KEEPIN' IT REAL: TYRA BANKS' PERFORMANCE OF AUTHENTICITY - OBREANNA MCREYNOLDS RFS 366: HOLLYWOOD STARS MAY 14, 2010
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Keepin’ It Real: Tyra Banks’ Performance of Authenticity
Obreanna McReynolds
RFS 366: Hollywood Stars
May 14, 2010
McReynolds 1
In a scene near the end of the Disney Channel original movie Life-Size, Tyra
Banks and a young Lindsey Lohan gossip conspiratorially in Lohan’s character’s
fictional bedroom. During this revealing conversation, Lohan offers Banks’ character
some prescient advice: “Perfect is boring,” she says. Puzzled, Banks asks, “So being a
role model doesn’t mean that I have to be perfect all the time?” On the contrary––as Tyra
Banks’ stardom illustrates––being a role model in the public eye oftentimes hinges upon
imperfection.
Tyra Banks’ star text deftly negotiates the perfect and the imperfect, but public
reception of her persona remains mixed. Like Banks’ character in Life-Size, the American
audience seems perplexed by perfection––at once drawn to the extraordinary, and
repelled by it. As “both any woman and a one-in a million star,” able to “continuously
transform herself” from “girl next door to supermodel to sex symbol to media mogul,”
Banks proves a contentious figure (Joseph 241). Fans commend “Tyra” for her beauty
and authenticity, while critics call her “fat,” “crazy” and “fake.” This tug-of-war mirrors
the duality of Banks’ public roles: on the one hand, she exists as a supermodel, a
performer whose very job it is to present an appealing front. Switch on her afternoon talk
show, however, and another version of the star appears, one that shakes her booty, flaunts
her cellulite, and gossips like a girlfriend. The varied reception of Banks’ stardom reflects
this duality––a precarious negotiation between the real and the fake, the ordinary and the
extraordinary. Consequently, the discourse surrounding Tyra Banks the star has
everything to do with authenticity, a measure that hinges upon her performance of race,
gender, beauty, and a narrative of transformation.
McReynolds 2
Over the years the site of Banks’
stardom has shifted from the realm of the
“extraordinary”––her fairytale rise to fame as a
trailblazing supermodel––to the “ordinary”––
the candid persona she now presents to the
public. The Banks of today is a television
personality first, and a model second. For
television personalities, the question of
“perceived ordinariness and authenticity”
becomes especially critical in understanding
“the way they function as a site of meaning” (Bennett 50). In Banks’ own words, her
function––the current Tyra Banks brand––represents “attainable fantasy,” the promise
that any ordinary woman can make her “dreams come true through work and
determination” (Hirschberg 63). Banks’ official website urges women, who make up the
bulk of her audience, to achieve this ideal by seeking “empowerment” and “beauty inside
and out” (“Tyra’s Bio,” Hirschberg 63). The “obtainable fantasy” message hinges upon
Banks’ ability to relate to her audience by demonstrating that her seemingly extraordinary
experiences are in fact no different from those of the average woman. The oft-repeated
story of the model’s rise to fame functions to reinforce this narrative by portraying Banks
as just another benefactor of the American dream.
A 2008 profile in The New York Times Magazine details Banks’ rise from
working class roots: she “grew up in Inglewood, Calif., a racially mixed suburb near
LAX. Her parents were divorced and her mother, Carolyn London, supported Tyra and
McReynolds 3
her brother…” (Hirschberg 44). “Discovered” at the age of seventeen, Banks opted to
forgo college, and instead flew to France to pursue modeling. What may initially seem
like an unobtainable Cinderella tale is tempered by various reiterations of the difficulties
that Banks, marked as an outsider by both race and inexperience, faced upon arrival in
Paris. “I was too thin,” she recalls. “A little strange, odd-looking. My eyes are too far
apart, my chin is narrow, my forehead is very wide” (Ferguson).
Despite these setbacks, the Banks narrative tells of how the young model
persevered with hard work and tenacity, transforming her initial disappointments into a
shining example of bootstraps success. When she
finally did start booking fashion shows––in record
number at that––Banks remained pragmatic, thinking
of her career as not just glamour, but a business
(Hirshberg 44). To that end, she abstained from the
drinking, drugs, and late night partying enjoyed by
fellow models, and chose instead to focus on planning
her future career path with the help of mother turned
manager Carolyn London.
