Socialization of Women Takes A Surprising Spin

Relaxing after a healthy round of midterms, I settled down in front of the television to watch the latest episode of America's Next Top Model. Always trying to take modeling to the next level, Tyra Banks professes in nearly every episode that modeling is about more than looks. Apparently, her panel of judges disagree:


The interesting twist is that this model was accepted onto the show because of her plus size figure, and now she is being criticized - not for losing weight in an unhealthy manner, mind you, but for losing any weight at all. Why? As Nigel says later in the show while judging her pictures, "If she could actually also keep the plus-size physique, then she would have a niche-career knocked out for her."

Here we get an insider view that's not just limited to how the media socializes its viewers - we also get to see how the media socializes its own participants. Plus sized models have never won on this show before. Add to that the fact that a heavier girl who is surrounded by thinner women may feel pressure to take off some weight. Do you allow the weight loss or do you try to impede it because of concerns over a career?

This is just one episode among many that has raised the eyebrows of viewers; along with Token Plus Sized Model, which is no longer a novelty after previous seasons, America's Next Top Model is also featuring Token Autistic Chick and Token Chick-Who-Doesn't-Really-Want-To-Be-There-So-She-Voted-Herself-Off-The-Show.

Making a girl who suffers from autism model in the company of others while no other models are subject to this condition, criticizing a plus-sized model for her weight and for losing it, and calling a girl a quitter for not being happy on the show do not strike me as positive. Leave it to ANTM to find a new, fierce way to add to the list of negatives associated with modeling. The negative socializing effects of this show continue to make this viewer raise an eyebrow.