A refreshingly honest interview with a of America’s Next Top Model had recently been done about the complicated nature of her relationship with the program’s creator and host Tyra Banks. While Tyra Banks has been praised and lambasted over the years for having a hand in this series, which never seems to fade out, one of the former contestants’ revelation brings light to more personal and professional aspects of their stay in the show.
For now, I will not reveal her name, but the star of the film described her experience with Banks as sometimes challenging yet transformative. She credited Banks with unveiling for her the world of high fashion and giving her a platform that jumpstarted her modeling career: ‘Tyra gave us a chance that few people ever get,'”. “She opened doors in an industry that is notoriously hard to break into. For that, I’ll always be grateful.”
Yet, in making her points, she revealed some of the tougher aspects of her journey, particularly the kind of psychological and emotional pressures exerted by the competition. The former contestant pointed out that the show’s approach was pretty intense, sometimes harshly so. Often that fine line between reality TV drama and true mentorship got blurred. “It was a line between pushing us to our limits and creating good television,” she said. “Sometimes I didn’t feel my welfare was considered.”
She soon listed off a few landmark moments, among them the infamous judgment panels, where Banks’ comments were inspiring at least as much as they were frightening. “Tyra has this amazing talent to inspire, but it often stings to hear,” she said. “I’d walk off the panel feeling energized and all wrung out at the same time.”
In recent years, the show has sparked renewed attention to make audiences review its episodes with changing socio-cultural perspectives on body image, diversity, and mental health. What does she have to say about criticism on the show and Banks’ approach? Was she measured in her response? “Everyone has their own view on what happened, and I can’t speak for everyone,” she said. But I think Tyra actually wanted us to succeed, even if her approach sometimes missed the mark.
As she regards her situation currently with Banks, this alumnus expressed respect but said she had then drifted apart. “She’s an icon and what she did with ANTM was groundbreaking,” she summed up. “But I think we both have moved on in our own way. Bottom line, I learned a lot from it and I am thankful for the experience, all its ups and downs aside.”.
As they continue to talk about their experience with the show, ANTM becomes a crucial part of pop culture history-one that left an indelible mark in this world of modeling and reality TV.
