By Cate Owen
Tyra Banks is one of the most powerful women in entertainment, according to Time magazine.
The media mogul has been in Auckland for the last two weeks, filming scenes for her reality TV show America's Next Top Model.
Banks appears to love it here. She describes New Zealanders as friendly, warm, and inviting, the environment as "beautiful", and she has nothing but compliments for our food.
“The food is amazing. I love the butter. It’s just great.”
She also loves New Zealand fashion.
“I went into Karen Walker the other day and I went through everything and I tried on that trench coat and I’m like ‘oh, I’m getting this!’”
Banks is filming the 14th season of America’s Next Top Model – a reality show she didn’t think would last beyond two seasons.
She says that New Zealand was “at the top of the list” of places the producers wanted to film the show, and coming here has been a dream.
“One of the reasons we wanted to come here was because of the terrain. It is so absolutely beautiful. I hate that I’ve been in Auckland and haven’t really been able to experience New Zealand like my crew has,” she said.
Her show, which pits wannabe models against each other, has caused some controversy over the girls who appear in it. They are scrutinised for their size, shape, and sometimes their gender.
“Although it is a show about the physical – most definitely it is a show about the physical - every season I make sure I am casting girls that are not all typical cookie-cutter beauties,” Banks said.
She says she’s hoping that her encouragement of the contestants will also encourage those watching at home.
“There’s a lot of medicine in the message. Have you ever noticed that the bitch doesn’t win? There’s a lot of messages in there.”
So how does Banks feel about being one of Time’s 100 most powerful women in entertainment?
“I wouldn’t say it’s a burden, but it does leave a responsibility to make sure that I use the power in the correct way. That I don’t exploit that, and that I respect my audience,” she said.
“The audience is really who has the true power.”
3 News