Scenes from The 16th Annual Chick Lit Luncheon in Dallas, Featuring Tyra Banks
The Supermodel/Entrepreneur's Speech Was Joyful and Empowering
BY Megan Ziots // 10.06.22Tyra Banks with VIP reception guests (Photo by Tamytha Cameron)
The 16th annual Chick Lit Luncheon, presented by Dr. Robert and Lara Tafel, took place on Friday, September 30, 2022, at the Hilton Anatole. The annual event raises money for Community Partners of Dallas — an organization that supports abused and neglected children in the area. Each luncheon has featured a starry guest speaker, from Andy Cohen to Goldie Hawn. This year’s talent: Emmy Award-winner Tyra Banks.
The festivities began the night before on Thursday, September 29, with a special cocktail reception for sponsors hosted by Stanley Korshak. Partygoers mingled downstairs before gathering on the second floor for a special presentation. Honorary chair Cynt Marshall shared an excerpt from her new memoir “You’ve Been Chosen: Thriving Through the Unexpected,” while also sharing her personal story about adopting her son. Afterward, Stanley Korshak personal stylist Sonya Woods Rose talked fall fashion, highlighting the latest trends and must-have pieces.
On Friday morning, guests arrived for a pre-luncheon reception in the Chantilly Ballroom foyer, with top sponsors gathering in the nearby Wedgwood Ballroom, which included a preview Q&A with Tyra Banks and Community Partners of Dallas president and CEO Paige McDaniel. Banks taught the crowd how to “smize” (her signature expression), discussed her love of writing, and then posed for a group photo with attendees.
During the luncheon, the current Dancing with the Stars host and executive producer spoke in person during a live Q&A with The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show radio host Kellie Rasberry. The two discussed Bank’s rise to modeling stardom, her time attending Harvard University’s Executive Education Program, Bank’s ice cream business aptly named Smize Cream, and her most recent book titled “Perfect Is Boring.”
Banks has also been named multiple times in TIME‘s 100 Most Influential People. The multihyphenate spoke candidly about the bold step she took to gain this recognition in 2007 — a swimsuit appearance on her talk show The Tyra Banks Show, where she re-donned a one-piece that had spurred tabloids to comment negatively on her weight. The entrepreneur was a joy to listen to.
Chaired by Errika Flood-Moultrie and Renita Joyce Smith with Cynt Marshall as honorary chair, the Chick Lit Luncheon was a success with over 1,300 attendees. Personally, my favorite part was when Banks broke into “Be A Star,” a song from Disney’s Life-Size, when Rasberry asked her what her favorite movie she has been in was.
Elizabeth Anthony
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