Tyra Banks has been living the Australian life for the past 18 months, with most fans unaware that she is working undercover as a start-up boss Down Under.
The American supermodel, 51, has been hopping between Los Angeles and Sydney for over a year as she launches her ice cream shop chain Smize & Dream.
And on Sunday, the former host of America’s Next Top Model revealed how she managed to blend in with the locals, it was reported The Daily Telegraph.
She told the publication that she and her family enjoy spending their days hanging out at their local mall and taking part in everyday Australian activities.
“We’re going to have breakfast at the mall, and then we’re going to a Hoyts movie theater,” she said.
‘We’ll get an ice cream at the cinema, watch a movie and then maybe get a foot massage. Then we’ll go to lunch… Then we’ll go to Target or Kmart.’
Tyra Banks, 51, (pictured) has been living the Australian life for the past 18 months, with most fans unaware that she is working undercover as a start-up boss Down Under
Tyra, who will open her first Smize & Dream store in Darling Harbor mid-year, went on to say she loves Australia’s Kmart.
Despite walking the catwalk for luxury fashion houses such as Saint Laurent, Chanel and Dior, the supermodel, said she thinks Kmart Down Under is ‘chic’.
She added that after a bit of shopping, she and her family will go grocery shopping.
“We do Coles, Woolies, Harris Farm, whatever, and so that’s a whole day at the mall and we don’t do that in America,” she said.
Tyra explained that the “mall” culture in America is a dying pastime because it’s all about shopping for what you “want” instead of what you “need.”
The opening of her new ice cream shop comes at a time when critics are decrying shocking comments once made against models on America’s Next Top Model.
Bullying, verbal and physical abuse, fat shame, tears and tantrums were all fair game on the reality series, of which Tyra was the face.
Several clips have surfaced in recent years of Tyra and her co-hosts shaming contestants they deemed “fat” or otherwise unsuitable to model on the show.
The American supermodel has been hopping between Los Angeles and Sydney for over a year as she prepares to launch her ice cream store chain Smize & Dream and also walked in the Victoria’s Secret 2024 fashion show
After walking the Victoria’s Secret runway as a plus-size model last year, Tyra received a slew of backlash from critics who grew up watching ANTM. Tyra pictured in 1998
Now, after walking the Victoria’s Secret runway as a plus-size model last year, Tyra has received a slew of backlash from critics who grew up watching ANTM.
“Did you forget ANTM?” one person wrote under an interview Tyra did for her plus-size runway.
‘It’s crazy for us too and not in a good way!’ another person commented, referring to Tyra saying in her interview that it felt “crazy” to be on the runway at 51.
A third added: “They can never make me like you Tyra.”
Tyra’s only response to the backlash was written on Twitter in 2020: “I’ve seen the posts about the insensitivity of some past ANTM moments and I agree with you. Looking back, those were really deviant choices,” she wrote on Twitter at the time.
“I appreciate your honest feedback and am sending so much love and virtual hugs.”
It comes amid the backlash Tyra has received over her big modeling gig with Victoria’s Secret, following the body shaming comments she once made on America’s Next Top Model
Bullying, verbal and physical abuse, fat shame, tears and tantrums were all fair game on the reality series, of which Tyra was the face.
Tyra isn’t the only member of the Next Top Model cast to face backlash over the problematic scenes that have emerged from the modeling competition reality show over the years.
Alex Perry, co-presenter of Australia’s Next Top Model for many years, came under intense criticism last month.
Gen Z TikTok users were shocked by resurfaced footage of the Down Under rendition of the series.
In the first few seconds of the viral video montage, 61-year-old Alex can be heard asking, “What are those feet?” Gorilla feet? Transgender feet?’
He appears during the two-minute montage of non-PC clangers, with a measuring tape in hand and a harsh word for the often teenage models about their weight.
‘Just stop chewing, you guys have to exercise. Get on the treadmill,” he says to a model in the clip.
“Alex Perry is living his karma,” one person commented while referring to the famous designer’s recent public appearances, in which he shows off a fuller body while running errands in Sydney’s west.
“I can’t talk when you see him right now,” another user commented.
“Why isn’t Alex Perry canceled?” asked another.
“I grew up watching this stuff. No wonder our body image is so distorted,” one TikTok user commented on the video.
Another Gen Z TikToker was so stunned by what they had just seen in the video that the closest they could compare the series was to a Chris Lilley skit.
In the Next Top Model franchise, young girls, most of them still teenagers, pursued high-fashion modeling careers as they competed each week to avoid elimination by a panel of high-profile judges.