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.