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    America's Next Top Plus-Size Model?

    By | Author Blog Posts – Fri, Mar 14, 2008 4:04 PM EDT

    I've been watching this season (er, cycle) of America's Next Top Model with interest because once again, Tyra is throwing the body image champions a bone by giving us a plus-size model as a contestant (although apparently plus-size models are like Highlanders and there can be only one during any given cycle). I've long held the suspicion that the Powers That Be have been trying to orchestrate a size 6+ model for some time, but then something happens, like Toccara starts getting attitudinal or Sarah starts losing too much weight or the hard to quantify "losing of the sparkle" and poof! Good-bye to the girl who is able to menstruate!

    I'm sorry, that's not fair to the size 2s who are lunar like good little breeders and forgive me for the Rianism, but seriously, look at Fatima and tell me that girl has a BMI over 16? I mean, television cameras add ten pounds, and I watch on a wide screen and yet, sometimes they'll show Fatima from the side and her tiny little waist actually makes me gasp.

    But I think this might be a plus-size girl's cycle.

    We're on the heels of a major ANTM scandal regarding last cycle's winner Saleisha being Teflon from the get go, and on top of that, Jaslene has been fielding a lot of anorexia rumors. Cover Girl likes to play with demographics, and considering that the last two winners were Hispanic and black, if they really are spreading around the win, then we're due for either an Asian (totally underrepresented by ANTM's finalists) or another white winner. Besides, plus-size model Whitney is totally getting the winner's edit. Her actual boob popped out during a couture fashion show and did we hear a single word about it at panel? No, let's just pretend it didn't happen, shall we? Also, the editors made a point to show the other girls talking @#$% about her behind her back and they also made a point to show her defending Amie from abrasive Marvita (whom I sort of love for reasons I can't really explain).

    Last week, I was ready to write a post when they did a lingerie shoot but dressed Whitney like a secretary and then threw a corset on over her shirt (um, hot?), but then Miss Tyra totally@#$%blocked me and kvetched during panel that the wardrobe department totally screwed up and didn't show off Whitney's glorious booty. Then this week, she is given lots of glory for wearing her meat bikini, even though Jay Manuel had to coach her to not be so Maxim in her poses, a sin that can condemn the heck out of you on ANTM. Also, I pay a lot of attention to the fading model collage at the end. Whitney is in the middle but in the back, behind some cannon fodder girls (come on, Amie is cute but there's no way she's Top Model material. And Dominique? Shudder.) and thus, should last long enough to have at least some of her body exposed, because the production seems to enjoy making points like that. However, traditionally, the plus-size contestant ends up being cut fifth, so that could hold true regardless.

    The only damaging piece of evidence on the Grassy Knoll is that there seems to be something awry with Whitney's bio page on the official site, but then, there's hardly any information on the page anyway, so maybe no one looks? Also, with the exception of Eva and to some extent, Jaslene, we normally don't have the winners on our radar this early in the cycle, which bodes well for Claire, Anya and Katarzyna.

    And clearly, I've just put entirely too much mental energy on a Bankable production. Excuse me, I now have to go read Derrida or something.

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