So instead of doing my homework like a good person, I spent all of last night watching Cycle 1 of America's Next Top Model. Yeah, yeah- I jumped on the bandwagon kinda late. But who can blame me? Who has time to do these things pre-second semester seniorhood?
Well anyway, I am absolutely outraged that Elyse didn't win. I mean, what the hell was Tyra thinking? And the judges! I would have expected more from Kimora Lee- she was a top model herself after all. And Janice Dickinson! She has her own model agency! She should know these things! Actually I don't know if she does or not. None of my top models belong to her agency. The only thing I know about it is that she had all her models do some nude PETA protest a while ago. The cardiac wards of New York must have had a buttload of traumatized senior cits to deal with. Adrianne Curry WHO. What contribution has she made to the industry? Why not Elyse? It was all there- the high cheek bones, feline face, gorgeous photoshoots, and her way with words. She should have been America's Next Top Model. If anything, it should have been her that disassociated herself from ANTM (Curry=ungrateful) and shown how she beat all expectations regardless. She's probably had the most successful modeling career out of anyone on the show to date. And she didn't even win.
Back to the point... America's Next Top Model should be about high fashion, not commercial modeling. What names do we remember in the industry? The Sleep Mattress lady? Random billboard lady? HELL NO.
I'm not trying to say that ANTM is a bad show. I love it to death! It's my new addiction and this is probably the only rant about the show itself you'll ever read from me. I haven't seen all the cycles, but based on what I've seen from Cycle 9 and 10, the show is moving in the right direction: high fashion. So why aren't we seeing a lot of these winners in magazines like Vogue or walking for big name designers like Chanel or Prada?
The issue I think is that the competition itself has become too commercial. It's as simple as that. By the time the competition is over, we're all just plain tired of the winner. She's practically become the equivalent of the Sleep Mattress lady. And let me tell you, it's really hard to picture anyone in the Sleep Mattress commercial in any Vogue editorial.
You know you love me!
xoxo ptowngal
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4 comments:
Hey there, lady. I'm jericho at MH and got here from your signature.
I've been hooked on this show since cycle four (they're on 10 now) and as a model lover like yourself used to approach it the way you've described: who has the best body? The best face? Who's the tallest and thinnest and most photogenic? It is about those things to a certain extent, but only enough to make the show about modeling. Around cycle 5 or 6, I realized with a crashing fall to earth that it's much more a reality show than a modeling competition and I haven't been as excited about it since. Another successful alumni - I think more successful than Elyse but I'm way in the minority on that opinion - is Mollie Sue Steenis-Gondi, who has done ads for Diesel and others, walked in the major fashion weeks last season and been photographed by some major photographers. The week Mollie Sue was eliminated, something like five girls into the competition, for having "no personality" I lost total faith in that show. Because you're right, why wouldn't they pick Elyse? Except for the fact that she doesn't make the most convenient hero on a TV show.
It seems like anyone who wants a successful modeling career is probably better off not winning and just being one of the runners-up. Caridee English, the winner of cycle 7, is on a tour of Canada right now speaking on a panel as a spokeswoman for some psoriasis (sp?) association.
If you're a new fan I have a couple of neat links for you:
http://www.all-antm.net - being reuploaded right now but a photo gallery of all the contestants with pictures during the show and the work they've done since
http://community.livejournal.com/topmodel - a LJ community I like because I can find out what all the old contestants are doing
haha is it that obvious that I only just recently caught the ANTM bug? Thanks for dropping a line (a lot of them!) Jericho! <3
Since I haven't gotten to the middle cycles yet, I can't say I know much about the other models, but winner-wise ANTM hasn't been so hot. Saleisha, last season's winner, is holed up in Elite's LA base under new faces, and I think she could be doomed to a career as a swimsuit model. I'm really hoping that there's a turnaround in the trend of ANTM winner anonymity in high fashion terms.
Thank you for the links!
xoxo ptowngal
yeah... elyse's publicist would be the busiest person in the biz if she ever landed a tv role. All those tongue slipups! haha you gotta love her!
great blog! peace!
Thanks! I'm so glad you think so! <3
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