To the average woman, the tale of Banks’ initial struggle makes her eventual
accomplishments all the more relatable. She relied on traditional values of discipline and
family, rather than her physical attributes, to negotiate success. In fact, this telling frames
Banks’ unique look as an obstacle more than an aid. From the very beginning, it seems,
Banks shared the common woman’s insecurities about appearance, body shape, and
rejection. Moreover, by eschewing the wild lifestyle of high fashion Europe, she firmly
McReynolds 4
aligns against excess and frivolity, again driving home her middle-American values. Says
Banks, “I was successful, but I was intimidated by Paris… It was too much for my mass-
American self” (Hirschberg 44). This widely accepted account paints Banks as an
ordinary teenager who turned setbacks into advantages; as a result, the aspects of her
origins that might otherwise seem undeserved, lucky, or foreign become entirely relatable
and accessible. Both America’s Next Top Model and The Tyra Banks Show further
enforce the message of dreams and transformation within reach; Banks demonstrates to
young women that if they work hard and follow her example they too can “be on top,” as
the opening montage of Top Model promises.
One scene stands out from the Banks biography as a particularly telling example
of how the star’s text is framed in terms of empowerment for the ordinary woman. In the
mid-nineties Banks started to gain weight. Her modeling agency reportedly created a list
titled “Designers who will not book Tyra because of hips and breasts” (Hirschberg 44).
Facing mounting pressure to shed pounds, Banks sat down with her mother over a slice of
pizza to discuss a career change. The star has repeated this tale relentlessly––on her talk
show, in interviews, and as a judge on America’s Next Top Model––each time
emphasizing the rebelliousness of the pizza, and the risk of defying fashion industry
norms. After that meeting, Banks decided to abandon the unforgiving world of European
haute couture in favor of more a body-friendly American market, a move that meshes
perfectly with her message of “beauty inside and out.” The choice also underlines Banks’
business acumen; her positioning as an advocate for curves has since been framed as an
astute career move, one that catapulted the star from mere clothes hanger to household
name entrepreneur. As model Veronica Webb explains to Vanity Fair, “That’s where the
McReynolds 5
real action is in the fashion business: If you
have great cleavage, you can make a fortune.
When Tyra started to get really curvy, she
signed a contract with Victoria’s Secret. For a
black girl, that was incredible” (Hirschberg 45).
As Webb’s statement suggests, Banks
reached the height of her modeling career in the
early nineties during a period that “celebrated
and hoisted up Colored-girl difference” (Smith-
Shomade 60). Besides Banks, other African-American faces––Halle Berry, Naomi
Campbell, Alek Wek, Brandy, Mary J. Blige––graced runways, products, and magazine
covers in record numbers (Smith-Shomade 60). Banks likewise transcended color as the
first African-American model to grace the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated
swimsuit issue.
On the surface, this unprecedented level of representation suggested real progress
in America. And yet even as Banks was heralded for embodying “a universal appeal,” her
race remained the central defining factor of her fame. During this period, she was never
just a supermodel, but always the first black supermodel. Even as she symbolized
colorblindness, she also “embodie[d] niche desirability because of her positioning as a
racial specific, black female subject” (Joseph 238). Moreover, praise of the model’s
mocha skin functioned hegemonically to uphold the idea of “a near-white or lightly
complexioned black woman,” as opposed to one with darker skin, “as an image of
ultimate beauty” (Shaw 144). Perhaps mainstream American audiences found Banks
McReynolds 6
palatable because her brand of beauty downplayed racial differences, instead
emphasizing safe inner beauty––traditional values like self-esteem and work ethic––just
as much as, if not more, than the more progressive racial aspects of outward appearance.
As Ralina Joseph points out, “this tricky balance ultimately showcases race and gender as
malleable forces, deployed for strategic gain and untouched by structures and institutions
of racism” (238).
In the decade and a half since her landmark Sports Illustrated cover, Banks’ race
has remained a “malleable force” for “strategic gain,” either highlighted or downplayed
in the media depending on how it jives with the Banks brand du jour (Joseph 283).
