The Way ANTM portrays Women

The popularity of reality TV shows have been on the rise in recent years because they are cheaper to produce and many people become addicted to them as more episodes air.  Most people watch reality television shows weekly.  Do they watch these shows for pure entertainment or is the audience educated by them?  Some people relate with the characters, and this causes them to base their identities around specific characters.  By identifying with characters, the individuals watching the show tend to feel better about themselves.

          Reality shows usually express social biases.  Women have been shown as catty,
bitchy, and manipulative. One reality show that is guilty of this stereotype is “America’s Next Top Model.”  The show has televised eighteen seasons of beauty.  There are a number of women who are competing, knowing that there can only be one winner.  The competition is serious, and everyone works their hardest to be the next “top model.”  Some women will do whatever they can to reach
this goal.

          This show is mainly focused on the female body.  The way their bodies are represented in reality TV is based off of certain gazes, or relationships of looking.  These gazes are shaped off of previous knowledge and societal norms.  This affects the way we perceive the characters of the show. Because we have a certain way of looking at people in society, it is required that all of the girls receive a makeover.  Makeover shows have become very popular today, and there has been a shift from beauty pageants to reality makeover shows because this makes it look possible to achieve idealized beauty.  Although “America’s Next Top Model” is not actually a makeover show, they are a significant part of the show.  It can sometimes change their look completely. The show’s host, Tyra Banks, even states that “beauty in real life and beauty in the model industry are two totally different things.”  So while a normal, pretty girl would be considered good-looking in the real world, this can be untrue for someone who wants to be a supermodel.

          People tend to create specific internalized gazes.  The internalized gaze is a relationship of looking, internalizing it, and then reenacting it.  Women try to have the “perfect” body, but in reality, the only way to achieve this body is through extreme measures.  “America’s Next Top Model” portrays the perfect body as being tall and underweight.  All of the women on the show are 5’7” or
taller with the exception of cycle thirteen, which was the petite edition.  Even then the girls were as tall as 5’7.”  All of these factors give young girls the notion that they need to look similar to the women on television and express their femininity to those around them.

          We watch what is produced on TV, aspiring our looks and behaviors to be just like what we see.  The body is established as an object of knowledge.  Society has standards, and in order to be “normal” or accepted, we have to follow these social norms.  The way we present ourselves depicts what people think of us.  The cast of reality shows are everyday people, so they give us the idea that beauty can be achieved for anyone.  What’s controversial is that if what we see on TV is what we are supposed to look like, but this look is the supermodel look, then how are we supposed to attain these specific images?

           Some may argue that “America’s Next Top Model” is degrading to young women because it gives an unrealistic idea of what real beauty looks like.  No one is flawless, even when they are perceived as being flawless.  The ideal woman is unattainable.  The makeovers performed on these women change their identities to fit the standards of beauty.  They give us a false identity, causing women to be valued for their body rather than their personality.

           “The quest for the ideal…has taken on another dimension in television, found in popular television makeover programs…” (Gallagher and Pecot-Hebert).  This makes it seem like we are capable of doing the same.  Instead, we need to consider why it is that we wouldn’t enjoy watching average people getting made over into models.

            The guest judge in episode 2 of cycle 17, Ashlee Simpson, stresses the importance of image. This agrees with the article, which states that “…The female body is often objectified through the
makeover process” (Gallagher and Pecot-Hebert).  The importance of image and the way we look on
the outside has become so substantial.  We are judged solely on the way we look. But if these girls wanted to be models, they would have to follow rules and go through with a makeover.  One of the things that some of the girls were most worried about was getting a hair cut.  One girl in particular began to cry and even wanted to go home, stating that she no longer had confidence.  The way we look on the outside affects how we feel on the inside.

            We have a certain way of looking at bodies regarding sexuality.  Women are often shown touching themselves, as if to show vulnerability.  This holds true for the photo shoot the girls did in episode 2 of cycle 17.  They had a hotdog as a prop, and posed with displayed sexiness.

            The way the body is represented in reality television focuses on ideas surrounding thinness, femininity, internalized gazes, and makeovers.  “America’s Next Top Model” is an obvious example of how these characteristics are portrayed in the media.  The show has exposed its viewers to ideal beauty and has caused many young girls in particular to strive to become what they see; a flawless woman, which is something they aren’t physically capable of being, based upon the idea that the ideal woman is unattainable.  This media has engaged with viewers by showing them what has interested them for eighteen seasons.  Now, one can see that the show’s idea of “reality” is actually unrealistic.


Gallagher, Amanda H., and Lisa Pecot-Hebert. "You Need a Makeover!": The Social Construction 
            
             of Female Body Image in 'A Makeover Story,' 'What Not to Wear,' and 'Extreme Makeover'"

             Social Construction of Body Image (2007).