This is a letter that a my good friend, "Anon", wrote and asked to circulate widely. I'm sure my friend "Anon" appreciates any comments you have. I will pass them on to her - she is not a blogger.
Dear Tyra Banks,
I have been following up on your recent battle with the tabloids over your weight controversy and felt the need to personally write to you and respond to this issue.
As much as I respect your drive and passion for your work as an artist, entertainer, and model, I have come to frown upon your role and contribution to the mixed messages young girls receive about beauty, body image and self-esteem. In following your work and involvement with your talk show and America’s Next Top Model, your views on the aforementioned areas have been hypocritical in nature and have left me questioning the values you stand for as an individual, and more importantly as a woman.
America’s Next Top Model in particular, has become a platform where society’s mixed messages are played out and carried forth to young girls far and beyond. As an avid follower of Top Model, I have carefully analyzed and questioned the role your show plays in molding and shaping the perceptions of young girls. I have witnessed over and over again the criticisms and assaults you and your colleagues have made towards the girls on your show; criticisms about their height, weight, aesthetics, and on and on. I have also witnessed the comments you’ve made about such criticisms being the way of the modeling industry and appealing to the girls on show to toughen up in light of such judgments.
I commend you for taking a stand on the media and it’s obsession with weight and body image, however, I do find it ironic that because now the focus has turned towards “Tyra and her weight issues” it is now of concern. Was this not of concern with the countless numbers of girls who have either auditioned or gone through your show and didn’t make it to the top because they didn’t quite fit that mold of a model? If body image was a real issue, then you would have strengthened the cause by devoting such efforts with a show like Top Model.
I hope that with your recent experiences you will finally realize that society’s expectations towards beauty and body image is of real concern, and one that needs to finally be dealt with.
Sincerely Yours,
Signed Anonymous Writer
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Fuck your Fascist Beauty Standards is a TM of One Angry Girl Designs
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5 comments:
I've been told about America's Next Top Model - it sounds horrific.
I've blogged on the pressures of size-zero models and The Verdict - an ugly rape-based UK reality television show.
Let me know what you think
Robert :)
It's a great letter. But, I don't see how Tyra Banks can be a force for good as long as she's associated with modeling (women as decoration to sell overpriced clothing to other women by making them feel ugly and not good enough).
spotted ele, I agree entirely. I'll pass on the messages.
It's interesting though, I wonder if Tyra would have been a 'supermodel' in the first place if she had been the same size now - as she was when she started her career. I think that's the heart of what my friend is trying to get at.
Good letter. It's interesting to watch Banks try to reconcile her "model" present with her "empowering women" present. I catch her talk show sometimes, and it really does seem like she's trying to figure things out, so while there's hypocrisy, yes, I think that she's also honestly on a mental journey about it all. So, it'll be interesting to see where she ends up.
I gues what I'm saying is that the letter makes excellent points, but at least Banks appears to be trying, which is more than can be said of, say, Janice Dickenson.
I remember reading somewhere that the average American woman is a size 14. It always made me wonder why don't designers make clothing that looks good specifically for around that size and even taking into consideration that the camera adds 5 to 10 lbs, well go with models who are size 10 to 12 then.
It is just plain unrealistic and irresponsible to expect women to be size 0, 2, or 4. Why should such a completely abnormal body type be the norm?
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