Whether she’s mentoring contestants on America’s Next Top Model or clapping back at haters who criticize her appearance, Tyra Banks is nothing if not honest. The supermodel-turned-entrepreneur and author is about to drop her new book, Perfect Is Boring, in which she gets real about the details surrounding the nose job she got early in her career. Faced with the option to “fix it or flaunt it,” Banks told Hoda Kotb in an interview with the Today Show on Monday, April 2, that she decided to go under the knife and now wants other women to feel empowered to do the same.
In the book she co-wrote with mom Carolyn London, the former Sports Illustrated Swimsuit covergirl shared that it was an untreated break from her childhood that led her to seek medical attention later in life. Tyra said she was around three years old when she unknowingly broke her nose. And while her aunt had wanted her to go to the hospital at the time, London didn’t think it was necessary because her daughter didn’t seem to be in that much pain.
As the years went by the TYRA Beauty founder explained that her nose “was kind of growing sideways” and she was “constantly scratching” it, but she didn’t seek treatment until a makeup artist on-set encouraged her to. The doctor immediately recognized the years-old break but said surgery wasn’t necessarily needed because the injury wasn’t effecting her breathing. Ultimately, Tyra decided she’d feel more comfortable getting it fixed.
Calling the procedure “cosmetic slash medical,” Banks said she chose the procedure because she believes women should feel empowered to do whatever they want with their appearance — sans judgment.
As she’s shared recently, her “fix it or flaunt it” mentality includes everything from cosmetic surgery to no-makeup selfies. So whether you’ve got supermodel genes or not, Tyra believes how you choose to feel comfortable in your skin is entirely up to you, and we love her for it!
