America's next top model/ makeovers anger inducing!

[oddelabop]

I had to go somewhere to rant about this, but does anybody else find these "top model" makeovers very sadistic from tyra banks? Personally I can't stand the woman. It's almost as if she takes pleasure in cutting the length of "sometimes" beautiful heads of hair, yet she herself fashions an, albeit, very expensive weave?! It's ironic that she tells the girls they must chop their locks in order to be chic and fashionable yet she herself is rarely seen with short hair.

Blimey it makes me mad! They pretty much bully the girls into getting it chopped stating it's "only hair", which yes, it is, but it takes forever to grow! >:@ hateful woman!!!!

sorry had to get it off the old chest, I've been youtube procrastinating and came across a load of old Americas next top model makeovers!

[hannabiss]

i completely agree

[Betazed]

I ditto everything you said! I quit watching around the 5th or 6th season because it began to get repetitive. One of the things I hated most about the show was the make-over episode. What's really irksome is when the girls are punished if they refuse to go along with whatever Tyra chooses for them. And 9 times out of 10, if a contestant has any kind of length, she's going to make the girl chop it all off. Sometimes I feel like it's a test to see just how obedient the contestants will be towards Tyra and if they show a bit of free will and refuse the chop, they're kicked off the show. :steam

By the way, has any previous winner actually been a "top model"? It seems to me that most of them just vanish after their season ends.

[oddelabop]

By the way, has any previous winner actually been a "top model"? It seems to me that most of them just vanish after their season ends.

THIS! Not one of them. Not a single one.

Yes, the "tyra knows best" thing really peeved me. You don't see any of the Victoria secret runway models with sometimes bizarre cuts she gives the poor victims.

It's humiliating, because if they disagree, they get kicked off and bad rep, and become famous for being "objectionable" or "ungrateful". Personally I think ruslana korshunova was one of the most beautiful models and she was famous for her knee length hair. I wish someone would shave tyra's hair off to see how she likes it and watch if she cries!

[spidermom]

Nope - don't care. Those women choose to participate. I'm pretty sure they know what's coming.

[*ReiKa*]

Nope - don't care. Those women choose to participate. I'm pretty sure they know what's coming.

I agree with this.
I wouldn't partecipate knowing that there's a huge possibility that they're gonna chop all my hair. They are very well aware of that.
All that crying from the models is understandable, after all you're watching your hair going, and if you really care about it it's gonna be painful to part with it anyway, but you knew already that they could have chosen to do that on you, so get on with it.

By the way I don't think that's just plain cruel, because I used to watch the program and on the other hand there were other girls getting extensions.

[battles]

Nope - don't care. Those women choose to participate. I'm pretty sure they know what's coming.

This, pretty much.

If you're a model, you're selling something. It is your job to look like what that job requires you to look like for that day. Expecting to keep your super long hair is a bit naive. Plus, I doubt it would survive all that styling.

[Nadine <3]

Personally, I love ANTM and I adore Tyra. The people who sign up to do that show, or who want to be a model know what they're getting into. People are going to want to chop off hair or add hair, bleach it, color it with every photo shoot they do. It's not bullying, it's just the industry. You can't go to a photo shoot for something and then refuse to let the stylist do your hair, that isn't how it works. You won't get hired, you won't get paid. If you're going to throw a fit about your hair, you're better off being something that doesn't require you to look like someone else's vision.

[jeanniet]

Being a model is all about looking just the way someone else wants you to look. If these women want to be top models then adapting is part of the package and they know it. The shows are orchestrated for drama. None of it is a big surprise to the participants.

[Vivalagina]

:shrug: It doesn't bother me at all. It's not like a makeover is a surprise.

[sarahthegemini]

As a model (or aspiring model) you don't look how you want to look. You look how your employers want you to look.

[Fericera]

That part always bugged me too. Not necessarily just the length removal, but the fact that many of the styles were just plain weird to me. I get that as a model you need to "sell yourself" to your clients, but I don't understand how long hair is any more of a hindrance than a ridiculous choppy, asymmetrical bob or pixie that will be a pain to grow out in any sort of dignified way.

Also I think it was on Tyra's talk show where she cut off that one girl's ankle length hair into a generic, boring bob just for shock value. Ugh.

