Tyra Banks is still around despite the failure of her self-centered exploitative talk show. She’s still doing “America’s Top Model” on the CW Network and the new season premieres this fall. In a promo video for the show, Tyra gushes over a 6’2″ would-be model with a scary small waist. When people called Tyra out for it, she of course denied responsibility for the video, said it was “misconstrued” and made it all about her. She did have some nice things to say about body image and self esteem, but it comes with so much self righteousness that it’s hard to stomach.
Tyra Banks is finally responding to a growing controversy surrounding an America’s Next Top Model promo featuring a 6’2″ model with a shockingly small waist.
“In an effort to create a fun and entertaining sneak peek of the upcoming cycle, America’s Next Top Model released a trailer that was edited in way that misconstrued our overarching message,” Banks says in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE.
“As a leader in celebrating and promoting healthy body image, I must admit that I regrettably didn’t see this clip before it was released to the public, (with multiple Top Model departments, it’s just impossible to review everything) but on behalf of the Top Model team, these were not the intentions, and we truly apologize for any confusion, anger or disappointment it may have caused,” the statement continues.
“The passionate response the trailer has evoked proves that the message to promote and celebrate all different — healthy and natural –- body types has resonated with our viewers and I’m so proud of every one of you who voiced your opinion and participated in this conversation. I have experienced body image scrutiny from one extreme to the next –- as an awkward, extremely thin pre-teen who couldn’t gain weight no matter what I did, to later being slammed by the media for my fuller, curvier frame,” continues Banks, who was the victim of body bullying in 2006 after unflattering beach shots were splashed across the Internet.
“Driven by these personal experiences,” she says, “I am committed to expanding the definition of beauty which includes ALL shapes, sizes and proportions, from skinny to curvy and everything in between. It’s about women telling the world to KISS their –- skinny, wide, droopy, flat, cellulite-covered or FAT -– you know what!”
“Through Top Model and my other platforms, I am able to connect with women directly,” says Banks, an executive producer on the show. “During this season of Top Model, you will see that Ann (the woman featured in the trailer) provided another opportunity for me to support a young woman struggling with her own body image issues (she’s 6’2″; and is the receiver of countless stares and ridicule). Helping young ladies, like Ann and countless others that have confided in me, furthers and supports my core mission.” –Tim Nudd and Michelle Tan
[From People]
Tyra’s statement on her website has more, including the detail that the trailer has been removed from The CW.
On one hand I feel for this girl, because who are we to judge whether or not she has an eating disorder? There’s something obviously disturbing though about Tyra praising such a frail-looking woman while Jay Manuel quips that the other judge, J. Alexander, will starve himself to look like her. On the other hand, if she was 20 pounds heavier (and still thin) she probably wouldn’t have made it to this level of the show. Tyra wants ratings, whether it’s in the form of a transsexual contestant a model of more normal proportions or a preternaturally thin person. She can shriek about how we don’t understand and make a bunch of grandiose statements about body image, but there’s nothing empowering about a model competition show where catfights, drama and controversy drive programming decisions.
That is an eating disorder. Where the hell are her organs?! Are her intestines pencil-thin? Does she not have a liver or something?! If she ate a sandwich, you’d be able to feel it through her skin. My god, I’m so genuinely creeped out by that video. That is not normal or healthy.
Oh my God. That model, I feel so bad. That is so NOT attractive and without sounding self-righteous or smart, it looks like an ED to me. Maybe more than one. I’m sorry for that girl, I hope she gets thicker (normal).
I agree and the responses from the group are so ridiculous its laughable and top it off that they chose THAT to put on as a preview. That just a triangle of fail right there….
I hope that girl didn’t actually make it as one of the final 12.
Tyra found her nitch with women empowerment, especially with over-weight women. She always has the token ‘fat’ girl on Top Model. I think she does it to be politically correct…I question her sincerity.
i’d be interested in seeing her family’s shapes, mother for instance, aunts, cousins or sisters. she looks like a very to the 10th power tall and thin pear shape, highly unusual. if she gained weight it would go to her hips first, then thighs etc. and she should!!
I saw the video but wasn’t able to hear the sound. Was Tyra excited about this model? Did they all say she looks great or something? I was HORRIFIED. She looks like a Cambodian POW who is desperately in need of a steak and potato dinner. I honestly wish they would stop producing shows like this at all and the fashion industry would start using models above a size -4. Until we reject this type of marketing/fashion, young girls will be forever subjected to the ‘perfect’ body image and live in shame that they don’t fit the bill. It sucks.
