How many of you watch Tyra Banks' America's Next Top Model? We don't have cable here at the new house, but in the past I must admit I've indulged in watching the amazing "reality" some of these gals seem to live.
That's why this video clip over at Yahoo! caught my eye today. Tyra Banks has given me quite the giggle fit over some of the amazing expressions she makes when dealing with people - I couldn't resist the shot they showed of her as the teaser. I was hooked.
Go watch the clip; I'll wait.
Now, some questions and food for thought:
- Having been in a management position and having had to choose between candidates for a spot (which is exactly what Tyra's trying to do here), I can see where the Super Dee Duper Perky Positive Type can be more than a bit overwhelming. How can we, as women, portray ourselves as positive thinkers and upbeat folks without making a potential employer want to hide under the table from the blinding beams of Happy Sunshine Rays?
- Was Tyra Banks' expression and slightly cutting tone appropriate for the question she was asking the candidate: to paraphrase, if you're so positive, when was the last time you cried? Do you think her tone was dismissive and derogatory, or was it perfectly acceptable considering the situation and the premise of the show (where sooner or later all but one will fall by the wayside, and everyone will receive criticism, constructive or otherwise, at some point)?
- Was the candidate's response in the separate clip appropriate, or did it show that she didn't "get" Tyra's point that she was over the top with the happyhappyjoyjoy celebration?
- Again with the criticisms: even I, as someone who wouldn't bother to try out for ANTM due to a sure failure, can see that the model wanna-be's walk, uh, left something to be desired. But were the mimicking and "clop clop clop" comments appropriate (again, this IS a reality show and folks have to know they're going to be made fun of or portrayed in a certain light) or were they simply cruel and mean-spirited?
- Women, both those who are beautiful by society's standards and those who consider themselves to be beautiful in a unique way, are the whole point of this show. We are the market. We are the ones who are hopefully (in the producers' eyes) so into being beautiful and fashionable that we will sit through the drama, the tears, the tirades, and the faux pas to see who really is chosen as the next top model by Tyra and crew. Are we encouraging a stereotype that women are what they look like, and that youth = beauty, or are we genuinely rooting for the girl who works the hardest and ultimately learns the most to become what the modeling agencies pay their eye teeth for? Who is really the winner, and who are the real losers, in this show?
What say you? All I have to say is that Tyra Banks is much akin to Martha Stewart. Love her or hate her, one must admit she's one powerful force in entertaining who truly "gets" marketing herself.
WOW - sometimes I miss cable! *chuckle*
I think Tyra's question about when was the last time the girl cried was in keeping with Tyra wanting the girls to be human. Of course she could have asked the question differently but she asked it the way she felt. To me the fact that the girl said that crying is a waist of time means that there is a possibility that she suppresses a lot of her emotions. I'm a positive person but I'm also very sensitive so regardless of my positive outlook on life, there is a time for everything - including a little crying.
Posted by: Kimberlee Morrison | September 19, 2007 4:09 PM | Permalink to Comment