Tyra Banks Wants Plus-Sized Models

One show where Tyra Banks searches for models just isn’t enough. This time, she’s going after the teens.

But not just any teens. Tyra wants to help the plus-sized teens take a stab at the modeling business. She is preparing to launch her first ever plus-sized teen model search, and later crown the winner on her show.

America’s Next Top Teen Model, anyone?

The 36-year-old former model made the announcement on The Tyra Show on Monday and put out a call for young women between the ages of 13 and 19.

The only requirements for the potential stars is that they must have a dress size of 12 to 20, and stand 5’9”-6’1” tall, she said in a statement.

"I've always felt it was my mission to expand the narrow perceptions of beauty," she said. "Through America's Next Top Model, True Beauty and The Tyra Show, I challenge industry and universal standards by featuring and celebrating non-traditional beauty, and stressing that true beauty is both inside and out."

Tyra wants people to know she isn’t just doing this show for another chance to be on TV. She is tired of people using the word ‘plus-size’ as a negative connotation and wants to redefine the word.

"I want young girls to realize that what's considered plus-sized is the average American woman," Banks said. "That woman is healthy, fit and beautiful. Adolescence is such an impressionable time in a young woman's life, and I hope this contest helps teen girls discover their own beauty from the inside out."

The finalists will be introduced on the March 2 episode of her talk show, and the winner of the "Fiercely Real Teen Model Search" will be crowned the following day. The winner will receive a one-year modeling contract and a spread in a major fashion magazine.

For more information about the contest, check out the Tyra Show's Official Website