Next Top Model- Episode 10/10/2007

[PatienceAndLove]

So, I don’t normally watch Next Top Model, but I put the TV on for sound as I am working on lesson plans.
In this episode, the contestants are undergoing makeovers designed by Tyra Banks.
The contestants were excited about their makeovers, and it all seemed to be going well, until Bianca.
Apparently, her hair is so damaged, there was no way to style it/change it without damaging her hair to the point it was going to fall out during the process. A decision was made to shave her hair off, and that she will wear wigs for photo shoots.
As her hair was cut off, I thought about Britney and when she shaved her head, and then about an article I read about women and their hair. Apparently, women are most likely to change their hair after an extreme emotional experience.
So how much of a soul ripping experience is it to have your personal expression, and biblically- a woman’s glory, removed before your eyes with only a slight consent.
Thoughts?

 

[YinYangMom]

So how much of a soul ripping experience is it to have your personal expression, and biblically- a woman’s glory, removed before your eyes with only a slight consent.
Thoughts?

If you’re referring to the model, I don’t see how it would be soul-ripping at all.

Modeling is a tough industry. Those seeking to make a living at it - at the level represented by the show - know what they’re getting into. Self-image is reduced to body parts - what’s my best feature, which is my best side, how do I make my legs appear longer, nails, hands, toes, hair, ears, eyebrows - all of these are parts to be manipulated for a particular job.

That the model’s hair was that poorly damaged going into this competition tells me this is not a healthy woman to begin with and under normal circumstances would not be picked up by any model agency because the hair and nails reveal a lot about how well a person eats, sleeps, manages stress. If the hair and nails are brittle this person is not capable of dealing with the stress levels of the profession.

Since the woman is in the competition and it’s a TV show they couldn’t just boot the contestant off for having badly damaged hair. Tyra kept the woman’s hopes alive by making the decision she did.

If the contestant really longs to be in the industry she probably already has the ‘body part’ mentality and will view the shaving as what needed to be done for the sake of the craft. Hair grows back. She’s fortunate in that she now has a chance to take care of the next head of hair better than the last, if she learns from the experience at all.

Britny is a whole other story because that really was a cry for help and definitely a soul-ripping moment; however, she did it to herself so the “with only slight consent” wouldn’t apply.

 

[PatienceAndLove]

Ah- but she still cried. She saw her hair as her creative outlet. It was purple and very styled. To have it reduced to nothing, I can’t even imagine.

 

[CarrieH]

I fried my hair once when I was young, through my own stupidity and using do-it-yourself products from the drugstore. Long story, but I ended up in a salon where they told me that my only hope was to cut if all off and leave it alone to grow back. So I came out with something just a bit longer than a buzz-cut. It was totally humiliating for me as a “nobody,” so I can only imagine how it would be for someone aspiring to make it in an industry which places so much emphasis on external beauty.

 

[YinYangMom]

Ah- but she still cried. She saw her hair as her creative outlet. It was purple and very styled. To have it reduced to nothing, I can’t even imagine.

Ah, I see. The reason her hair was as damaged as it was is because she focused so much on it as her creative outlet. That’s a shame. Hopefully she learned a valuable lesson, then, that if she wants to be in this industry she has to take better care of how she emphasizes her assets.

My daughter went through the Barbizon/IMTA phase in middle school. It was well worth every penny to help her establish self-confidence, and get a taste of reality for the Hollywood model/acting industry. We remember being coached by the Barbizon staff and agents at IMTA that the experience will help the participants discern whether or not this business is what they want long term. We came away from the experience wiser and more appreciative of what those who stick it out go through.

The Next Model competition is akin to IMTA but kicked up several notches since it is actually air time (exposure) for the contestants on national TV (not just the top talent/model agents). The women taking the NM route may have already attempted the IMTA (or similar) route successfully or unsuccessfully, or this may be THE first competition they’ve entered. If it’s the first, then a lot of what they experience will be emotional and devastating for them. However, when they get through the competition they will emerge with stronger skills, a better sense of reality for the industry, and wiser about how to preserve and present their particular assets.

Daughter and I do watch the show if we are home at the time and appreciate what Tyra is doing for these girls. She is being very honest with them about the business and sadly, much about it is harsh.

 

[jc-servant]

Ah, I see. The reason her hair was as damaged as it was is because she focused so much on it as her creative outlet. That’s a shame. Hopefully she learned a valuable lesson, then, that if she wants to be in this industry she has to take better care of how she emphasizes her assets.

I think you are being kind of hard on the girl. I’ve watched every episode of ANTM since it began. There is no evidence that this girl had some unusual “focus” on her hair for any reason.