Publicity surrounding 2000’s Life-Size, for example, made no mention of Banks’ race
even as she acted alongside an otherwise all-white cast. In the film Banks plays Eve, a
plastic doll animated through a misdirected spell. Although the film never directly
references Eve’s skin color, numerous incidents
in which the character violates societal norms
obliquely indicate her otherness. However, the
overt focus of the film is, yet again, inner
beauty, a tenet of the Banks brand that
downplays her race. By contrast, when Banks
appeared as a youth correspondent on The
Oprah Winfrey Show between 1999 and 2000,
several of her segments expressly addressed
race-specific issues, highlighting ongoing
tension surrounding topics such as interracial dating (Sales 170). These more racially
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conscious appearances set the tone for what would eventually develop into The Tyra
Banks Show.
The discourse surrounding the supermodel’s race, as well as her authenticity, was
further complicated when she began to assume roles that revealed more facets of the “real
Tyra” than magazine covers or film appearances ever could. Specifically, the current
combination of The Tyra Banks Show in daytime and America’s Next Top Model in
primetime paints a complex picture of Banks that depends on performances of both
gender and race. America’s Next Top Model premiered in 2003, and marked Banks’ first
credit as a producer. Fifteen cycles later the hit reality program still adheres to its original
formula: a group of young women compete in the hopes of winning a modeling contract
that will grant access to a career path like Banks’. The Tyra Banks Show debuted two
years later in 2005, and over its five season run earned its namesake and host two
Daytime Emmy’s (“Tyra’s Bio”). Unlike modeling gigs, film roles, and scripted
television parts, these series gave Banks her first opportunity to truly play “herself.”
However, the selves that emerge from the respective shows hardly match, a fact that even
Banks admits to:
There’s a Nighttime Tyra and there’s a Daytime Tyra…The Daytime Tyra is who
I am…And then there’s Nighttime Tyra. The Nighttime Tyra is a character…A
character that has been created over time––by me. (Sales 187)
Whether fabricated or not, the disjointed star image that results from concurrent viewing
of Top Model and The Tyra Show creates a very real conflict in the minds of audiences,
what Vanity Fair christens a “Jekyll-and-Hyde conflict” (Sales 169). Not every fan
possesses the motivation or resources to interrogate the reasoning behind Banks’
McReynolds 8
opposing personas; to the middle-of-the-road consumer, reality-television Banks and talk
show Banks are both equally “true” representations. This belief shades the reception of
the star’s performance of black femininity, which reads very differently depending on
which text she appears in.
The “Nighttime Tyra” of America’s Next Top Model plays up the most
extraordinary, inaccessible aspects of Banks’ persona. Banks the judge enjoys a position
of absolute authority on the show, acting not only as a
producer, but also as a guru, instructor, and critic. To
this end, during the elimination segment of each Top
Model episode, Banks stands tall and still, and addresses
the contestants formally. The New York Times
Magazine’s Lynn Hirschberg describes Banks’ attitude
during these encounters as “quite stern and maternal:
she treats would-be models as if the rest of their lives
depended on their behavior during their time on the
show” (Hirschberg 45). In haute supermodel form, Banks comes across as powerful and
intimidating, not exactly the relatable everywoman who prefers pizza to couture. By
contrast, “Daytime Tyra” provides a mass-appeal answer.
“Daytime Tyra” represents a much more “ordinary” iteration of the star, one that
faces hurdles because of her race and gender. James Bennett confirms, “Television
personalities’ ‘will to ordinariness’ insists that they position themselves as ‘just like’ the
audience in many ways” (37). Race-wise, the Banks of The Tyra Show “flavors her
performance with elements of black English,” her “hey girls” and idioms crafting a
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relatable image of a “sister next door” (Rudy 11). She also addresses issues of race
openly and often, with a whole series of “Focus On Race” episodes highlighting issues
such as “Kids & Race,” “Interracial Dating,” and “I Hate My Race.” These nods to color
serve to further “break down the separation between [Banks] and her audience” by
presenting the star as a relatable and “real” figure facing her own set of socially imposed
obstacles (Rudy 11).
