Saturday, November 10, 2007

Maybe you were right, but baby I was lonely

Okay kids, it's time for another rundown on the latest episode of America's Next Top Model. As the girls compare their body weight and sizes while getting ready for bed, Sarah admits in confessional that she is beginning to feel uneasy about her weight. "It's weird; you are around all these skinny girls who are so thin. So maybe I go to bed not feeling as good as I did when I woke up," Sarah said. (Note: Sarah is the plus size model on the show)

This week, the girls get a lesson in "model sexy" from Tyra and then are transformed into "gothic, underground club-goers" to shoot a music video with Enrique Iglesias, for his new song "Tired of Being Sorry." Sarah is self-conscious in the tight black outfit she is handed to wear. All of the girls have a chance to put their new modeling skills to the test in front of the camera, but Lisa and Heather end up being the ones chosen to actually be featured in the video.

Cut to the judging panel: all of the judges notice that Sarah seems noticeably uncomfortable as she watches the footage of herself in the music video. They are concerned that the uncertainty Sarah feels about her weight is coming across on film, and also that her weight loss is pulling her out of the plus-size model category. I've always thought that the whole "plus size" thing is interesting. I mean, it seems to me that they are missing out on most of the size spectrum. At a size 10, you're too small to be a plus size model; however, you'd have to be at least a size 2 to model for high fashion. Where does that put the rest of us who are between a size 4 and 10?

"The judges feel that you are very good, but they also feel that your place in the industry is kind of confusing right now because models are so skinny or they are plus sized," Tyra tells Sarah before eliminating her. Hmm...my point exactly. I'm not saying that I agree that this is how it should be, but there is certainly a gap in the body types and sizes represented in the modelling industry, if you ask me.


Corinna mentioned that she has made a decision regarding her pick to win (although she has not yet divulged who it is!) I am going to admit right here, right now, that I still favour Jenah as my top pick. Thoughts, opinions, who is your favourite at this stage of the game?

All images courtesy of The CW

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

i'm sad that sarah was sent home. i liked her a lot, agree with you about no market for 'normal' girls. hellom we are not all size 0 or size 14, you know? i enjoy your posts on top model.

Anonymous said...

Damn; ya stole my blog! I was SO gonna write about that plus size issue! Perhaps I still will, and reference your blog for details. :)

My favorite was actually Heather until she collapsed and seemed like a drama queen. So now IDK. I still like Bianca even though she says obnoxious things. You have to consider that the cameras only show the interesting parts, and not the whole person.

Yeah, I think it's pretty lame that if you are skinny or fat you can model, but healthy in-between sizes can't model. I think it's kind of messed up that you can be heavy and model, but you could be a size 6 - healthy and thin by most people's standards - and you can't.

Jennifer Robertson said...

J. you definitely should still write about the plus size issue...it has been irritating me for years and I'd love to hear your take on it!

Anonymous said...

I have always been confused why everything is categorized by size anyway. It's the total look that matters overall, and even people of the same size can come out looking utterly different depending on what their body style is and whatnot.

Then again, I guess that is how big business works in any profession. They deal with so much they have to use generalizations. Unfortunately those generalizations end up flooding into the public and reinforcing themselves.