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 also runs T-Zone, a self-esteem camp for teenagers, which she started back in her modeling days. At camp she goes by the nickname BBQ (after her love of barbeque ribs) and talks freely about the wigs and weaves that make her a small-screen glamazon. "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.

1990: 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."