Times are changing, andTop Modelis changing with the times, Coleman, 21, tells EW.
I want younger girls to watch it and be able to identity with us in real life.
Plus-sized women, older women, women with mental health struggles thats all very important.
Credit: VH1
a Republican all competing against one another.
I do perpetuate the problem of a tall, lighter-skinned beauty.
My body isnt a size 0, and Im not a perfect size 2 either.
VH1
It would be great if there was better representation for everybody, Coleman says.
We got lucky on the show because Tyra is more accepting than the real world is.
…Top Modelis legendary, and I hope it can change the industry a little bit.
VH1
If Tyra Banks can accept all of our alternative beauty, maybe everyone else can too.
Read on for EWs full interview with Coleman.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Congratulations on winning!
How are you feeling?KYLA COLEMAN:[Light shuffling] Sorry, Im watchingTheFresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Let me turn it down.
You know what, Im not even mad at that.
[Laughs] Sorry!
But yeah, Im excited for my family to finally know [the results].
You werent allowed to tell your family that you won?Youre not allowed to tell anybody!
My dads so emotional, so Idefinitelydidnt tell him.
I hardly told him I was going to be on the show.
He must be proud, though.
You also gave me one of my favorite moments ever inTop Modelhistorywhen you asked Tyra whenLife-Size 2was coming out.
What possessed you to ask?Im such a weird person.
When I [watched that episode], I didnt even remember asking that!
Like,whywould I scream at Tyra Banks?
Whats wrong with me?
It was a perfect opportunity because Eve was standing right in front of me.
But I still didnt get an answer.
She just sat there and smized!But I was like, No.
I need to know when its coming.
All of Stan Twitter was so proud.
I do perpetuate the problem of a tall, lighter-skinned beauty.
So there are times I know places where I should go and places I shouldnt.
My body isnt a size 0, and Im not a perfect size 2 either.
And on past cycles theyd tell the girls to lose weight.
They were like, As long as youre happy and doing well, its okay.
Even the girls who quit were treated much better by Tyra this time around.
If you genuinely went to Tyra and said you werent okay, shed care for you.
… Theres a lot behind the scenes that people didnt see.
… Times are changing, andTop Modelis changing with the times, and thats important.
I want younger girls to watch it and be able to identity with us in real life.
Plus-sized women, older women, women with mental health struggles thats all very important.
… My dad raised us to be aware of that stuff.
My grandfather was born in Tennessee in 1928, so he was familiar with the KKK.
He was the first black doctor in his hospital [where he worked].
He always taught us to recognize where we came from, and to realize that we have privilege.
So I always had that in the back of my mind.
I didnt go to my junior-senior prom; I held a rally on police brutality [instead].
… Im still trying to find the balance between where I should speak and where I should allow others.
Where can you find an intersection of activism and modeling?Representation is so important.
I was a reading tutor for special-needs kids in high school.
… To hear this little girl … not understand that shes beautiful as she is [upset me].
When we see ideals of beauty, we dont see people with disabilities.
It would be great if there was better representation for everybody.
… We got lucky on the show because Tyra is more accepting than the real world is.
…Top Modelis legendary, and I hope it can change the industry a little bit.
If Tyra Banks can accept all of our alternative beauty, maybe everyone else can too.
The situation [about feminism] on the couch was overly edited.
… Libertys ideals were a little bit confused.
She was a bit misinformed [and] I dont think she fully understood what she was supporting.
Whats next for you?I just finished school.
… Im going to move to L.A., hopefully sign, and start working.
I [also] wanted to speak at schools in the area about my experiences.
While I was filming the anti-bullying episode [ofANTM], it hit me.
I came home and someone I knew had committed suicide, and she was in high school.
My brother also lost a friend to suicide, and my mom lost a friend to suicide.
Its something that was a little bit normalized, when that should never be normalized.
So I want to speak about my own experience, [which] can be helpful to those kids!
