Photo Taken From TVGuide.com
I shouldn’t be ashamed to admit it. I downloaded an episode of “America’s Next Top Model.” But I was thrown for a loop when supermodel Tyra Banks attempted to address homelessness on the show.
After going through hair and makeup, the wannabe models emerged as high fashion homeless. The actual women without homes were outfitted in designer duds and posed with the contestants.
I was alternatively pleased and horrified. The show does raise awareness, but it also felt so exploitative. And the bloggers went for blood.
According to the Undisputed Truth blog:
“The best way to sum up the whole episode is that it was a big spit in the face to homeless people. They straight up dressed the homeless (there’s got to be a better word for that) in couture gowns that could have easily paid a month or two of rent on an apartment to pose in a picture, while the uppity, voluntarily anorexic-looking models-in-training dressed like, well, homeless people.”
Showtracker posted similiar comments:
“Goodness knows Tyra Banks tries to make her series relevant to current events but the show’s attempts at gravitas always come off as shallow — beautiful crying, but fake.”
The blog continued:
“Tyra did fill the models in on her close relationship with homelessness based on the one day she spent pretending to be homeless for her talk show.”
I’m not sure that the bloggers are being fair. I don’t believe the show got any great ratings boost by attempting to raise awareness of the homeless. And it was probably well-intentioned.
(Incidentally, the goal of this blog is also to direct attention to the thousands of individuals without homes.)
But a cash donation that could fund a food pantry or a scholarship or even a some used clothing might have had a greater impact. What do you think?
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