That girl does not look well at all. She may have a tiny waist naturally, but she is very unnaturally thin. Reminds me strongly of a woman @ work who regularly stinks of the bathroom really badly… 🙁
But her arms and legs doesnt look terribly skinny… so im not sure if she is anorexic at all…
aren’t we supposed to love her for more than her looks?
interesting, this story and the GS story should be side by side.
what a study in contrast.
double ew & then some.
super skinny girl sought in modeling world. ..
…in other news, water is wet.
You guys are unbelievable sh**heads. My sister and I are both thin gals, but she shares a waist more on par with the woman above and I can promise you that sometimes it is genetics. Don’t call that girl out for an eating disorder and being ugly when the only things you know are your own opinions. God, I’d feel worse for that model in the promo if she hadn’t willingly put herself out there to such an unwavreringly cruel public.
You can have eating disorders all you want, but you can’t “achieve” that small of a waist without the help of genetics.
And really – it’s bs that Tyra even had to justify this ad. We don’t see ads for Mensa candidates apologizing because they don’t also represent with the likes of IQ’s of all shapes and sizes – IT’S MODELING for pete’s sakes. GOd, I’m so sick of the over equalizing without boundaries. Not everything needs to be equalized in the name of fairness. Men’s football doesn’t need to let women be on the team, and baseball shouldn’t have to include “stitch and pitch night” to make the game more female friendly. If women want to like the game for what it is, great. If not, why does it have to change for them!?!?! Don’t take these words and adjust them accordingly to some false analogy either – of course the workplace should allow for equal opportunity etc., but the world isn’t equal in the first place so there needs to be a level of discernment and discretion when we set out to change everything in the name of fairness and balance.
@mollination: You can have eating disorders all you want, but you can’t “achieve” that small of a waist without the help of genetics.
Yes, you can. Please know your topic before stating facts. Eating disorders as well as using corsets (equally harmful as it literally crushes your organs), can help someone achieve that look.
I personally am not looking for sameness, but health. Yes, she can be genetically that thin and be healthy as a horse. If so, then that’s great for her, best wishes. If not, and she is destroying her health and body in order to wear tiny clothes, then I think that is something that should be addressed. It’s my opinion that women like that should not be glamorized or put out for public consumption because it’s damaging to young women.
Tyra has yet to get it right. One minute she’s here talking about how skinny this girl is and all “yay I like her!” but just yesterday I saw an ad for some contest she was having on her show for bigger girls and all it kept saying was “real women, real bodies”. She can’t seem to make up her mind and its all starting to look phony.
I think Mollination brings up a lot of good points. I never understand why it’s ok to call this girl “sick” or comment “ew” when if the same were done in reference to GS, everyone would be outraged and offended.
As far as “real women” and “real bodies”-in reality some women are naturally skinny and some are naturally larger.
@mollination I half agree with you. I was ridiculously skinny in high school, naturally. But, people accused me of having an ED all the time. In reality, I had good genes and did dance, cheerleading and gymnastics on a very regular basis. I ate like a pig, but it didn’t catch up to me because I was so active and have a mother who remained a size 2 until menopause. So, I totally understand your outrage over being picked on for being skinny. A lot of people are way too quick to point the finger at an eating disorder, and it hurts when people insinuate that there’s something wrong with you because you happen to be naturally small. Or even worse, when you happen to be an athlete who puts in a lot of hard work and effort into staying fit and trim. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being skinny if you are healthy.
People don’t realize that it’s actually just as hard to be skinny as it is to be overweight in this country (asuming you’re not a highly paid model). Skinny girls get harassed for having “eating disorders” just as much as larger girls get called cruel “fat nicknames”. Also, finding clothes in a short size 1 is very difficult. I used to be 5ft 1 and maybe 95 lbs. I could never find anything that fit me properly. I got injured fairly badly after high school and had to give up gymnastics. I “filled out” (as everyone else called it), to about a size 5 after that. And guess what? I had a much easier time shopping.
However, you really lost me with that baseball metaphor. I get where you were going with it. But, it just didn’t work for me. There was something vaguely offensive about it. Of course, I played baseball for many years growing up. So, maybe that’s just my knee jerk reaction to the “stitch and pitch” comment.
Also, even though I feel you on this issue, there was no need to call everyone sh**heads. You’re not going to help your case that way. Basically, since I agree with a lot of what you’re saying, I just wish you had been a little less filled with anger while saying it.
For everyone else, the girl in the video was extremely skinny. I acknowledge that. But, I’ve known people who look like that naturally. It does happen. I did find (whatever the blonde guy’s name is)’s comments to be kind of disturbing though. I always find Tyra boderline disturbing as well. But, not because of her treatment of body issues. The woman just has this weird edge of insanity to her that kind of freaks me out.
tyra thinks she’s more important than she really is.
