Tyra Banks is holding what’s being toted as the world’s first “Plus-Size Teen Model Search.” Teens between the ages of 13 and 19 are invited to “Smile With Their Eyes” as the daytime diva and host of America’s Next Top Model goes on the hunt for curvy wannabe catwalk mavens.
Teen must wear between sizes 12-20 and be between 5-feet 9-inches tall and 6-feet 1-inch.
“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 & OUT,” Tyra said on her daytime gabfest this week. “Today, I’m announcing my FIRST EVER plus-size teen model competition, which I’m calling the ‘Fiercely Real Teen Model Search’; plus-size tends to have a negative connotation and I want young girls to realize that what’s considered plus-size 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.”
Finalists will be announced on The Tyra Show Tuesday, March 2. The winning lady will be crowned March 3. The grand prize package includes a one-year modeling contract with Wilhelmina, a fashion spread on Tyra’s Magaline (shot by Tyra), a cover photo with Tyra on Tyra’s Magaline, and a spread in a major fashion magazine.
Visit TyraShow.com for more information.