Activists and Leadership

"If there's one thing you need to be right now, it's fierce."

Tyra Banks has been one of the biggest influences on my life. I remember my mother and I would watch America's Next Top Model every Tuesday at 8 'o clock sharp. One characteristic that really drew me to Tyra Banks was her self-image. She promotes female confidence disregarding shape and size, as well as teaching woman the importance of class. To be more specific, Tyra has really helped me with my own self image. She was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 1997 to 2005. She was basically the the first Angel to break self-image barriers within VS because she was not very thin starting out, in fact Tyra was a D cup, as well as having a large butt. Which would inspire me to be an Angel, but height is not on my side(lol).

Tyra uses the eighth practice called "Giving Way to Passion". Clearly, modelling is Tyra's passion and she has modelled for huge industries such as Ford and Victoria's Secret. She uses her skill well and has been in movies and commercials. But most importantly is her portrayal of the ninth practice, "Lighting a Spark". She uses her passion to give other females the opportunities that she has had in her own life. America's Next Top Model was her hit series that gave women the chance to become models themselves and model for major agencies.


Success doesn't necessarily measure the capability of a leader. What really draws me to Tyra Banks is how she empowers woman to be the best they can be despite the media's promotion for female insecurity. She wants to see a woman portray class rather than sex, because woman are more than that. One of my favorite quotes by her, besides being fierce, is "Self love has very little to do with how you feel about