Transformation

Talk about a supermodel turned supermogul: Tyra Banks went straight from posing for the pages of the Victoria's Secret catalog to producing and hosting two hit TV shows: America's Next Top Model and The Tyra Banks Show. And then there's her down-time: Banks just released her first young adult novel, Modelland, which shows the dark side of a fictional modeling world. "No woman should feel insecure when she looks at a model in a magazine," she has said. "Nobody has any idea how much work goes into this." Sounds like Tyra is a supermentor, too.

Banks modeled couture on the Paris runways, but her daily wardrobe was strictly down-home. "I had on my big overalls, hiking boots, a plaid shirt and no makeup," Banks has said. "I wasn't sleek. I was a bum."