Tyra Banks admits her body looks better with 'more weight' on it

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Tyra, 41, appeared on Live with Kelly and Michael on Tuesday morning
She admitted that she used to be 'so skinny' but now she has 'some a**'
Kelly Ripa said she thinks Tyra looks much better as she is now
The America's Next Top Model host added that she believes designers like models to be skinny because they think clothes look better on thin women

Published: 16:10 EST, 8 September 2015 | Updated: 02:13 EST, 9 September 2015

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Supermodel Tyra Banks has admitted that she thinks she looks better now, with 'more weight' on her body and face, than she did during her days as a full-time supermodel

During an appearance on Live with Kelly and Michael on Tuesday morning, the 41-year-old America's Next Top Model star looked back at her first appearance on the popular daytime show, gasping in surprise at a 20-year-old clip of herself from 1995 looking 'so skinny'.

'Do you see how skinny I was?' she exclaimed after watching the brief flashback video. 'I was so skinny!'

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Body confidence: During an appearance on Live with Kelly and Michael, Tyra Banks admitted that she prefers her body with 'more weight' on it

Catwalk career: The 41-year-old looked back at a clip of herself during an appearance on the show in 1995 and was shocked by her slim physique

Super slim: Tyra exclaimed that she couldn't believe she was 'so skinny', before adding that she thinks she looks better with 'some a**'

Host Kelly Ripa, 44, immediately praised Tyra's current curvy physique, adding that she believes the model 'looks better now'.

'What's the secret?' Kelly added, prompting Tyra to respond: 'Some a**!'

'I think it's gaining weight,' she went on to explain. 'I look like a different person now because I have more weight on my body and face.'

When asked why she thinks the fashion industry insists on keeping models looking so skinny, Tyra joked that 'maybe fabric costs more when you've got more a**', before noting: 'I really don't think that's what it is, I really think that designers just think clothes look better on somebody smaller.

'I disagree.'

Tyra's body-positive words come just a few months after she took to Instagram to lash out at the fashion industry for putting too much pressure on its youngest stars.

Opening up: During her appearance on the show, host Kelly Ripa told Tyra that she believes she 'looks better' now that she did when she first appeared on the program in 1995

Tyra Banks tells Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan why she looks better now than she did before. FABLifeShow
Posted by LIVE with Kelly and Michael on Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Now and then: Tyra, pictured left in July and right in 1996, explained that she believes designers prefer the way that clothes look on slim women, which is why they insist on using such skinny models

In a scathing rant on the photo-sharing app, Tyra slammed the pressure faced by today's models to look beautiful both on and off the runway, adding that it's unfair to expect models to keep getting thinner.

‘Models have so much pressure today,’ she wrote alongside a picture of herself posing backstage at a show at the start of her career, before adding that most young fashion stars now 'have to compete with actresses, recording artists and reality stars for magazine covers and ad campaigns’.

'They have to have tons of followers on social media to book top notch jobs,’ she continued. ‘And they have to do selfies that make them look relatable, but not TOO relatable, because then people may comment that they don't understand, "Why the heck is THAT girl a frig**n' model??!!!!"'

Tyra went on to note that when she was a model, even in her heyday, she was a healthy size six and argued that it is completely unrealistic to expect girls today to maintain size zero frames.

The post, which was shared on the account in June, has since accumulated more than 69,000 likes and features hundreds of comments from people supporting her for speaking out.

'You're such an inspiration Tyra!' writes Instagram user princessangg.

Pin thin: Tyra, who is pictured in 1990, says she believes she looks better now than she did at the height of her career

All curves: Tyra, who is pictured in 2000, has often spoken of how difficult it was for her to get modeling jobs as a 'healthy' size six

The way she was: Tyra slammed the fashion industry for putting too much pressure on young models in a scathing Instagram rant posted in June, alongside this throwback image

Tyra’s post also addressed the ‘harmful’ way in which society judges young model on their personal style – not just when they are on the runway – noting that the image she had posted, which sees her sitting down in a messy backstage area, wearing casual sneakers and a flannel shirt, was taken when she was considered one of the world’s most saught-after models.

'Backstage at fashion shows, I looked like this photo you're looking at,’ she wrote. ‘Yep, that's teenaged me right before a YSL show was about to start in sneakers, plaid flannel and bad jeans.

‘Mr. Yves Saint Laurent couldn't care how I looked when I arrived to his show. But when I hit his stage, he expected excellence. And I made sure I delivered that every time I was chosen to walk his amazing runway.'

She added that she's sending 'love and hugs to all the working, aspiring and super models worldwide. You all have lots to live up to. And I'm here cheering for you every single day. Stay strong girls.'

Her three million followers promptly flooded the Instagram comments with messages of support and gratitude.

'Thanks Tyra'! wrote Instagram user kellyymohler. 'My son Gabe is a model and he looks up to you... Will not stop pursuing his dream no matter how many No's. Wish you could look at his pics. I know you're busy but we absolutely trust you. Thank you!'

Speaking out: Tyra hosts America's Next Top Model, which featured its first plus-size contestant during the third season

Hypocrite? Jourdan Miller (pictured), the last female America's Next Top Model winner is a willowy six foot one inch tall size two

Packing on the pounds: Tyra herself has struggled with her weight, famously shedding 30 pounds in 2009

'Tyra you are so right - size 6 for a tall woman is perfect - nowadays they care only about hunger chic - why women should fit into children clothes? They are women not kids,' added user sushianer.

However, some users questioned Tyra's authenticity, asking why she doesn't seek out more of these new types of models for her television show, America's Next Top Model.

The last female winner of the show for instance, is pin thin Jourdan Miller who at six foot one inch tall can still slip into a size two.

Tyra's own body has transformed from the peak of her career in the nineties. Though she now boasts a much healthier image, she has spoken openly about the thirty pound weight loss she achieved in 2009.

Others echoed Tyra's frustration with social media.

With some bookers asking for models to have a minimum of 10,000 Instagram followers before they'll even book them for a job, breaking into the business without a winning online personality can be near impossible.