The 2024 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show brought a slew of unforgettable moments, from Tyla’s sultry performance to the moment the whole world so patiently awaited: the return of Tyra Banks. The legendary supermodel retired from the industry in 2005, and this appearance marked her first time on the runway in nearly two decades. While many in the crowd, including myself, praised the 50-year-old as she conquered the VS stage, others were anything but impressed with Banks closing the show, especially the TikTok community.
Given that Banks was an original VS angel and a Black woman who still has it, one might see nothing wrong with the brand’s choice to have her do the finale. After all, she delivered that iconic smize and fearless walk, despite her gorgeous yet impractical Rene Caovilla shoes. What could be so wrong?
The morning after the show, TikTok ignited controversy when creators like Arahsins stated, “Tyra Banks got her karma,” in a video that garnered over 3 million views. The creator was quick to note that the model’s new-and-improved body shape fits the category of a plus-sized model, alluding to Banks having become the size she was well-known for shaming on the hit show “America’s Next Top Model.” Others advocated for the supermodel, stating that she gave contestants like Toccara Jones and Eva Marcille fair treatment despite their appearances being threats to a rigid modeling industry.
It wasn’t long ago that Banks publicly expressed much disdain for her overly strict behavior towards participants and the show’s failure in diversity and inclusion efforts. “We were still operating in a world — I was still a model at the time, not a retired model yet, and still operating in this world that had so many rules,” Banks said during a Tamron Hall interview. She went on to say that there were “different categories of things we messed up” and that she was “trying to push boundaries but was also torn to try to make sure that these girls could work.”
The ANTM creator also apologized for her infamous criticism of season six winner Danielle Evans’s decision not to have her gap closed by a dentist during a 2006 episode that went viral. “Do you think you can have a CoverGirl contract with a gap in your mouth?” Banks said in the trending clip. Like many of us throughout life, Banks’s behavior was a reflection of how she was treated as a young model. She revealed she was met with unrealistic expectations for her body while navigating Milan Fashion Week, with designers even telling her mother, “Her butt is getting too big, and you need to go tell her to lose some weight.” Banks wasn’t hard on contestants for no reason — it was all she knew.
As an older woman who’s had time to reflect on the show’s successes and failures, Banks has taken responsibility for her actions. “Instead of me saying, ‘You must change this,’ on TV, I think what I should have said is, ‘You’re beautiful,’” she further explained to Hall. But was this epiphany too late?
It’s not too late. As gratifying as it is to criticize someone for their wrongful actions, let’s show grace and put some respect on Tyra Banks’s name. While things were taken too far in terms of execution, the show’s faults don’t undo its purpose. ANTM was created to introduce diversity into a society that showed little to no acceptance of anything outside of a size 2 Kate Moss. It, unfortunately, negatively impacted the self-esteem of many young girls around the world (myself included), but it also broke barriers. The show featured openly gay and transgender contestants, chose its first plus-size winner in 2008, and cast current supermodel Winnie Harlow, who has vitiligo, in 2014 — years before runway inclusivity was even a thought.
And let’s not forget Banks’s legacy as a Black woman, which she has always embraced. Outside of “America’s Next Top Model,” the famed star became the first African-American muse to cover Sports Illustrated and GQ, in addition to being the first Black Victoria’s Secret Angel. Not to mention, she’s achieved multi-hyphenate status as a successful business mogul, Emmy-winning host, and actress.
All this to say, Banks isn’t the only one to blame for the mistreatment of models or fashion’s neglect of diversity. VS is one of the many major brands that feature one or two plus-size beauties in an average show of 40 models. The modeling world was notoriously cutthroat long before Banks came on the scene, and if real change doesn’t happen soon, it will remain that way. Don’t be mad at Tyra; be mad at the industry.