Episode 7: This Show Changed Me, Part II
This episode features Lost Credits co-host Ashleigh Greene Wade reflecting on how America’s Next Top Model shaped her, offering visibility that inspired many Black girls to pursue modeling while also unpacking the show’s shortcomings and the way representation was not always positive.
Keywords: Diarra From Detroit, American’s Next Top Model, Tyra Banks, fatphobia, body dysphoria, reality tv, representation
Recommendation Readings:
King, Chrissy. The Body Liberation Project: How Understanding Racism and Diet Culture Helps Cultivate Joy and Collective Freedom. New York: Penguin Random House, 2023.
Strings, Sabrina. Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia. New York: NYU Press, 2019.
Discussion Questions:
What message did the show send about Black women’s appearance and professionalism through its enforcement of Yaya (Season 3) and Danielle (Season 6) changing aspects of their natural look?
While America’s Next Top Model provided visibility and inspired many Black girls to pursue modeling, in what ways did the show also perpetuate harmful stereotypes or unrealistic standards of beauty? Considering both sides, should Black audiences have engaged with the show critically or in moderation?
Although America’s Next Top Model is no longer on air, do other media platforms today continue to promote toxic ideas such as fatphobia and narrow beauty ideals? How does social media reinforce or challenge these narratives, and what can be done to protect Black girls from internalizing such harmful messages?
Towards the end of the episode, Dr. Wade expressed that “all representation isn’t good representation.”What is the cost of stereotypical portrayals for the young Black women who are cast in reality television series like America’s Next Top Model?
Lost Credits 