The new Netflix docuseries Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model has reignited a long-simmering debate: Has the fashion industry truly evolved since the days of Tyra Banks' pioneering - yet deeply problematic - reality TV juggernaut?
What this series makes clear is that ANTM was very much a product of its time, a reflection of the toxic beauty standards and casual prejudices that pervaded the industry and society at large in the early 2000s. From relentless fat-shaming and body critiques to blatant racism and homophobia, the show pushed the boundaries of what was considered acceptable on television - and the fashion world often followed suit.
A Trailblazer... Or a Bully?
In the docuseries, Tyra Banks positions herself as a trailblazer, a Black woman determined to democratize and diversify the overwhelmingly white, thin world of high fashion. And it's true that ANTM did feature a more inclusive cast than many traditional modeling competitions. But as British Vogue points out, the show often undermined its own progress, subjecting contestants to intense body-shaming and discriminatory challenges.
"Fat-shaming, sexual harassment, making models pose as murder victims, or other ethnicities, or as if they have bulimia, or as if they're homeless - ANTM really went there," writes Vogue's Daisy Jones. "Looking back with an adult mind, via a 2020s lens, makes your jaw drop."
Relics of a Bygone Era?
The bigger picture here is that ANTM, for all its cultural impact, was very much a product of its time - a time when the industry and society at large were far more accepting of such toxic behavior. As The Guardian's Benjamin Lee puts it, the show "became part of the problem" it claimed to disrupt.
So while the fashion world has undoubtedly made strides in recent years, with greater representation and a more holistic approach to beauty, the lasting influence of ANTM serves as a sobering reminder that true, systemic change is still a work in progress. As one former contestant told Allure, "The reality is, the industry was never set up for us to succeed."