards by featuring and celebrating non-traditional beauty, and stressing that true beauty is both inside and out."

The 36-year-old beauty has embarked on her latest project to help young girls realise the term "plus-sized" does not necessarily mean large, but is actually a celebration of the "average" female form.

She told US Weekly: "I want young girls to realise that what's considered plus-sized is the average American woman. That woman is healthy, fit and beautiful. Adolescence is such an impressionable time in a young woman's life, and I hope this contest helps teen girls discover their own beauty from the inside out."

Tyra has now appealed to girls aged between 16 and 19 to come forward and enter her 'Fiercely Real Teen Model Search'.

The finalists will appear on the March 2 episode of her chat show and the winner will be crowned the next day, winning a year-long modelling contract and a spread in a fashion magazine.