Teyana Taylor Is Maxim’s First Black ‘Sexiest Woman Alive’
Teyana Taylor is officially the first Black woman to be named Maxim‘s “Sexiest Woman Alive.” She’ll appear the cover of the publication’s July/August 2021 issue, topping its Hot 100 list.
“I’ve followed Maxim for a long time and I’ve always felt like I should be on the cover,” Taylor said in an interview with the magazine. “So to actually get the call saying they want me on the cover really means a lot. I was like, what? They want me on the cover? Okay!”
Taylor took to Instagram to announce the news, declaring, “Somebody pinch me!!!!”
She added that the Maxim photo shoot was a thrill, stating, “Stepping back in front of the lens has been a journey of self-reflection and self-confidence. Living up to name and title of this shoot wholeheartedly made me nervous.
As a entrepreneur, wife, a busy mother of two & working behind the lens in my director bag I tend to hide behind my sweats & vintage tees, My ‘Spike Tey’ glasses, and whatever hair style I’ve mustered up that day under my @theauntiesinc snap back! So I as you can see I don’t have much time to be and feel sexy.”
Taylor caught the world’s attention choreographing and dancing in Kanye West’s famed “Fade” music video back in 2016, and she’s a staple in the music business. She and her husband, NBA player Iman Shumpert, have two daughters, 5-year-old Junie and a baby named Rue Rose. Taylor is also working on a new documentary about singer Dionne Warwick, in which she’ll star as Warwick.
