Breaking Barriers in Modeling
In 1996, Tyra Banks made history alongside Valeria Mazza as the first Black model to appear on the cover of the iconic Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. The following year, she reached another monumental milestone by becoming the first solo African American cover model for the magazine.
Banks was only 23 years old at the time, but her groundbreaking SI Swimsuit covers launched her meteoric rise to supermodel status. As she reflects, appearing in the coveted issue “helped to expand what is beautiful, particularly in America.”
Retirement to MogulDOM
After considerable success as a model, Banks retired in 2005 to focus on building her personal brand and business empire. She created production company Bankable Productions, non-profit TZONE for young girls, and published several books.
Banks also developed and hosted the hit reality show “America’s Next Top Model,” which ran for 24 seasons over 15 years. With multiple streams of income, Banks certainly transformed into a cultural force and inspiration for female entrepreneurs.
Triumphant Return at 45
In 2019, Tyra Banks stunned the modeling world by coming out of retirement to pose for SI Swimsuit again at 45 years old. Recreating her iconic polka dot bikini cover, Banks became the oldest model to front the iconic issue.
She shares that her body has changed since her 20s, but Banks proves that her fierce signature smize is timeless. The model credits SI Swimsuit with skyrocketing her career as a young model. Over 20 successful years later, her third historic cover for the franchise comes full circle.
Lasting Legacy
As SI Swimsuit Editor MJ Day raves, Tyra Banks has become “everything we know this franchise can be” through barrier-breaking covers and evolving into a cultural force.
From her early days as a cover model to a business mogul shaking up industries from modeling to media, Banks remains an inspiration to women globally at every age. With Modelland, her latest entertainment project years in the making, her aspirational story certainly isn’t over yet.
