Whitney

A show that is near and dear to my heart is America’s Next Top Model. I’ve felt that for years now Tyra Banks has promoted the healthy, curvy figure that so many girls need to see in high fashion.  I don’t expect the fashion world to wake up one day and instantly realize that they’ve been promoting disordered eating.  Because I think they all ready know. The entire industry is built around external beauty, no one should be shocked that it’s built on self destructive behavior.

But I think Tyra is genuinely trying to make change happen, and for that I tip my glass to her.

AntM is contrived and campy. The challenges they put the girls through are exaggerated circumstances of the modeling world but let us face it, we love watching it. We love the eliminations, we love the photo shoots–and most of all we love the drama. You can’t tell me that when they were picking the final thirteen for the show, they weren’t saying “these two are NEVER going to get along. Let’s stick them in a house with ten other girls!”. It is first and foremost about entertainment.

So when you read the accusations that Whitney was asked to gain weight for the show (so she could be a whopping 8 to 10), or that she was guaranteed a spot in the final three? Believe it. I have no doubt that could have easily happened. And I don’t think it devalues her win whatsoever.  Her portfolio was one of the strongest, and compared to her competition Whitney could take direction like a fish to water.  I think it would have been better TV if she had gone up against Fatima in the final round, because I felt that girl could rake Anya across the coals—but I digress.

In the end it doesn’t matter how or why she got the grand prize–it’s that she did.  Even if it was a contrived victory, that still means the producers felt a heavy enough pressure to maneuver her into the final three. Which means we’re being heard, and change is starting.  Yes we need a clean win somewhere else, but I think the required bone density scans in Italian shows is another massive step forward.

So kudos to you Whitney, well played.