Tyra Banks Took Flak For Oprah Imitation, But Tried to Take on Weighty Issues

Supermodel-turned-TV host Tyra Banks showed a little trademark vanity during today's final episode, which she filmed while sitting next to her two Emmys. But while the show took plenty of flak from critics who noted her emulation of Oprah and tendency toward self-absorbtion, it's also true that the 36-year-old multi-millionaire took a few earnest stabs at social consiousness.There was the episode, in late 2005, in which she experienced firsthand the shame and embarrassment of being obese by going out into the world in a fat suit.
Banks, who also created and hosts "America's Next Top Model," wore the suit on a blind date. The man told her he could never bring her home to his parents. "They'll be like, 'What's wrong with you?'" he told her.

She later concluded:
"The people that were staring and laughing in my face -- that shocked me the most. As soon as I entered the store -- when I went shopping -- I immediately heard snickers. Immediately! I just was appalled and, and and hurt!"In a similar stunt, Banks dressed up as a homeless person and wandered the streets with a camera crew.
Banks has also tackled the issue of gay discrimination. Last year, she interviewed a 16-year-old boy after showing a video of him flailing about, surrounded by clergy who were trying to exorcise his "homosexual demon."
In March of 2009, Banks received the "excellence in media" award from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
For her next act, Banks' studio, Bankable Studios, will produce films and books, including a series of fantasy novels penned by Banks titled "Modeland."
Although Banks is no stranger to withering criticism, she once told The New York Times Magazine that she thrives on it.
"I love when they think, Oh, she's just a model, she's going to sit there and do nothing," she told the magazine two years ago, in a 10-page spread featuring her. "When I was a model, my biggest obstacle was that I was black and curvy. When I went into producing, my biggest obstacle was that I was a model. But, as I say to the girls on 'Top Model,' anybody who is at the top of anything has taken risks and withstood criticism and hardship. I say: 'You think I'm just a model? Well, then, let me show you.' "