America's Next Top Teen Model? 
 
 Tyra Banks announced her latest modeling competition -- the first-ever "fiercely real" plus-sized teen model search. 
 
 The talk show host, 36, made the announcement on The Tyra Show on Monday and put out a call for women between the ages of 13 and 19 to enter. 
 
 The only requirements? The teens must have a dress size of 12 to 20 and stand 5'9"- 6'1" tall, she told UsMagazine.com in a statement. 
 
 See modeling shots of Angelina Jolie when she was only 16 years old! 
 
 "I've always felt it was my mission to expand the narrow perceptions of beauty," she told Us. "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." 
 
 Banks said she was unhappy that the term "plus-sized" has such a "negative connotation" in today's society. 
 
 See photos of another variety of plus-sized models -- pregnant supermodels! 
 
 "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." 
 
 Look back at contestants from America's Next Top Model 
 
 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, check out The Tyra Show's official site. ||||| Tyra Banks might be ending her talk show, but that doesn’t mean she’s out of ideas. Tyra recently announced her latest project—a modeling competition for plus-size teens only, called the Fiercely Real Teen Model Search. “I’ve always felt it was my mission to expand the narrow perceptions of beauty ... I challenge industry and universal standards by featuring and celebrating non-traditional beauty, and stressing that true beauty is both inside and out,” she told Us Weekly. So TyTy is calling on teens between the ages of 13 and 19 to enter her modeling competition. The contestants must wear a dress size of 12 to 20. And shorties need not apply—only teens who are between 5 feet 9 inches and 6 feet 1 inch tall will be considered. Tyra will announce the finalists on the March 2 episode of the “The Tyra Show,” and the winner will be revealed the next day on the talk show. 
 
 This competition is her way of eliminating the negative connotations associated with “plus-size.” “I want young girls to realize that what’s considered plus-sized is the average American woman,” she added. “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.” If that were really true, why hasn’t Tyra done a full season of plus-size models on “America’s Next Top Model”? Plus-size teens can enter the competition here.
– Tyra Banks is jumping on the plus-size model bandwagon with a new modeling competition—the Fiercely Real Teen Model Search. “I've always felt it was my mission to expand the narrow perceptions of beauty,” she tells Us. Teens with dress sizes between 12 and 20 who stand 5'9" to 6'1" tall are eligible to compete for a one-year modeling contract and a spread in a major fashion magazine. “I want young girls to realize that what's considered plus-sized is the average American woman,” Banks says. “That woman is healthy, fit, and beautiful.” For more details, including how to enter, click here.