- 'Cause there's some construction goin' on
in the background, but I guess there's gonna be some music
over this, but you should find a track that goes to it,
'cause this the beat, alright?
'Cause perfect is (chuckles) boring. (laughing)
(techno music)
- Today, I am going to be interviewing Tyra Banks.
Tyra Banks has been a voice for me
ever since I can remember.
She started America's Next Top Model,
giving a chance for literally anybody
to make it in the industry.
I always thought was very like selfless of her.
That's a big reason on why I started Feed Famous.
And now you considered it the social media version
of America's Next Top Model,
being yourself and just putting yourself out there.
Okay, I need to get ready.
Okay, so I decided to wear all black.
I got a whole crew of bad bitches coming with me.
Yeah, I'm here with my bad ass bitches,
Nina, Destinee, Selorm.
- How do you feel about meeting your idol,
'cause you know they say never do it?
- I know!
(soft laughing)
(techno music)
(soft chattering)
Hi, I'm Jazzmyne, and I'm about to be interviewing
Tyra Banks.
I'm literally trying not to cry. (whimpering)
(drum roll)
It's so beautiful to meet you!
You are amazing.
- I didn't know you were so tall too!
- Oh girl, I got you.
Thank you for being here.
You're 100 percent my idol.
- Aww, thank you. - So, yes.
I often look upon myself and I'm, like,
"Man, how did I get to even like making videos?"
When you were younger,
did you think you were gonna be this,
like, boss ass person as you are now?
- When I was younger, I wanted to direct and write
and produce TV.
- Okay.
- So I'm doing part of that
but all that supermodel stuff
and then like being the modeling guru
and the being my own business woman.
I had no idea, that's something that evolved.
- Yeah.
- So like if you have some dreams
but you don't have all of them and don't know.
It's okay. - Yeah.
Because things happen and you're like oh my God,
I wanna be a singer and then you realize
that you really can't sing that good Tyra
and you need to think of something else.
(both laughing)
America's Next Top Model has really leaned
into like making yourself a brand
and now the modeling industry is getting into that.
Do you have any tips or anything
about like establishing your brand?
- There's two categories of creating like
a personal brand and I teach personally branding
at Stanford Business School. - Oh!
- So, I'm giving you a little something something.
One is like what is true to you?
- Yes. - What feels the most natural?
That authenticity is so important
and people can smell it a mile away when it's not real.
The other bucket is differentiation.
- Yes. (record scratch) - It's like a rap song.
Differentiation in the ah ah ah nation.
Sometime what's true to you
is also true to a whole bunch of people.
Now what is the icing on that cake?
That you can add to it to stand out and be different.
- People feel like they're best friends with you.
I literally called you my older sister. (Tyra laughs)
And that has a lot to do with you being personable.
How do you feel about having your personality
be such a huge part of your brand?
- Well, when I had a talk show
that was my real personality
and then there's this creative one
from America's Next Top Model
that is so not me but it's like a character.
But when it's like, "You're not fierce in you.
I have two photos in my hands, I got one photo in my hand."
Like that's a thing that I created.
But I do think that when people are coming up to me
and they feel like they know me it's not like,
"Oh my God, Tyra."
It's like, "Oh my God Tyra, gimme a hug."
- Yeah.
- I think they're connecting to more of the warmer side
'cause that other girl, she's scary sometimes.
- How do you deal with negative criticism?
- It's important to not put too much
of your heart and your soul
and your vulnerability into your personal brand.
And they are commenting on some content
that you said but not your spirit and your being.
- That's crazy good advice
that I've never actually thought of.
How do you find confidence on a day
when you're not feeling so good and do you do anything?
Like any little things for yourself?
- Yeah, there's a couple things I do.
I mean, I have friends that I call.
I call my Mom up.
"Momma, I don't feel good."
- (chuckles) Yes.
- And then sometimes she's like, "You gonna cry?
You sure you're not gonna cry?" (whimpers, pants)
Also, I've been doing all those like meditation apps.
- Have you?
I just started meditating.
