Former supermodel Tyra Banks has decided to address the unflattering bikini pictures of her that have popped up in US tabloids this week under such headlines as "America's Next Top Waddle" and "Tyra Porkchop."
The America’s Next Top Model co creator and host admits that she has gained about 30 pounds since her infamous 1997 Sports Illustrated cover, but tells People magazine that she’s the only one who doesn’t seem to have a problem with it… at least most of the time.
"I still feel hot, but every day is different,” she says. “It's when I put on the jeans that used to fit a year ago and don't fit now and give me the muffin top, that's when I say, 'Damn!'"
Banks also feels that the public’s obsession with her weight – which she says is at 161 lbs. these days – is ultimately detrimental to young girls who struggle with body image.
"I get so much mail from young girls who say, 'I look up to you, you're not as skinny as everyone else, I think you're beautiful,'" she says. "So when they say that my body is 'ugly' and 'disgusting,' what does that make those girls feel like?"
Since her retirement from modeling, Banks says her weight has fluctuated from 148 lbs. to 162 lbs. In addition to the “muffin top,” Banks says she’s also developed a “fat roll” on her back and an unwelcome boost in bra size to double D, which makes it hard for her to find clothes that fit. "I would love for them to be a size and a half smaller,” she says.
But, she adds: "I've made millions of dollars with the body I have, so where's the pain in that? If I was in pain, I would have dieted. The pain is not there – the pain is someone printing a picture of me and saying those (horrible) things."