I can’t tell if the girl has eating disorder, but her body shape is odd at the very least. The whole trunk is too thin and I guess it doesn’t depend on thinness, it seems more something off in her bone structure.
Natural or girl-made, it is not attractive to me. Her bones are protruding. No breasts, and her face is homely. So even if it isn’t ED, I still don’t see how she is attractive or fashionable. Were I naturally that thin, with a what, 12-inch waist, I would try to gain a little meat on my bones and some ta-tas. But alas, I’m just a shithead, so what do I know. And really, stepping out on a limb here, it sure heck looks like ED to me.
I love how Tyra’s comments were filled about her. She is not a leader of empowerment & feeling good about your body. She is a hypocrite. And the show is still on the air because of the fighting & cattiness, not because its a feel good show where everyone celebrates one another & gives hugs.
Tyra is a great business woman but as for being a some righteous saint….not even close!
I don’t see anything wrong with her, yes she is very skinny. Yes she has an impossibly tiny waist but women come in all shapes and sizes. She is very young, small boned and six foot two!!!
It’s different when you see celebrities wittle down to toothpicks. We have no clue if this is how she looked all along.
I do feel bad bc I can imagine how difficult it is for her to shop.
Same as the petite little girls that come into our store looking for size 00.
@pookie- Good point, I’ll bet the girl’s into corsetting.
And, y’know, not eating.
I rewatched “Leave Her to Heaven” over the weekend, a 1945 movie starring Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde, Jeanne Crain.
Gene Tierney & Jeanne Crain were beautiful & very tiny. Today they would be all over the internet & tabloids accused of being amorexic & unhealthy. This was in 1945.
Gretchen, I too would be curious to see some of her family members, as well as photos of her growing up. She might just be naturally super skinny, it’s not impossible, especially for someone that tall. But if she used to be heavier and has now dropped down to that size, I’d suspect ED. We don’t know.
Agree Tyra is a self-absorbed hypocrite. I don’t think there’s much empowering in a model competition, period, and she sends a lot of mixed messages about body image. For all her “kiss my fat ass!” championing, she turned right around and lost weight after that, and a lot of her statements are really contradictory too.
I don’t think every thin actress or model out there is accused of anorexia – it typically seems to be aimed at women who at one point were healthy looking and then show up looking extremely skinny, unhealthy, and gaunt, so you know it’s not just genetics.
Don’t know if it’s an ED or not and I’m not going to automatically assume that it is. I do know a couple of women who are naturally that thin – one of them just had her third child and she’s the same size now as always, pencil thin – except for a few extra pounds while pregnant she just does not gain weight. Her mother also is incredibly slim as is her older brother and his daughter. The look on Miss J’s face was priceless and the other Jay’s comments while tacky were clearly meant in jest. I honestly wasn’t bothered by the promo but in today’s uber-sensitive world CW should have known the fire-storm it would create. As for Tyra ugh! I swear that woman is a classic solipsist.
It’s interesting because from what I’ve read and heard, people in the real fashion biz pay no attention to this; ANTM is basically a vehicle for Tyra to continue making some cash as acting, let alone school, appear to be out of the question. In fact, very few of these girls actually get signed to real agencies – Jaslene Gonzalez and several others but not many.
bwahamehahaha!
yo…why miss j. alexander actin’ up with those “i don’t know nothin’ bout birthin’ no babies miss scarlett!” eyes?!
lmao! 🙂
I whole-heartedly support the body modification movement. Frankly, it’s none of my business what other people do to/put in/take out/ of your body. You need DD boobs? Go for it. You want to get gastric-bypass surgery? Knock yourself out. You want to look like a cat? Awesome. You get one ride on this planet, so live your life the way you feel most comfortable. (But for God’s Sake – do it for you, not for your boyfriend or a magazine cover.)
That said – she looks like she’s into Corsetry. (website NSFWish)
http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Corsetry
Whatever moment. Someone always needs a damn apology.
FYI Tyra decided not to continue with the show. It was not cancelled. I have a good friend that was involved with the show and believe me, everyone involved was completely shocked at her decision, esp with Oprah leaving.
I dated a guy a few years ago who was 6’4″ and only about 155 lbs. He looked like he was straight out of the Holocaust, and of course he didn’t have an eating disorder.
