Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973) is an African-American supermodel and television personality. She is one of the few African-Americans to be considered one of the top models in the world, and along with the United Kingdom's Naomi Campbell, one of the few Black supermodels of any kind. Banks was born in Inglewood, California and attended Immaculate Heart High School, an all-girls, independent Catholic private school in Los Angeles. Growing up, she was very thin and often teased; she was considered an ugly duckling. In an interview, the model later said that this was a very difficult time for her, as she developed a "very strong self-image problem." |
