Teyana Taylor, whom Maxim recently dubbed the “sexiest woman alive,” topped the publication’s 2021 “Hot 100” list, becoming the first Black woman to do so.
The singer, actor and dancer celebrated the honor on Instagram on Monday, writing, “Somebody pinch me!!!!”
“WOW…. Stepping back in front of the lens has been a journey of self-reflection and self-confidence,” she wrote in the post’s caption. “Living up to [the] name and title of this shoot wholeheartedly made me nervous.”
Taylor, who shares two daughters with her husband, professional basketball player Iman Shumpert, later noted in the post that her busy lifestyle often robs her of time to “feel sexy.”
She said she arrived at the photo shoot after dropping her 5-year-old daughter, Junie, off at school, and that the sweatpants and beanie she’d been wearing had made appearances in the shoot.
“Embrace and love yourselves for who [and] what you are because only the purest heart shines through,” she later added.
Maxim announced Taylor as its “Hot 100” cover star on Monday, celebrating her as a “graceful choreographer-dancer, actor-director and top ten recording star.” She is the first Black woman to land the No. 1 spot on the list, according to an archive of the publication’s past honorees dating back to 2000.