No, that’s not a Stepford wife, silly — it’s Tyra Banks! And she’s propped up on a mighty pillar of respectability, being in front of that New York Times Magazine logo and all. The issue will hit the stands this Sunday, and the story inside about Banks explains that her ultimate goal is, “like her hero Martha Stewart…for her name to immediately suggest a distinct point of view,” according to writer Lynn Hirschberg. Is this some sort of revelation? Because we’ve gotten this sense from her for a while, although she always seemed more into Oprah than Martha. However, what we’re still trying to figure out is what exactly her distinct point of view is. Hirschberg writes, “Her brand, like her trademark ‘tough but still smiling’ smile, is consistent in all her shows: serious about the frivolous; empathetic and empowering; and always, always aimed at young women, across all races. It’s girly TV with a punch.” Tyra endlessly entertains us, but she seems all over the board. One day she’s got Barack Obama on, the next day she’s walking off her own set in an attempt to bring decorum when the cast of the Bad Girls Club gets a little too Jerry Springer Show. Then there’s the episode Naomi Campbell comes on to enable Tyra to display her hurt feelings from the modeling days of yore. If one thing is consistent, it’s the way Tyra likes to bring everything back to modeling. Like the time she had Miss USA on and insisted on comparing her model walk to Miss USA’s beauty-pageant walk. You know, the stuff all young women can relate to.