This is a young black woman who has been doing her own hair. It is not like doing your hair as a white woman. I could not style my own hair very well until I was in high school because it is just harder to manage than your average straight hair. Black women tend to have drier hair because it is usually much curlier. This keeps the natural oils that your head produces from making it down the length of the hair shaft. It is also much easier to break your hair with combing and brushing (without any chemical treatments) due to the curliness of the hair.

Even if you have the money to go to a great salon to have it straightened chemically, it is much easier to end up with weak and damaged hair. It can get much worse after only one more application of relaxer due to overlap when the roots need to be touched up. Add any permanent hair color to relaxed hair even once and you can end up with lots of breakage or even bald spots. Most young ladies just starting out in the world don’t have $50-100 for the salon.

 

[YinYangMom]

I think you are being kind of hard on the girl. I’ve watched every episode of ANTM since it began. There is no evidence that this girl had some unusual “focus” on her hair for any reason.

PatienceAndLove is the one who said “She saw her hair as her creative outlet.”

I certainly didn’t say she had an unusual focus on it.

This is a young black woman who has been doing her own hair.

And my point has been she will learn a very valuable lesson about that from this competition and this experience. Black, white, asian, it doesn’t matter when it comes to proper maintenance of hair. If a person, male or female, seeks to make a living in the modeling industry they need to learn the basics of hair care and if they can’t take care of it themselves they need to pay for professionals to do the job. That’s just the way it is.

I’m not being hard on this girl in particular. Even I know not to color my own hair or attempt to perm it on my own - I don’t care what the over-the-counter products say. The people at Barbizon and IMTA taught my daughter and I some basic truths about the business, and one of those was ‘don’t do your own stuff if you don’t know what you’re doing’. Rely on the professionals to highlight your best features.

It is not like doing your hair as a white woman. I could not style my own hair very well until I was in high school because it is just harder to manage than your average straight hair. Black women tend to have drier hair because it is usually much curlier. This keeps the natural oils that your head produces from making it down the length of the hair shaft. It is also much easier to break your hair with combing and brushing (without any chemical treatments) due to the curliness of the hair.

All the more reason why the lesson this woman learned, from another black **professional model **woman, is so valuable and should be taken to heart. Tyra, of all people in that room, knows it is possible for a black woman to change hair styles/cuts/color without damaging it to the extent that it would need to be shaved off down the line. Trust me, the contestant will recover from the experience.

Most young ladies just starting out in the world don’t have $50-100 for the salon.

Most young ladies need to learn to know their bodies, and limits of the various parts before they go doing whatever it takes to attempt to look like a particular model/actress - whether they attempt on their own or pay professionals to do the job.

The contestant on the show is not ‘most young ladies’ by nature of the fact that she
a) entered into the contest and made it this far
b) has already been doing her own hair changes to express her artistic side to the point that the professionals on the show had no choice but to shave off the damaged goods.

My daughter ‘blonde highlighted’ her wavy, thick, dark brown hair once. It took an entire semester to grow the highlights out and even then she opted to cut her hair short at that point because it was taking too long to grow it all the way out. She learned that even professionally done, some hair treatments don’t go well with her type of hair. It’s another reason she veered away from pursuing modeling as a profession (she’s sticking with musical theater instead - they use wigs and such if necessary).

I’m sharing some insight to those here who watch the show and may not understand what they are seeing. The professional modeling/acting world is different. The women entering the contest know what they’re getting into but probably did not realize just how rough the business is. This woman cried, it’s understandable, but not worth feeling sorry for, I guess that’s what I’m saying. She’s learning a really important lesson about hair care the hard way, and hopefully the ladies watching the show have learned too.

 

[aimee]

I’ve watched this show from the 1st one…

I like the makeovers …some I think look but some I think look better before:shrug:

As for the young woman who’s hair was cut off…hey, I think she looks better than I thought she would…

good season so far…

my fav model show is A Models Life (TLC)
Its more realistic …

 

[YinYangMom]

I like the show, too. My daughter’s friend sees Tyra as a role model even though she’s not looking to be a model or anything. She used to want to be one but she’s not tall enough. Now she just appreciates Tyra for what she’s done for the model industry.
Our schedules are just too busy to catch every episode.

Haven’t heard about A Model’s Life, but I don’t have cable, either.

 

[kage_ar]

Hair is hair - for most people - it’ll grow back.

I’ve shaved half my head before (it was the 80’s ), had it so long I could sit on it, had it blue and purlple and blonde and black.

For the most part, the young women on these modeling shows are over-emotional, they also know what makes for good TV. None of them were forced into the show - they know what they are signing up for.