Do you remember…
I just finished watching “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model.” I don’t remember when I started watching the actual show because we didn’t have cable or any kind of streaming service for years. Every time I’d visit my daughter in Charleston, I’d binge on that as well as “What Not to Wear.” In case you’re not aware of the show, here’s a brief description. Tyra Banks is/was a supermodel who decided to create a reality show to find the next top model. I don’t remember how many young women would be on the show, but thousands tried out. The show followed the format we are all so used to these days: challenges, photos, and someone would be eliminated at the end of the show. That’s it, in a nutshell.
A little history…
Honestly, I was mesmerized by the show. Those young women were so enthusiastic about trying to become the next supermodel of the world. They went through makeovers. Some of those makeovers made me gasp because they were so different from what they looked like. I don’t know what the thoughts were behind those makeovers. I felt guilty watching the tears flow when the women didn’t like their looks. It had to have been so traumatic for them. I loved the two Jays…Jay Manuel and Miss J. Jay was the look creator of the team. Miss J (who is a man, BTW) taught the girls how to walk the catwalk. Now, have any of you ever tried to walk like a model? I have, and it’s so hard. Those models make it look easy, but that’s part of their job, right? I’ll be even more honest and admit I really didn’t know who Tyra Banks was until I saw ANTM. But, it was the photographer who caught my eye. Nigel Barker is an English photographer and is soooo handsome.
My photographer…
And, here is where I need to come clean with y’all. My Nigel is not named Nigel at all. His name is Mike, but during our first photo shoots, I called him Nigel. He was confused until I explained the origin of that nickname. Honestly? He loves it! I have had lots of people ask me who Mike is because I always refer to him as Mike in my comments! I really love that he loves being my Nigel!
Thoughts…
Back to the point of this post, though! I finished the limited series today (three hour long episodes). I had watched about half of the series and was talking about it with my daughter. One of the biggest takeaways from the series was how many of the girls were so thin. My daughter loves podcasts and had listened to one about the series I watched. She told me none of the young women were paid. They were given a stipend for food; however, most of the young women ate very little. There were a handful of women interviewed during the course of the documentary. A couple of them were told they were too fat. I remember one of them was like 5’9” and weighed 115 pounds! She was one of the models targeted as being “fat.” They talked about the clothing they were supposed to wear…sample sizes…size 2! They were denigrated by the dressers as well as the judges, especially Janice Dickinson. I do remember thinking how vicious she was in her comments when I watched the original series.
The point (finally)…
Well, that’s not where I wanted to go, but I guess it was background. As my daughter and I were talking, she said the show, as she thought back upon it, was really vile. There were so many terrible things done. And, while I agree, I said something to the effect of, “But, that’s how it was back then.” Her response caught me off guard because it’s usually me making this argument! Does the fact it was years ago excuse the bad behavior? And, I’m really torn. Now, remember, I’m a Libra so I almost always see both sides of the argument. We then moved on to certain words and behaviors once deemed appropriate. Now that we know better, is it OK to excuse them for being used back in the day? I’m really stumped on that one as well as so many others.
The outfit…
I bought this dress several weeks ago. My iron broke so I wasn’t able to press it. Yes, I still use an iron. I actually love ironing because it’s one of those things you can do that gives instant results! But, I digress! This is the Marseille Lace Dress in Smoky Teal from April Cornell. It’s on sale right now. I’m not sure if you can use my code, MARSHA15, on sale items. I adore this dress…the color, the print, that glorious lace on the bodice! It is tiered, but the tiers disappear in the floral print. And, my friends, it has pockets. It’s a rayon blend which means it’s a three season dress for me. For some strange reason, the website says it’s grey. It’s a light teal, but it definitely has grey undertones to it. I also love that it has true long sleeves. Those are kinda rare at April Cornell. If you like this dress, check out April’s Attic because there are lots of bargains to be had!
The Lewk!
I have wanted a pair of Mary Janes for a while now. I also wanted a pair of actual heels, too. May I present the L’Artiste Gaviria Shoes! And, while beige is not my favorite color, these were perfect in beige! I thought they were the exact right footwear for this dress. I can also see wearing them with longer jeans, shorter dresses, midi skirts…you name it! Since I wanted the lace and the print of the dress to be the stars, I went with fairly unobtrusive jewelry. The earrings and bracelets are from J Jill. The bracelets have a little doohickey that can be undone to separate the bracelets into four separate bracelets.
Wrap it up, Marsha!
It’s funny how so many movies and television shows don’t hold up to time, isn’t it? Then, there are others that are timeless. I honestly don’t know what to think about “America’s Next Top Model.” It was a reflection of the times, right? The same holds true for lots of other shows. They are snapshots of time, but does that make them relevant? I truly am confuzzled. So, can we talk? Do we judge shows, people, phrases, words by the times in which they were seen/used? Or, do we judge them through the lens of today? Is there a movie or show you watched and now think you shouldn’t have? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk. I promise to respond as quickly as I can.
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Another thought provoking post Marsha. I have never actually watched Next Top Model here but know they were all over . It sounds like with many of these sort of things are made with little to no respect for the participants , especially vulnerable young women. Yes we can look back at many things and say it was of the time but it doesn’t make it right. Some may appear trivial while others much more serious.
On another note the dress is lovely as are the shoes.