Teyana Taylor reacts as she’s the first Black woman to be declared Maxim’s ‘sexiest woman alive’

‘Embrace and love yourselves for who and what you are because only the purest heart shines through’

Teyana Taylor has been crowned Maxim's ‘sexiest woman alive’, the first Black woman to be awarded the title.

The singer, model, dancer and entrepreneur reacted to the news on social media, writing, “Somebody pinch me!!!! Maxim Hot 100 to be named the ‘sexiest woman alive’ by literally living in the skin I’m in.”

Taylor also took a moment to reflect on how the day she shot the Maxim cover was “dope because it made me see another side of myself”.

“As an entrepreneur, wife, a busy mother of two and working behind the lens in my director bag, I tend to hide behind my sweats and vintage tees, My 'Spike Tey' glasses, and whatever hairstyle I’ve mustered up that day...," she reflected in an empowering note. “So I as you can see, I don’t have much time to be and feel sexy. This particular day was dope because it made me see another side of myself.

“Embrace and love yourselves for who and what you are because only the purest heart shines through,” she concluded.

Speaking to Maxim, Taylor expressed her joy at being asked to appear on the magazine's July/August 2021 cover. “I’ve followed Maxim for a long time and I’ve always felt like I should be on the cover,” Taylor said the magazine during the cover interview. “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 was most recently seen in the comedy sequel Coming 2 America, where she starred as Bopoto.