Emily Scheiter's Essay Submission
A Woman of Inspiration: Tyra Banks
Dolly Madison. Rosa Parks. Eleanor Roosevelt. Looking back through the years and finding women whose lives can inspire greatness in our own is not difficult. Even today, despite some Hollywood and media skewing of the idea of an ideal female, many inspirational women exist. These women exhibit strength, ambition, dedication, wisdom, and compassion while still showcasing their natural beauty, womanhood and feminine charm.
I am inspired by Tyra Banks. She is iconic of the description “beauty and brains”, and uses her fame and time in the spotlight to benefit others. Banks is not merely a pretty face, but a colorful and bubbly personality with opinions, characteristics and values she does not hesitate to let the world see. It is an inspiration to see Banks be herself in front of the camera. It proves she, too, with all the fame and success, is a real person. This makes her even more inspiring because it makes her seem even easier to emulate instead of a lofty, seemingly god-like perfect individual whose status we could never attain.
Undoubtedly, Ms. Banks inspires me through her individuality; in her work, personality, and life. Many of the truly inspirational women we have come to adore have gotten to this point by being the daughter of a wealthy man or marrying a rising politician. These women indisputably achieve great goals, undertaking loads of hard work and time to reach them. They also, on many occasions, have a leg-up from an already famous connection. Ms. Banks has come to be where she is without the help of a connected celebrity.
It is also what she has chosen to do with her well-known name that I admire. She has taken it upon herself to not just be the gorgeous, seemingly flawless model to the world, but to use her television shows to display the many different types of beauty there can be. Banks talks to real, non-famous people on her show about problems they face in their lives, big or small, and helps in whatever way she can. I strongly believe that we should do whatever we can for the people around us, and Banks is a role model for this attitude.
She also does not settle for 'good enough', but continues to improve herself. Banks recently enrolled in Harvard Business school so that she can learn to achieve even more. Being a business student myself, I am especially inspired, but the desire to grow in success is a respectable trait that all women should aspire to possess.
Tyra Banks reminds me of all that I should be as a woman: strong, beautiful, successful, compassionate, truthful, aspirational and wise. It is a difficult task for women to possess the above characteristics and always exhibit them, but it is not impossible. This is why we need inspirational female role models like Banks in our world; to remind us of the great women we could be and should strive to be to benefit our world and ourselves.