- Tyra Banks revealed that she almost never worked with Victoria's Secret.
- She said in an interview with W Magazine that she was sent home during her first job with the brand because the hairdresser on set didn't know what to do with her hair.
- Banks tried again a year later, and had her own hairdresser do her hair beforehand.
While Tyra Banks has become one of the most prominent figures in the modeling world, she didn't have the easiest time breaking into the industry.
Her early career found her making history with Victoria's Secret, becoming the first African American woman to grace the cover of its catalog and land a coveted spot as an Angel. But Banks recently said in an interview with W Magazine that her illustrious career as a Victoria's Secret model almost didn't happen — and she claims it's because a hairdresser didn't know what to do with her natural hair.
"I had to figure out how to make sure I looked good at work, because I almost lost my opportunity at Victoria’s Secret," she told W Magazine. "I was sent home the first day because the hairdresser didn’t know what to do with my African American hair, so it looked crazy."
Banks then took matters into her own hands to kick down the door she says was closed on her.
"Then a year later, I finally begged my agent to get them to give me another chance," Banks said, "and I had my hairdresser come to my apartment in Union Square and wash, blow-dry, and flat-iron my hair."
Her effort clearly paid off, as she went on to work with the brand for several years. Though she had to create the opportunity herself, she says the brand stepped up to the plate in the future.
"And I do have to take my hat off to Victoria’s Secret because that was the last time I ever had to do that," she told W Magazine. "After that, they hired people who could do my hair for 10 years."
Though Banks said that Victoria's Secret was accommodating to her success, she still feels there is a long way to go in the industry when it comes to diversity. She noted that models like Naomi Campbell and Veronica Webb were all over the runways when she was getting her start, and it seems like that level of representation is even lower than before.
"So now to see no black girls in tons of fashion shows is crazy," she said. "There was still a lot of discrimination back in my day, but now I think, damn, maybe we didn’t have it as bad as we thought we did."
Banks is currently promoting her new memoir "Perfect is Boring: 10 Things My Crazy, Fierce Mama Taught Me About Beauty, Booty, and Being a Boss," and she hasn't held back on getting personal in recent interviews. She previously revealed that she had a nose job early in her career, and even opened up about her finances. She seems to be offering a candid glimpse into how she became a world-famous supermodel, all while bringing attention to the industry's areas of opportunity.
Check out the rest of Banks' interview on W Magazine.
Representatives for Victoria's Secret and Tyra Banks did not immediately respond to INSIDER's request for comment.
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