It’s no secret that former supermodel Tyra Banks knows how to work a runway and a camera. Her iconic “smize” has been the force driving her modeling career since she signed her first model contract at age 15.
But lately, the former “America’s Next Top Model” host hasn’t been winning in the court of public opinion, with recent glam looks drawing fresh side-eyes and falling short of expectations — including at her latest fashion appearance.
Banks constantly switches up her hairstyles, but the wig she wore in Doha at the Fashion Trust Arabia 2025 Awards on Nov. 21 almost made her unrecognizable. The honey-blonde, pin-curled pixie reshaped her look so drastically it even made head appear larger at first glance.
She paired the look with a dramatic black wing over her eyelid, orange blush, and a matching lip, set against a gold-and-black corset gown with a flowing black skirt and mini train.
The bold departure for the 51-year-old former supermodel didn’t land with many onlookers, who were quick to sound off after Vogue Italia posted a short video of Banks posing for the camera with her signature facial expression.
“The smize is scaring me a bit,” one fan wrote under Vogue Italia’s TikTok comment section.
Another person typed a joke saying, “Tyra looks like a Temu version of Beyoncé here.. ima just call her Ty’onće.”
On Fashion Bomb Daily, one fan of the outlet aimed their comments at her hair. One commenter wrote, “The hair is a distraction…I like the dress though.” Another was even blunter, commenting, “Not that Dorothy Dandridge wig,” while a third added, “Turn the wig around.”
Many praised Banks and shared kind words online, but the verdict was still the same. Someone else who felt similarly wrote, “The outfit.. yes. The wig.. absolutely not.”
A fourth wondered, “Does she have a stylist? I feel like she’s too young to constantly miss the mark like this.”
One confessed, “Tyra has been looking a hot mess for a minute now…the wigs, the fitting of her clothes, it’s like she’s having an identity crisis…just a mess. What’s happening? That wig is ridiculous!”
Another one of her looks that didn’t make the cut for fans came in April when she attended The Daily Front Row Fashion Awards in Los Angeles.
Banks was honored that evening with the Fashion Icon award, hitting the red carpet in a short brown wig and a deep V-cut dark brown dress with wide lapels and a complementary cape over one shoulder.
@fabutainment Tyra Banks is honored with the Fashion Icon Award at The Daily Front Row's 9th Annual Fashion Los Angeles Awards (the FLAs) in Beverly Hills #tyrabanks #fashion #icon #trending #losangeles #la #fabutainment #fabutainmenttv ♬ Elegant – Glow City
The shoulder-length bob hair was completely different from the short blond pixie look she would later wear at the Fashion Trust Arabia Awards.
But it was the makeup that drew the most side-eye, with critics saying it clashed with her outfit. She paired silver eyeshadow with a heavy black wing beneath sharply darkened brows, finishing the look with rosy blush and a cream and pink lip — a combo many felt didn’t quite come together.
Banks’ appearance has faced heightened scrutiny since she relocated to Sydney, Australia, to launch her “Smize & Dream” ice cream chain after splitting her time between there and Los Angeles. Some are now wondering if the pressure of building a brand in a new country has left the mother of one less focused on looking runway-ready the way she once did.
Still, some longtime fans are cutting her slack, framing the off moment as part of the pressure surrounding her long-awaited runway return at the 2024 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in New York City. The iconic model made an epic comeback that night, strutting the runway for the first time in 20 years.
