Though many fans were excited to see OG supermodel Tyra Banks make her grand return to the runway for the 2024 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show on Tuesday, some folks found pleasure in seeing her for a different, more shady reason.
As Banks closed down the show, viewers on social media noticed that she put on more weight than she originally had when she graced the VS stage years ago. Realizing that she now would fit into the category of being a “plus-sized” model, folks online called out the irony in that fact, dubbing it her “karma” for her time as a judge on the popular 2000s reality show “America’s Next Top Model” and how she allegedly treated the thicker models all those years ago.
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“The fact that Tyra is now a plus-sized model is proof that karma really does exist. And I know a lot of people are defending her like ‘oh that was back in the day, we all change. Blah, blah, blah.’ But that doesn’t mean she didn’t have [an] effect on all those people around her. And now she’s become what she hated most,” said TikTok user Arasins.
Similar sentiments were also echoed on X/Twitter with one user writing: “The fact that Tyra Banks spent all those years tearing girls apart just to walk across the stage as plus-sized. LOL”
“Tyra banks plus size now??! after all them years of terrorizing them girls on antm,” said another.
However, a handful of others were quick to come to Banks’ defense, explaining that if folks really went back and watched the show, they’d realize that the once eponymous daytime talk show host was one of the main ones who advocated for plus-sized girls. They argue that Banks was simply trying to “keep it real” with the women competing, so they’d be prepared for what they’d encounter once they entered the real world of modeling.
“The hate that Tyra Banks receives is nuts. She never hated plus size models. She was telling women THE TRUTH about the industry at that time! Also it was reality tv like come on yall,” wrote one user.
“Reminder that Tyra was teaching girls about the modeling industry and at the time those girls were in fact considered plus size in modeling which is what she told them…she also has always pushed for inclusivity when it came to size,” said another.
“Tyra literally pushed the plus size and natural looking body agenda on her show. She always told her story about how she could no longer be on sports illustrated cos of her curves and that she had to cover her bum in the VS shows,” another shared.
The latter tweet is in fact true as Banks herself was considered plus-sized back then, and was often outspoken about the media’s treatment of her and other women who didn’t fit into the “thin” box all those years ago. (Remember when she famously told critics to “kiss my fat ass” during an episode of her talk show in 2007?) And let’s not forget, size inclusivity was nowhere near where it is today, and women who were a little over 100 pounds and a size 6 were considered “hefty” in those days — regardless of how small they actually looked.
It’s true times have changed. And with time and change comes the fact that we as humans — and especially women — won’t always be the same size we were in our early twenties and thirties. But if people are saying that Banks’ weight gain is somehow “karma,” essentially demonizing fatness in the process, then maybe we haven’t really evolved from those myopic beauty standards as much as we thought.
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