Good news if you can recite the words to Life Size and read Tyra Banks' iconic memoir, Modelland, you will soon be able to live out your modeling fantasies. On Tuesday, WWD announced Banks is opening a 21,000-square-foot, ticketed theme park at the Santa Monica shopping mall in 2019. The park will aim to "let visitors be the dream version of themselves, through interactive entertainment, curated retail and user generated content," they can upload to social media, of course.
Banks stressed to WWD the park is a permanent attraction that will anchor the mall. "I'm inspired by Disneyland, a place I went to a lot as a child," she tells WWD. "There is a story line I have been working on for a year. Anyone can enter and feel like a model." The former Victoria Secret Angel says it's her calling to bring modeling to the masses. The park has been in the works for 10 years.
"I created ‘Top Model’ to expand the definition of beauty based on my own pain of being told ‘no’ that I couldn’t do something because I’m curvy or I’m Black. My empathy for women in general increased through the experience," she tells WWD. "And now with Modelland, I’m taking it 10 steps forward, giving people the opportunity to engage with the elusive world by opening it up to everyone. Men, women, families, all generations can come and enter this model world for a day, have a fun shopping experience, and an eventful meal. This will be the first of many."
Visitors can expect an opportunity to dine at the park's restaurant, wear pieces designed by Hollywood costume designers and stylists, plus shop (branded merch and other designers, too). "This is bursting the door open and redefining what a model is," says Banks. "It’s all about inclusiveness."