Tyra Banks is “happy” to see people taking the body positivity movement to the “next level”.
Tyra Banks
The 47-year-old fashion mogul has long championed the movement – which aims to see people of all shapes and sizes strut their stuff on fashion catwalks and create an environment in which everyone feels comfortable in their own skin – and began actively pushing for “beauty diversity” more than 20 years ago.
Reflecting on her activism, she said: "It's so funny because 20 something years ago, I was one of the leaders in this. In beauty diversity, and body image. However, I think what [body positivity activists] are doing today is even more bold.”
The Victoria’s Secret alum recalled a time when she walked in the brand’s famous fashion show and was forced to wear a skirt to cover “dimples” on her bottom which were considered a flaw by the industry at the time.
And now, Tyra is thrilled to see models embracing their bodies and taking to runways without extra clothing designed to cover up their natural looks.
She added: "That was progress. But now [models] are walking down the runway and having the dimples and not putting the skirt on.
"There's constant evolution of everything. I'm happy to have been a part of it, and I'm happy to see people taking it to the next level."
The ‘America’s Next Top Model’ star also spoke about raising her five-year-old son York – whom she has with her ex-partner Erik Asla – to be accepting of everyone, as well as teaching him about his culture.
She told People magazine: "At three years old, he knew who Rosa Parks was. He knew who Malcolm X was. He knew who W.E.B Du Bois and Frederick Douglas were. One thing we have to have is this balance of how much we share with a child because he could get a little anxious.
“I also tell my mama because [she] lives with us, 'Can you turn off CNN?' We are living in a day where it is the most prolific pain in, I don't know, what? 100 years or something. For him to constantly hear that on the TV is just not healthy.
“We are in a time right now when we need each other more than ever."
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