[O'brien:] Welcome back, everybody. From supermodel to super-mogul, Tyra Banks was one of the first African-American models to be on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" and top runway shows like Victoria Secret. She went on to create and produce the hugely successful "America's Next Top Model."
[Tyra Banks, Model:] Whenever someone tells me you look so much better in person, that's an insult. You want to look better in your pictures.
[Unidentified Male:] I get that all the time.
[Banks:] Right?
[Unidentified Male:] I'm a model. I should look better in my pictures.
[Banks:] So that's a compliment.
[O'brien:] Tyra has created the TZONE Foundation to empower young women and teach them career developing tools. It gets a permanent new home with a newly constructed girls' club here in New York City. And she is in New York to raise the money for that center with a flawsome ball, which is going to happen on Thursday night.
[Banks:] Yes.
[O'brien:] Flawsome is such a great word. I know this is kind of the message to young women.
[Banks:] Yes.
[O'brien:] What is flawsome?
[Banks:] You, plus your flaws plus awesome equals flawsome so I always say to girls whether it's on "America's Next Top Model" or girls that I'm mentoring just in life that perfect is boring and human is beautiful. I look for things that are interesting and different on a woman's face.
[O'brien:] How do they believe that from you?
[Banks:] Because I got a big forehead. I've got a huge forehead. It's like
[O'brien:] You're right. It's terrible.
[Banks:] It's under there. You guys see it.
[Socarides:] You look fantastic, though. You are so beautiful. You are more beautiful in person than you are even
[Banks:] Thank you for insulting me right now. That's an insult. Did you not watch the video?
[O'brien:] Do girls who looking at a super model really understand the message? You look like perfection personafied. Is it hard to send a message to a young girl that's 12 or 13 that they can somehow turn into you eventually?
[Banks:] Actually, I don't think so because I actually started "America's Next Top Model" because I wanted to emphasize flawsomeness. I wanted to talk about a girl covered in freckles from head to toe that doesn't feel attractive. I wanted to talk and have girls on the show with big, red, frizzy hair and they're like this is bad and we're like, no, we're not straightening that, you know so girls with high foreheads, girls with ebony skin or alabaster skin. So those types of things that people consider to be not so beautiful, we actually highlight and I choose 70 percent of my girls that I call debatable beauty.
[Berman:] Is this just for girls or can boys be flawsome, too?
[Banks:] You can be flawsome. What are you insecure about?
[Berman:] I'm saying in theory, theoretically speaking.
[Banks:] I tend to focus on girls. You have a lovely what I call a five head, big forehead. It's not a forehead it's a five head. You have one, too. Let's see. He's so fine, I don't know.
[O'brien:] There was a great article in "The New York Times," magazine a while back about you and you talked about sort of the future for your life post modelling. You said it won't always be my face, she said, as he finished up her soap. I know that nothing lives forever and I'm prepared for that. But there's no end to producing. I'll still be at the helm. Describe for me what your life is as you move forward as a business woman.
[Banks:] Well, it's interesting. I do a lot more of this behind the scenes, at a board room, at a table, leading me team, creating new projects, new businesses, finished Harvard Business School program to expand my business behind the scenes. And to create like industries and things that have a long life, that I don't have to what I call, tap dance so, you know, that's very important to me and the public only sees a little bit. I like being off camera because I had to wake up at 4:30 this morning and put this thing together.
[O'brien:] Tell me, sister.
[Banks:] You know how it is, right?
[Socarides:] The most beautiful thing about you is your energy and your enthusiasm.
[Banks:] Thank you!
[Socarides:] It's just your whole aura.
[O'brien:] And what a great inspiration for young women. And I'm going to be at the flawsome ball.
[Banks:] Yes and we're auctioning off a day with Soledad O'Brien at CNN where you can be her intern and actually like an anchor in training.
[O'brien:] Or do the show.
[Banks:] Do the show so she can stay in bed.
[O'brien:] Auction off the congressman's job for a day.
[Socarides:] But no voting.
[Banks:] So they can be with you all day.
[O'brien:] Fantastic. I love that. Maybe I'll bid on it. Tyra, always great to have you with us. You are really a true inspiration to young women. We've got to take a short break. Still ahead this morning, 13 hours and counting I can't believe we're doing a countdown for the debate, but it is a countdown. President Obama, Mitt Romney ready for their rematch. We'll preview tonight's high stakes debate when both campaigns will join us coming up at our next hour. Payton back on top, the Broncos dominate the Charges in an incredible victory. We'll bring you the highlights of that as well. Back in a moment.