Tyra Banks was filled with emotion after her novel “Modelland” was discovered by a new generation.
Taking to social media, Banks shared how she cried as the novel was revived.
When Modelland first came out in 2011, I wanted it to fly high and last. But it didn’t,” she wrote in a new Instagram post. “I wanted people to step into that world, dive deeply, and become obsessed. But they didn’t.”
15 years later, Banks said her “phone started blowing up” when the“four chicks in green” line went viral.
”I clicked in and was awestruck,” Banks recalled. “And I saw Modelland being rediscovered. Remixed. Quoted. Loved. Debated. Hate-Loved. Dressed up as. Reprint and movie demands… by all of YOU.”
Banks said she “cried” to find out that the novel had taken off.
“I’m writing this with tears in my eyes right now,” she added. Banks also said that penning the novel was “one of the most intense, vulnerable, wildly creative chapters” of her life.
Released in September 2011, “Modelland” was written as a young adult fantasy novel. Visually framed as a Harry Potter meets Charlie and the Chocolate Factory style adventure set in a cutthroat modeling world. The 576-page book initially found commercial success, debuting at number 2 on The New York Times Children’s Chapter Books Best Seller list.
However, critics and readers were utterly bewildered by the book. The story felt like a surreal fever dream, blending standard teen drama with jarring body horror and bizarre world-building. It also featured plot points like characters traveling in fluid-filled sacks and a school nurse with a purse for a head.
While Tyra intended the novel to be an empowering story about self-acceptance, its sheer absurdity caused it to quickly fade into obscurity.
Despite plans to launch a much larger franchise, Book 2 was never published.