- Ooh, the apps are good. - Girl.
I'm like let me eat green, let me meditate, let me breathe.
Something that I wanna thank you for is one,
being just like a bold woman of color,
you always change your looks.
Which I know sometimes can be really, really hard.
- Yes. - Even with your hairstyles.
Like, we've seen pixie Tyra, we've seen bob Tyra,
we've seen natural Tyra.
Do you have a favorite?
- Hmm.
- I like braids Tyra, I really do.
- You like braids Tyra? - I do.
- Did you like like dookie braid long ones or like cornrows?
- Cornrow.
- Oh, see okay, I see.
I love my cornrows with the baby hair.
And a slick back. - Yes.
- Like a ballerina slick back bun
to me is like the most elegant thing.
- For sure.
How do you feel about the shift in body positivity
that's coming into the modeling industry?
Right now we're taking huge strives on social media.
How do you feel about that?
- As a model,
I was about 20 pounds heavier than the other models.
So back then that was like, "Ooh she thick."
And that was like groundbreaking.
Like, look at her walking down the Victoria Secret runway.
But my passion is for body and beauty positivity.
- For sure.
- From this first season of America's Next Top Model,
it was diverse, you know, I had my plus girl
and all shades and different types of beauty.
So it's nice to see the world catching up to
what we were doing 18 years ago.
- You've literally done everything,
runways, talk shows, hosting,
and now you've decided to write a book,
which I have right here.
Perfect is Boring with your mother, correct?
- Yes. - I love it.
Why did you decide to write a book?
- My Mom and I decided to write this book
because we have a relationship
that is raw and real and unfiltered.
I asked my momma anything when I was a kid.
Drug stuff, alcohol stuff, sex stuff.
And she didn't blush, she would be like,
"Oh you wanna know?" - Here we go.
- "Here we go."
This book is dedicated to the mommas
and the daughters we need to be real with our daughters.
And daughters need to be safe enough
with their moms to be like, "Mom, I think I wanna have sex."
- Yeah.
- That's what this book is about.
- Talk about it, yeah.
- It's about talking about it
and like taking back the taboo.
And it's really funny but it's really raw.
And there's also stuff about being a boss,
stuff about dating and crazy boyfriends I've had.
It's really about the lesson and the message.
And you can pre-order it now.
- Beautiful.
So, I'm also hosting something
for Buzzfeed called Feed Famous.
It's very inspired by America's Next Top Model.
It's like a social media modeling competition.
And I am a little nervous
to be eliminating people and going through casting.
You host America's Next Top Model and America's Got Talent.
How do you still empower people
after you have to turn them down?
- So, early days of America's Next Top Model
what I used to do is and it was crazy.
I would go to her hotel room. - Girl.
- Hold her hands, talk to her, give her advice,
and then I had my team at Top Model they were like,
you do this but then the next day you're like this like,
"Hey girls, today you're doing a photo shoot."
Like I was exhausted
and they were like the girls are gonna be okay,
we have a team that talks to them after.
You cannot do this, it's not sustainable.
- Yeah.
- And even in that rejection there
can still be a lot of success.
- Well I appreciate you so much.
- You're so welcome.
- And I thank you so much for sitting down with me.
- Good luck. - Thank you.
- Good luck with the show.
- Ah, I can't believe it.
(mumbles) Aw, you're amazing.
We just (beeps) meet Tyra Banks.
(soft screaming) Yes.
- She's so nice. - She squeezed all of us.
- And you know what Jazz, you did an amazing...
- Thank you. - Freaking job.
(soft clapping)
- I was just like, you know what,
you might as well just talk to her, just like act chill.
Everything she said was just so sweet and genuine.
- She was one of those idols that it's okay to meet.
- Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Just being around the presence of
such a
boss,
was absolutely insane.
I got to sit next to her and literally meet my idol.
She blew my mind away.
I need to read more and I'm gonna start
with reading Tyra's book because it seems (beeps) amazing.
Meeting Tyra Banks,
it was the most amazing thing of my life.
(soft playful music)