I became a victim of mean girls. I became the victim of myself.
— Tyra Banks
I get so much mail from young women saying that they are so insecure when they look at me, but they don't realize all of the flaws that I have.
When I was a model, they called me 'Tyra;' now it's 'Ms. Banks.'
It's kind of embarrassing, but in my early 20s, I used to want to be a princess. But I didn't want to have to marry somebody in order to do it!
I'm obsessed with the theme parks and themed restaurants, I love it!
Not wearing make-up? I can do it, and don't think twice.
I'm obsessed with making women look and feel more beautiful than they ever thought possible.
I'm not afraid of wanting money at all. Money will give me more power to do things that are truer to my spirit than what I'm already doing.
I used to want to write commercials as a kid.
Don't contour with blush - that's so eighties. It was an amazing trend then, but it's not hot now. Instead, go for a neutral contour color that's one or two shades deeper than your skin tone.
The president of Victoria's Secret promised me a lifetime supply of Victoria's Secret products, even after I decided to leave the company. But once I left, he only let me have it for a year. So I have a bone to pick.
I went through an obsession with eyebrows. I used to paint my eyebrows really, really strong. I look back now, and some were a little bit strong.
The creation of my cosmetics experience has been years in the making.
I don't know how to be sexy on a date. Put up a camera and a wind machine, and I'll give you sexy. Put me at a dinner table with some candlelight and the moon shining in and, oh, I will give you dork.
One thing my mom used to tell me was to look to the other side, and know that my present is not going to be everything. So if I'm having a bad day, she goes, 'Just imagine tomorrow. This is going to be over. This is going to be done with.'
I'm obsessed by Instagram.
I used to really panic about finals. I didn't understand the concept of how you could have one test that encompasses the entire semester.
I used to have this joke: 'Every hallway is a runway.'
I just think, as a model, it's taught me to be a master of deception and illusion.
Being first lady is not just about being the wife but really taking command and having true vision.
Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner have the exact same eyes.
I would not recommend a teen getting into modeling if they're not solid when it comes to their grades and school. That comes first. My mother always told me that came first.
I actually studied with The Groundlings.
Working women, moms, students, they don't have a lot of time to spend on their faces.
I don't think I'll always be on television.
A size 16 can be the best shape for you, and you can be healthy.
I don't think me walking away from modeling was scary for me. In hindsight, I think it was very risky, when you talk about risk. Because it paid the bills.
I am intimidated by that eyeliner in a pot. You have to take a brush and wet it and then dip it in and get it straight. It's just a mess.
My mom was a medical photographer, but on the side, she did a before-and-after glam photography business in the house. She would do makeup and hair - and I was her assistant.
I have a long list of different smiles that you can do, and every model should be equipped. Everybody can't handle the long list... That's for, you know, advanced.
I tend to hang out with my friends in Los Angeles from high school. We know each other from back in the day. They still see me as just dumb Tyra. We have a strong bond.
Just because you don't know if other people are experiencing the same thing as you are, it doesn't mean that it's not happening. Everybody doesn't necessarily share everything. Just know that what you're going through, other people are going through it, too.
The future is in photos for social media. More and more people are not reading, so I try to attach a photo to most Tweets.
I would love to do Rihanna's makeup. I love her cupid's bow!
It's so important to understand your good attendance ups your chances of graduating.
I volunteer a lot of my time with an organization in New York called The Center for Children and Families.
Michelle Obama, you're one hot mama.
I'm a big fan of Lady Gaga.
I do consider myself a feminist, yeah. Totally.
I used to say in interviews that I don't necessarily want to be the first black woman or first model to do certain things; I just want to see it done.
I'm all about zagging when everyone else is zigging.
I'm always looking at how I can be atypical.
Dab - don't rub - cream formulas onto your skin. Rubbing washes out the color, so do that only if you've put on too much.
I gave myself a year to be a supermodel. And I said, 'If it doesn't happen, I'm going back to school.'
I know some women are intimidated by makeup.
I don't wake up with naturally sculpted cheekbones - I paint them on!
By no means am I trying to change the modeling industry.
I have scars on the backs of my arms from dressers in Paris scraping me with pins as I was taking a shirt or gown off.
Sometimes I'll use four or five different photo apps on one photo just to get it where I want it to be.
On 'America's Top Model,' I've always told my girls to smile with their eyes. We call it 'smizing.' Over the years, it's actually become part of pop culture. I would be walking down the street, and girls would say, 'Smize!'