As for femininity, Tyra Show Banks frequently engages in “girl talk,” the practice
of sharing personal stories, making physical contact with her guests, maintaining eye
contact with the camera, and reacting to situations “in an emotional ‘no holds barred’
manner” (Rudy 8). These practices
“[create] a sense of intimacy between
viewer and performer,” and mark Banks
as uniquely in tune with women’s
concerns because she too must deal with
them (Bennett 41). As The Tyra Show’s
slogan promises, "Every woman has a
story...and it happened to Tyra too” (“Tyra’s Bio”). The take-home message, in other
words, is that despite inequity women of all colors (and all shapes, sizes, and
backgrounds) can, like Tyra, find empowerment through a focus on “inner beauty” and
sisterhood. In this way, the show “solves problems of racism, patriarchy, and
discrimination” by “magically equalizing all through multicultural celebrations of
‘women’” (Joseph 243). Again, race and gender are deployed for strategic gain––theyMcReynolds 10
uphold the Banks brand, and support Bennett’s notion of the “will to ordinariness” at
work in the development of television stardom.
Physical appearance, especially regarding fashion, further contributes to the
“Daytime/Nighttime Tyra” split. In a 2007 interview with People Magazine, the star
revealed that she deliberately dresses to suit her distinctive roles, again playing up her
femininity and race for The Tyra Banks Show:
Banks admitted that her stylists on Top Model make a point to dress her in
fashions that cover her problem areas, slim her figure and cinch her at the waist to
create the illusion of a severe hourglass figure. On her talk show, however, Banks
chooses shorter skirts and looser fabrics that showcase her full thighs and
voluptuous breasts and hips and soften her entire appearance. (Rudy 12)
The acknowledgment that she consciously costumes and performs “Nightime Tyra”
would seem to confirm “Daytime Tyra” as the genuine article. However, the very
knowledge that “Team Tyra”––the name Banks uses to refer to her manager, agent,
publicist, and producers––deliberately manufacture “the whole dichotomy” calls into
question the authenticity of any representation of the star (Sales 170). As Lynn
Hirschberg points out, “Banks’ looks could be off-putting to her audience, but she
counteracts this possibility by accentuating her flaws” (42). Ebony’s Adrienne Samuels
agrees: “Tyra Banks goes to extraordinary lengths to show just how ordinary she is”
(Samuels). It seems conceivable to some that if Banks knows enough to manufacture a
strategic version of herself for America’s Next Top Model, then the face she presents on
The Tyra Banks Show might prove similarly disingenuous.McReynolds 11
Tabloids and gossip blogs capitalize on this uncertainty by undermining Banks’
overtures at “keepin’ it real.” Each of these sources promise a glimpse at the “true Tyra,”
a being that Banks purportedly would never share with her audience intentionally.
Allegations involving Banks hold particular import because they clash with the star’s
own well-documented account of self as presented on her talk show and in interviews.
When former Top Model judge and supermodel Janice Dickenson blasted Banks during
an interview on British television, American sources immediately picked up the story.
Dickenson questioned both Bank’s credibility as a television personality and her physical
credentials: “You could land a helicopter on her forehead…She’s a big woman. I used to
think she was a man,” Dickenson laughed (Castina). Adrianne Curry, winner of
America’s Next Top Model cycle one, also made headlines when she alleged that Banks
acted friendly and professional in front the cameras, but became “a diva” and “a bitch”
behind the scenes (Ingrid).
One of the most popular moments of Top Model came during a Cycle Four
episode that seemed to, at least partially, confirm these allegations. In footage that has
since circulated under such telling titles as “Tyra Banks’ Tantrum” and “Tyra Banks
Gone Wild,” Banks furiously berates a Top Model hopeful whose eye-roll she interprets
as a sign of disinterest in the
competition. A 2006 Slate magazine
article aptly encapsulates the ferocious
tone that made the clip go viral: "‘I have
never in my life yelled at a girl like this!’
screamed Tyra, her face contorted, herMcReynolds 12
auburn coif swinging. "I was rooting for you, we were all rooting for you. How dare
you!’” (Dahl). “Team Tyra” categorized the incident as just one more example of Banks’
status as a “flaws and all” everywoman. This attempt to reframe the scandal proved
largely unsuccessful, however; four years later the representation of Banks as a “wild”
unruly woman still fascinates critics. In its 2010 list of “Top 9 Reality TV Temper
Tantrums,” for example, E! Online exclaims, “We knew Tyra was outspoken. It's not
even a shock when she's loud. But Tyra yelling?!” (Heldman and Nessif). The angry
Banks captured in this footage proves so intriguing because she breaches both poles of
her public persona; this Banks is neither the staid mentor/authority figure of Top Model
nor the affable, flawed-but-friendly “sister next door” seen on The Tyra Banks Show.
