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Tyra Banks returns to the cover of Sports Illustrated, and she has a message for everyone

Samson X Horne
By Samson X Horne
2 Min Read May 9, 2019 | 7 years Ago
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She’s 45?

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’s 2019 edition hit newsstands Wednesday and Tyra Banks’ tweet of her gracing the cover shows that age really “ain’t nothin’ but a number.”

As if Banks’ alluring gaze isn’t enough, the superstar is clad in a yellow string bikini while twirling her hair.

The image came along with an uplifting message from Banks: “This is for everybody that has been told that they are not good enough because of their body, their age, their everything. {hashtag} BanX is here to tell you that you ARE friggin’ fierce no matter what anybody says!”

Banks has been one of the leading body image activists in the industry, starting the conversation about unrealistic standards in the industry over a decade ago.

The model came out of retirement solely for the 2019 SI Swimsuit photo shoot, People Magazine reported.

More than two decades after being the first black woman to do it alone in 1997, Banks found herself as a solo on the cover again.

This is the third SI cover for Banks, she appeared alongside Valeria Mazza in 1996.

Banks said she was 25 pounds heavier in the 2019 shoot than in ‘97.

The 2019 shoot was photographed in Great Exuma, Bahamas with photographer Laretta Houston.

Here are some reactions from Banks’ tweet:

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