How ‘America’s Next Top Model’ Gaslighted the Models and Violated Their Boundaries
ANTM was more problematic than we thought
When I was thirteen, I loved America’s Next Top Model.
Tyra Banks was a fierce queen, the godmother of awkward contestants, and one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen.
I never dreamed of becoming a model, but as a teenager, I loved ANTM. It was the only series on modeling and extremely popular in the early 2000s when it was first aired.
We talked about it with my friends and discussed drastic makeovers, challenging photoshoots, dramas, and eliminations. Tyra Banks and her famous quote “smile with your eyes” was stuck in our heads, and we practiced it when we took photos together.
I still can’t smile with my eyes, but I also can’t see America’s Next Top Model through the same innocent teenage eyes. Now I see some disturbing and problematic moments in the show that I hadn’t noticed before.
During the pandemic, the show aired on Amazon Prime, and forgotten videos went viral. People had more time locked up at home, and suddenly the whole world was upset with the series.
It is not the first time that Tyra Banks and ANTM have received harsh criticism, but the last year was fatal for…