Some people really just look like this, and I agree wholeheartedly with readers like Mollination who are upset that everyone can call this girl “disgusting” and “homely” but the second anyone did anything but support a heavy woman for being overweight they’d be called a bitch. Yes, we shouldn’t praise her body type as the greatest or most beautiful body to have, but then again in theory we shouldn’t praise ANYONE’S body as the perfect one, if we really want everyone to love the body they were born with (or made themselves).
Really I think mollination said it best, I agree with everything she said.
She’s just paying lip service to the public outrage. Deep down inside, she and the other “fashion” people really DO think that unnaturally thin is attractive, and what they want. I’ve always thought clothes designers must secretly hate women, for they pick models who look like 10-year old boys. Personally, I’m not attracted to 10-year old boys, but apparently some people are.
Controversy keeps the show on the air I’m sure . As for that model, she needs help and a cheeseberger asap.
Well, I’m almost that skinny and I don’t have an eating disorder. In fact, I always eat a lot ’til I can’t no more and feel sick, because I desperately want to gain weight. And I do it, because there are sh-theads, like some of the commenters here, that call me names. It is as offensive for me to be called disgusting for my weight as it is for a heavy woman.
Skinny people have feelings too, you know?
You get one ride on this planet, so live your life the way you feel most comfortable.
MissyA: good post!!
A whole ton of actresses in 1945 had eating disorders and dieted and exercised beyond what’s healthy. Watch Joan Mommy Dearest Crawford working out obsessively according to her daughter and compare that to her onscreen image.
Marilyn Monroe had to do tons of colonics and crash diets to get her weight down, and she’s from the “fleshy” 50’s.
We’d be right to point out Hollywood has a long history of promoting unrealistic body image attained by ED’s and extreme measures. ED’s aren’t an invention of 2010.
@Gabriela I’m in the same boat so I feel your pain. I’m 5’4 and on a good day weigh about 102. I’ve always been naturally rail thin and the skinny jokes got old quick. Some people are just scrawny and it’s annoying that people just automatically assume eating disorder when someone is underweight.
I immediately thought corsetry when I saw that chick not ED. It is so unattractive and I had to look away after a few seconds. But whatever…
‘Good genes’ LOL! If I hear that out of someone’s vain-arse, uninformed mouth one more time etc!
What are ‘good’ genes? The ones that make you thin? Wow, we could totally eliminate all those ‘bad’ fat people by only breeding with you guys!!
Newsflash- there are no good genes, and there probably isn’t even a ‘thin’ genotype because bodyweight and fat to muscle/bone ratio etc are controlled by a hundred different genetic and environmental elements, so please have a thought for how you sound when you talk about your chromosomal superiority.
The REAL issue here is TB’s pathetic, exploitative hypocrisy. From someone who’s been through all the abuse and predation in the fashion industry and then chooses to perpetuate instead of challenging it. High five, Tyra. Get more liposuction today!
Why aren’t we this critical over the “male body”?
“Mel Gibson has moobs” … “JLG has no pecs”
Boo, hiss, etc.
It is genetics. I’d never have a waist that small no matter how I starved myself. Give the girl a break!
God, I loathe Tyra’s self aggrandizing “you should all worship at the temple of me” attitude. I didn’t find Ann all that attractive, but it was the waist that kind of skeeved me, not anything else. Working in H-wood, I see all kinds of bodies and some super skinny women don’t have eating disorders, they’re just super skinny. I worked with one actress who everyone thought was anorexic. She ate like a normal person, even a little more than normal, never went into the bathroom right after eating, and it turns out she has a overactive thyroid, takes medication, and can’t put on weight. So now, I never judge based on looks, unless the person CLEARLY is emaciated. Then I wonder.
People, this girl is 6ft2 so of course she is going to look very thin compared with other people with the same weight as her but much shorter, it is just good genes. Most people, especially women, who are very tall tend to be very thin framed, especially at a young age. Some people are so ignorant when throwing the word eating disorder around so easily. If you can’t say anything nice, don’t bother saying anything at all or you will look like a fool.
Mollination: THANK YOU!!!!! Its about time someone haulted all the whining!! Not everything can be equal and it doesnt have to and just because its not it doesnt mean you should be offended or dimwitted enough to think that there is something wrong with yourself.
Again, I agree with everything you said and thank you because reading through these responses was doing my head in. AND let me just add I am not a “skinny” girl and just agreeing for the sake of our perceived ‘equality’. I am a naturally curvy but slender girl but I’ll high five any woman with her head on whether her waist is 18 inches or 40!
I would never presume to say that someone I witnessed for like 30 seconds has an eating disorder.
Having said that, her shape is not normal nor is it healthy looking.