Tyra Banks Essence Magazine February 2008

January 10th, 2008 · No Comments · Tagged as Magazine Covergirls · Tyra Banks

Tyra Banks covers the February 2008 issue of Essence Magazine.

About Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long, and Gabrielle Union….

“Sanaa, Nia, and Gabrielle are strong, powerful women and they are all very successful in our indusry. So it really upset me to read about how the money they make doesn’t match up.” And she plans to put more African American women behind the screen especially since she inked a multi million dollar deal with Warner Bros to develop shows.

Why she works non stop…..

“People look at me and say, ‘Oh, Tyra, you’re doing such great things! Girl, you a mogul.’ I don’t think they understand that it’s almost as if I don’t have a choice; what motivates me a little bit is fear.”

Her personal life…

“I’d go to work and women would be crying in my arms on the talk show, but then I’d go home and put my key in my door and… nothing: no friends, no husband, no children. I feel so full when I’m at work but so empty when I come home.”

On rumors that she moved her show to New York because of a man….

“I’m very insulted by that rumor, I employ a lot of people; their livelihoods rest on my shows. The move to New York was a decision I made with my manager. It was not about a man.”

On why she created ‘Top Model’

“I cast girls who have urban accents and bamboo earrings because the fashion industry ignores them. When those girls walk into a modeling agency with all the goods but too many accessories, the agencies don’t say, ‘Let me cut your hair, put on this plain black dress.’ They send them away. My goal is to show the industry that you don’t have to be from Africa and be exotic to be beautiful. You can be a ’round-the-way girl from Brooklyn or Arkansas.”