It’s Time to Own Being Grown and Sexy

Banks has faced criticism in recent years as cringe-worthy clips from her show America’s Next Top Model have resurfaced and circulated through social media. She’s been called to the carpet, for example, for the way she and the show’s judges body-shamed some contestants in early seasons of the show.

Banks has since apologized, stating that she was often torn between trying to push boundaries while also making sure the young women on the show could find work at a time when the fashion industry was extremely exclusive. (Also, it’s worth noting that Banks had the additional pressure of keeping up with the cutthroat nature of most reality programming of the era. After shows like Hell’s Kitchen, The Weakest Link, and Survivor saw wild success across the pond in the UK, the US versions and other competition shows produced in the States followed suit, upping the ante on the nastiness and pointed criticism. Lest we forget Simon Cowell in the early years of American Idol.)

Despite the ways ANTM perpetuated some of the problematic facets of fashion, Banks did break barriers. The show made waves by including openly gay and transgender contestants, crowned its first plus-size winner back in 2008, and even cast supermodel Winnie Harlow, who has vitiligo, in 2014—long before inclusivity on the runway was a big conversation. And we can’t ignore Banks’ incredible impact on the modeling industry as a Black woman. She was the first African-American to grace the covers of Sports Illustrated and GQ, and was also the first Black Victoria’s Secret Angel.

And when it comes to body positivity, Banks entered the chat long before this recent catwalk comeback. Back in 2009, she shared on The Tyra Show that she now thought diets are “a bunch of bologna” and urged viewers to focus not on being skinny but on being in the best shape they could be. When you know better, you do better.

Do you need to check the way you’ve been talking about the woman you see in the mirror? What if instead of wishing for the body you had in your 30s, you focused on taking the best care of the body you have now, honoring it for being the vessel that carries you through your current era of life? And what if instead of obsessing over the number on a scale, you focused on other figures such as your blood pressure and A1C?

You contain multitudes

Since retiring from modeling in 2005, Banks has made a name for herself in television and film – including hosting her own Emmy-winning talk show. She’s written a book and launched a few businesses. Banks has shared that she decided to retire from modeling because she wanted to host a talk show and at the time didn’t think she could model and still be taken seriously in other realms of the entertainment industry. But times have changed.

“I think the world has evolved in such a way that I can be a businesswoman and have my ice cream company and speak at business institutions and get my certificate from my Harvard course and teach at Stanford and, yes, be a Victoria’s Secret model,” she said in an interview. “I think the world has changed to see that, as women, we don’t have to be a stereotype and to fit into one mold.”

As Banks conquered the catwalk on October 15, she reminded women that we can and should embrace all the facets and passions that make us our most authentic selves. Just as Banks proved she could be more than a model, remember that you are more than your body. Don’t sit around waiting for a magic number on a scale before you start living your life to the fullest.

When Banks posted a video of her runway return to Instagram, she simply captioned it: “In case you forgot.” As Banks brought down the house, she showed us that sex appeal has no expiration date. She is still that girl, and “in case you forgot” — you are too.

What makes you feel attractive and alluring now? Is it an attitude, an outfit, a partner, an activity or something else? Share your thoughts in the comments below.