My Love Hate Relationship with Top Model

ANTM is back – which is great because I was running out of stuff to rant about….and watching Tyra Show, just isn’t worth it. So let’s begin this by saying that Tyra gained some weight before this season which was probably filmed about 2 months ago. I’m guessing about 20 extra lbs. And it is pretty obvious on the show that they are hiding it with strategic wardrobe, hair, and props. It seems she has lost this weight since then if her show and her recent interviews are any indication.

Oh, Tyra, Tyra, Tyra……..

About a month ago pictures of her were printed with her new padding to which she was horrified that she was being called fat and went on a TYRade (har har) of interviews where she appeared thinner, and upset about being called overweight and lastly….about the pressure put on women to be skinny who should all feel beautiful in their variety of shapes and sizes. Now Tyra, if it’s ok to be overweight the why doth protest so much? Why do interviews and covers trying to desperately prove you’re still thin? You could argue career and image because you have an image as a model, but you’re more of a sub par Oprah now anyway….

Let’s combine this with the many shows she has done on increasing self esteem and self acceptance and the camp she runs called - very humbly - TZone to improve girls’ self images – and you get complete inconsistency and a confusing message to anyone struggling to deal with a little somethin’ extra.

Now my favorite Tyra sound bite ever (well so far anyway) was a month ago when she was promoting this season of ANTM. I believe that she said she was so happy that there would be two plus size models on the show and she had fought for that for so long rather than having “just the one token plus size model”. You just called her a token! Now you have two tokens? Yay! You get these poor “overweight” beautiful girls and throw them in with a bunch of waifs and give them the hope that they could be a top model?

Both girls last night expressed how they wanted to revamp the industry and prove that it can happen. Hello? For that to happen, all the designers and all the elitist fashion bourgeois would have to suddenly lose their aversion to body fat – naga naga nagannahappen.

It’s painful to watch. But oh, so delicious.