Rather, this Banks seems disingenuous, out of control, even “crazy,” as some
commentators contend (Samuels). The image of
Banks as an unruly woman was further compounded
in February 2007 when the gossip website Egotastic
posted unflattering images of the star vacationing in a
one-piece bathing suit under the blunt heading “Tyra
Banks is Fat.” The unfortunate photos quickly
saturated the Internet and gossip magazines, leading
to all kinds of mean-spirited headlines, including
“Tyra Pork Chop” and “America’s Next Top Waddle”
(Ferguson). Many media outlets used the unflattering pictures to insinuate that Banks was
not only a failure in her chosen profession, but also a hypocrite and a fraud. As a
supermodel, Banks made a living by disciplining her body; as a panelist on Top Model,McReynolds 13
she judges hopefuls on their ability to do the same. Even on The Tyra Banks Show she
preaches beauty inside and out. Allegations about her weight go hand in hand with her
portrayal as an unruly woman; the archetype is characterized by a physicality that refuses
to adhere to cultural norms (Petersen).
To critics, such contradictions severely undercut Banks’ authenticity. As Bennett
suggests, “the television personality’s success is predicated on ensuring the audience
believes there is a ‘perfect fit’ between their ‘real’ persona and the television personality
as image” (38). Especially for a performer playing herself, a disruption of this perceived
seamlessness can prove toxic. Initially, the “fat Tyra” photos were just that; they
undermined Banks’ “attainable fantasy” narrative by displaying a side of the star that
revealed too much of the ordinary, and not enough of the fantastical. In Shaded Lives:
African-American Women and Television, Beretta Smith-Shomade suggests that “rarely
does television ‘do fat’,” especially in the case of black women, who are already once
removed from mainstream standards of physical beauty by their skin color (60). Those
overweight women who do receive representation “are stigmatized as unfeminine,
rebellious,” and deviant, much like Banks (60).
Considering the importance of all these characteristics––transformation, fantasy,
feminine beauty, and mainstream values––to Bank’s star persona, Team Tyra quickly
sprang to the defensive. The events that followed Egotastic’s harsh pronouncement
marked an attempt to refocus the “fat Tyra” scandal to sustain, rather than violate, the
Banks brand. Soon after scandal broke, Banks appeared on her talk show wearing the
infamous unflattering swimsuit, and tearfully told critics to “Kiss my fat ass!” She invited
her audience to join her “So What?” movement, a new rally against the number on theMcReynolds 14
scale. Banks made the rounds on other talk shows as
well, using each mention of the tabloid brouhaha as
an opportunity to promote empowerment, self-
esteem, and body love. These efforts not only
managed the threat to Banks’ public persona, but in
many cases bolstered it by reframing her as a
positive role model for young women.
The rhetoric of Banks’ talk show revelation
particularly reinforced the narrative of her stardom.
In a February 2007 episode of The Tyra Banks Show entitled “Tyra Confronts Her Fat
Tabloid Photos,” “Daytime Tyra” reiterates the
importance of overcoming obstacles through hard work
and family, offering thanks for “a good support
system…my Mama [who] has helped me be a strong
woman so I can overcome these kinds of attacks.” She
underlines her ordinariness by admitting her personal
flaws: “People are used to seeing me looking…like all
that…but for some reason people have a serious
problem when I look like that [sticking out her stomach and grabbing her behind].” Then,
most importantly, she takes the personal public, employing girl talk and “sister next
door” finger-wagging as she issues a challenge “to all of you who have something nasty
to say about me, about women who are built like me…women who have been picked on,
women whose husbands put them down, women at work or girls at school.” Finally, inMcReynolds 15
the defiant voice of no-nonsense “Nighttime Tyra” she declares, “You can kiss my fat
ass!”
