Teyana Taylor is the first Black woman named as Maxim’s 'Sexiest Woman Alive'

Her response on Instagram was *chef’s kiss*
June 8, 2021 10:37 a.m. EST
Maxim Maxim

Actress, dancer, singer, reality TV star, and director Teyana Taylor has just made history as Maxim crowned her the “Sexiest Woman Alive;” the first Black woman ever bestowed with the title.

The star of Coming 2 America and the hit reality show We Got Love Teyana & Iman reacted to the news of being crowned number 1 on the Hot 100 list with a flood of love, gratitude, words of affirmation, and also an LOL-worthy hot take on Instagram.

“Somebody pinch me!!!!,” she captioned her IG post. “Maxim Hot 100 to be named the ‘Sexiest Woman alive’ by literally living in the skin I’m in. WOW.”

“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,” she continued, before detailing how her particular look for the cover shoot went down.

“This particular day was dope because it made me see another side of myself,” the mother of Iman (Junie) and Rue recalled. “I had just dropped JUNIE off at school before heading straight to the shoot; sweatpants a beanie and an army jacket. My hair wasn’t done for a ‘shoot’ because I planned on throwing on a wig & I didn’t have on any make up.”

She then goes from zero to one hundred real quick when she laughs that photographer Gilles Bensimon wanted to shoot her in her regular clothes without the effects of hair and makeup.

“I was like SO LET ME UNDERSTAND THIS…I WILL BE THE SEXIEST Woman Alive IN SWEATS AND A SKULLY?”

There is hope for the rest of us sitting around in our lululemons and yesterday’s coffee-stained t-shirt! Huzzah!

“Embrace and love yourselves for who & what you are because only the purest heart shines through,” she concluded. “Thank you @maximmag I am truly honoured to have graced the cover. Thank you @gilles_bensimon for being so much fun 💕.”

Her cover story in the July/August 2021 issue goes into detail about her humble beginnings at 15 when she was hired by none other than Beyoncé to choreograph the “Ring The Alarm” music video, which translated into choreographing and performing in Kanye West’s “Fade.” She signed to Kanye’s label GOOD Music and The Island Def Jam Music Group, where she produced her debut studio album VII that hit number one on Billboard’s Hot 100, producing singles, “Maybe” with Pusha T and Yo Gotti, and “Do Not Disturb” with Chris Brown. After her scene-stealing role in Coming 2 America opposite the legendary Eddie Murphy, she is now developing a series with none other than the reigning Queen of Twitter (and occasional Grammy-winning singer) Dionne Warwick, based on the R&B singer’s life.

The Maxim Hot 100 list, which has been around since 2000, is a big deal for polymath Teyana, who says in the cover story, “I’ve followed Maxim for a long time and I’ve always felt like I should be on the cover. 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!”

Scroll through her IG for her incredible looks and poses. If that’s what she looks like with no styling help, we definitely need to up our game. 

 

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[video_embed id='2214817']BEFORE YOU GO: Tiffany Haddish details her plans to adopt[/video_embed]


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