The Girls Go to Shanghai
America’s Next Top Model is a reality TV show where young women compete against each other in the modeling industry. I watched the episode entitled “The Girls Go to Shanghai.� I watched it on Cwtv.com. It was quick and easy to watch. The Executive Producers are Ken Mok, Tyra Banks, and Daniel Soiseth. It is produced by 10 By 10 Entertainment and Bankable Productions. Because of the commercials, it is obvious the show is targeted towards women who are interested in the fashion industry, mostly aged 16-30 but it could vary more depending on the woman. The commercials consist of Covergirl makeup, Victoria’s Secret, and other feminine products/services.
The content of the show is made up of six girls going to Shanghai to compete in a couple different competitions. First, they went to the Hollywood of Shangai to do martial arts stunt work. The chinese men first were hooked up to wires and then flown through the sky while doing martial arts. After, the girls had to do it. With their long bodies it was hard to control what they were doing in the air, making them look rather silly. One of the girls started to cry and would not go up. Are all girls like this? No, they are not, but in society girls are known to be more afraid then men(even though I do not believe this). Then, they all had to record a commercial for the Covergirl Queen Collection. The form of the show varied from scene to scene. There was a lot of fast motion, in order to express the life in Shanghai in a short amount of time. Also, chinese music complimented the location. Many red and golds were used in the furniture and props of the show.
Throughout the entire show the girls are very feminine and dainty. There skin is always soft, and hair always done. They were tighter clothing and high heels. Out of the six girls, there are two white women, two black women, one dark haired white woman, and one women of color (I think she is half black and half white). There are a couple different ethnicities but there are so many missing from the group (asian, middle-eastern, hispanic,...etc.) But, I do feel that Tyra Banks judges on their modeling abilities and not by the way they look. She uses fair judging guidelines and always explains herself when she eliminates a girl. I also think the show does a good job of encouraging women. Especially because the line of Covergirl makeup’s motto is “Every woman is a queen.�
“The opening essay, by Myra Mendible, considers the usefulness of the concept of
humiliation in the game show as genre, arguing that our interest in watching others
being humiliated is an essential aspect of the success of sub-genre "survival" shows.�
This quote from “Commentary and Criticism Introduction� really relates to this particular episode. There is a girl competing named Heather. Time after time the camera focuses on her when she says or does “stupid� things. Not only is it entertaining for the participant to do humiliating things, but it is also entertaining when the other participants make fun of or humiliate her as well. Much of the camera time at the house focused on Sarah being made fun of by the other girls in the house. She is also the girl in the house who is known to be not as good looking as the other girls.
There were no plus-size models in this episode; however, I do recall a couple of times where plus-size models have been in the show. But it seems they never last long. Just like plus-size fashion magazines don’t last long either: “ Now the plus-sized woman has become a locus of attention in women’s magazines. The emergence of fashion magazines devoted to “large� women heralded a fashion revolution.� -Introduction: Gender and the plus-size body. Unfortunately, it goes on to say that none of the magazines have lasted, just like none of the plus-size models have not lasted. Are they being put on the show just to say they have a plus-size model on the show? Then they eliminate them when the competition gets fierce.