America's Next Top Model ran for 24 cycles, launching a generation of girls inot a modelling fantasy world.
This week, we're digging into what ANTM was really selling: the makeover myth, the beauty-is-pain narrative, the contradictions of a show that claimed to expand beauty standards while simultaneously reinforcing them. We get into Tyra as a complicated figure, why Janice Dickinson on the judging panel was never going help, and how the Wild West of early reality TV meant nobody was protected.
From heroin chic to GLP-1 ads on every billboard, from girl boss hustle culture to trad wife soft-launching on your feed, the beauty standard didn't disappear. It just changed platforms, and the algorithm is still profiting off the same insecurities.
⚠️ Content warning: this episode discusses eating disorders, disordered eating, and body image. If you or someone you know needs support:
🇨🇦 National Eating Disorder Information Centre: nedic.ca | 1-866-633-4220
🇺🇸 National Alliance for Eating Disorders Helpline: 1-866-662-1235 | allianceforeatingdisorders.com
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It's Called Reality is co-hosted by Willow Beck and Briana Brown, produced by Important, Not Important. New episodes on Fridays.
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