Tyra Banks Photo Without Makeup Goes Viral; See The Instagram Selfie From The 'America's Next Top Model' Host

Television host and former supermodel Tyra Banks surprised her nearly 3 million Instagram followers on Wednesday, when she posted a selfie without any makeup. The 41-year-old included a lengthy caption to the photo that spoke of showing the world the “real me,” adding that she didn’t use any photo-editing software or any filters. The photo has garnered more than 117,000 likes.

“You know how people say #nofilter but you know there's a freakin' filter on their pic? Or maybe there's a smidge of retouching going on but they're lying and saying it's all raw & real? Well, this morn, I decided to give you a taste of the really real me,” Banks posted on Wednesday. “I wanted to smooth out my dark circles so badly!!! But I was like, 'Naw, Ty. Show 'em the REAL you.' So...here I am. Raw. And there YOU are...looking at me, studying this picture. Maybe you're thinking, "Whoa, she looks ROUGH." And if you are, great! You deserve to see the REAL me. The REALLY real me. #RawAndReal.”

Banks, a former Victoria’s Secret model, is known for being authentic with fans. Her 1998 book, “Tyra’s Beauty Inside & Out,” also included a photo of the then-25-year-old without makeup. She even circled and pointed out her flaws, reminding fans that beauty products and photo-editing software like Photoshop can work wonders.

The outspoken "America's Next Top Model" creator and host also fired back at her critics in 2007, when she was bashed for gaining 30 pounds. Banks said she was worried that young fans would get the wrong ideas about their own bodies.

"I get so much mail from young girls who say, 'I look up to you, you're not as skinny as everyone else, I think you're beautiful,' " Banks told People on Jan. 24, 2007. "So when they say that my body is 'ugly' and 'disgusting,' what does that make those girls feel like?"

Cycle 22 of "America's Next Top Model" will premiere on Wednesday, Aug. 5, on the CW.