For many, the “Fat Ass” episode increased Banks’ credibility as a “real” woman.
The reframing of the star’s embarrassment in terms of self-esteem bolstered sympathy
and audience sisterhood, and succeeded in marrying the disparate elements of Banks’
personas around a central theme. An April 2007 profile in Great Britain’s The Guardian
identifies this common thread by crowning Banks “the queen of self-esteem and body
image––every woman's girlfriend…the flaws-and-all friend fans love” (Ferguson). As
Ralina Joseph points out, “The Banks ‘fat scandal’ is emblematic of the manner in which
women, and specifically women of color, are consumed and spat out in the popular
sphere” (238). With Banks standing as the cheerleader for female empowerment, women
of all types can unite behind her.
However, even as it strengthened Banks’ fan base, the “So What?” movement
also served to bolster the criticism against her. To some, her attempt to monopolize body-
love read as opportunistic and, once again, disingenuous. Though the star has taken up
weight discrimination as a cause––incorporating it into both her talk show and America’s
Next Top Model––her sincerity is undercut
on several levels. First, Top Model
presents serious causes like body image
and eating disorders alongside issues of
such little concern to the vast majority of
the viewing public as imitation designer
handbags, thus effectively trivializing theMcReynolds 16
former. In addition, one episode of The Tyra Show showcases Banks’ attempt to reveal
size-ism in America by going “undercover” in a fat suit. These undercover forays ––
Banks also moonlights as a homeless person and as a man––undermine the star’s
authenticity, speaking once again to her ability, and willingness, to transform, and to take
on any cause that will attract viewers. Therefore, while Banks’ fans may read her post-
“Fat Ass” star text in a positive light, detractors perceive her actions as an abuse of her
newfound power as an advocate for empowerment. Some call her “melodramatic antics”
self-serving and maudlin; certainly, they render her “an easy target for the blogosphere
and shows like E!’s The Soup” (Stack). Blog “Pop on the Pop,” for instance, disparages
Banks as “self-absorbed and fake,” while users on a public forum at Oxygen.com call her
“full of herself, pitiful,” “fake,” and “vain” (“Top Model Obsessed”).
Naturally, Banks’ loyal fans spring to her defense––“Tyra Banks is an awesome
person…she helps people find the inner beauty that everyone has”––by defending her
persona (“Top Model Obsessed”). Banks remains a celebrity figure exactly because of
the conundrum of her stardom, illustrated again and again in message board debates like
these. To detractors she is either she is too real (“fat” and “crazy”) or not real enough
(“fake”). At best, the public discourse surrounding her performances of race, gender and
transformation render the star at once extraordinary because of her looks, and yet still
relatable because of her personal defects and can-do attitude. Fans revel in this “Tyra-
world where beauty is within everyone’s reach,” secure in the belief that each
transformation represents one step closer to the “real” Tyra Banks (Samuels).
Ultimately, Banks enjoys continued stardom because of the intrigue sparked by
this dissent. In fact, Banks’ narrative of “obtainable fantasy” resonates exactly because itMcReynolds 17 speaks to a larger cultural shift toward imperfection, which serves as a marker of authenticity. By bringing celebrity within the reach of the average citizen, both the Internet and reality television blur the boundary between the ordinary and the extraordinary. Beyond America’s Next Top Model, popular shows like American Idol, America’s Got Talent, and The Biggest Loser, as well as websites like YouTube, celebrate the obstacles, achievements, and quirks of ordinary people. These texts uphold the populist belief that anyone with determination, and perhaps a bit of talent, can achieve star status. Despite her extra-textual scandals––or more likely, because of them––Tyra Banks confirms this conviction. Banks’ stardom offers a heartening success story to a public that simultaneously covets and rejects the extraordinary aspects of celebrity; after all, Banks managed to transform from an average woman into a superstar, and then back again. Today, as a television personality who projects “sister next door” authenticity, Banks proves a study in contrast, but as such, also serves as a prime example of a uniquely American ideal of authenticity.
McReynolds 18
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