Of course like other people said, if you go on a reality show, what can you expect? They're going to amp up the drama all they can. If you have classic length hair, of course they're going to do a dramatic cut, and if you say you're afraid of spiders, guess what the next photo shoot theme will be!

[quirkybookworm]

On one hand, I agree with everyone who's said that the models knew what they were signing up for when they agreed to do the show, because if you've ever watched ANTM or any other makeover show then you know how they feel about long hair. So, I don't particularly feel bad for the models. On the other hand, I feel like it leads right into long hair shaming - the idea that if you have longer hair than what is considered 'normal' then it makes you look 'old' or 'frumpy'. And, I think that's baloney. Like, why is extremely short hair 'cute' and extremely long hair 'ugly'. I just don't get it. I feel like every time a person with exceptionally long hair goes on TV and has their hair cut off into a pixie or a bob, and then they're told by the hosts of the show, and the audience, that they look so much younger, cuter, better, sexier, more normal - that it reiterates to the general populous that anyone with long hair is abnormal, and inherently less attractive just because they chose something different than what everyone else chooses. Basically, that was a long winded way of saying that I don't think people should be made to feel bad because of how they choose to wear their hair. Whether they choose to wear it short, long, colored, dreaded - I don't care. It's hair. Do with it what you will. :lol:

However, I watched an episode of Maury where they cut several women's hair, and most of the women were crying and very upset - and you could tell that they didn't want to do it. The audience was screaming 'cut it, cut it, cut it' and Maury was telling them 'you'll look so much better' (or something along those lines), and you could tell that they felt backed into a corner. That's my exception to 'I don't feel bad for the models'.

[Sableringlets]

I do agree that Tyra uses it as some kind of obedience litmus test. However I don't agree on a model has to look how her employer wants. One of my relatives is acquainted with a woman who's been modeling for several years, and she has been able to contract with agencies who don't change her look. She's Indian, and has always been able to keep her hair a couple inches or so below the shoulders and the natural black color. Maybe her look is appealing, as we live in the midwest.

It's very possible a lot of models don't have to change their look too much, because their look is what is selling them. On a show like ANTM, it's all about ENTERTAINMENT factor. I hate to say it, but when people watch those kinds of shows they are looking to see a bit of pain lol. They don't want to see a bunch of tall, skinny, and attractive women be able to be happy with their looks. I'm telling you, the tears sell.

[DakarNick]

She's just jealous that she can't have long hair without a weave.

[Daylilly]

To painfully to watch. I could never understand why they try to make these beautiful girls look like carp. The crazy hair and makeup and even the clothes they make them wear are ugly!

[Sableringlets]

To me, the biggest painful thing to watch wasn't the hair cutting. It was forcing the girls to pose nude.

How a person chooses to reveal (or not reveal) their body should be a personal decision. Most people don't get nude unless they're going to be sexually intimate. ANTM seems to take that to lascivious heights if you ask me. It's not even so much about appreciating the beauty or the body or the artistic expression of it. I mean there was an episode where these horny men were watching a photo shoot...ewwww.

[Pantherophis]

I'm on the don't care list. It's a "reality show". Staged as all get-out...

[chen bao jun]

Tyra is famous for this. She did it all the time wh e n she had a show. I think that in spite of her success and the fact that she is very beautiful she is a 'mean girl' inside. Mean white girls in high school, gossip, leave you out and cyberbully. Mean black girls want to cut every body's hair off. (besides beating you up) They beat you up and threaten to cut your hair off, or actually do it. Fortunately they are a minority of black women, but they make themselves visible, run in gangs and can really create havoc. Tyra gets to bring that havoc t o TV and gets cheered on for it.
and yep, they always have hairweaves.
on one show Tyra actually told a girl she would love to make a weave from her hair.
the fashion industry will pretty much destroy any natural beauty anyone has, I agree and yes, nowadays it's the degrading nudity (fashion is somehow allied to porn more and more rather than elegance) but add Tyra and you have a show that I won't watch, the girls know they will be changed but I really don't think they expect that particular sadism with the audience cheering like the Roman coliseum or some thing.
High cost for 15 minutes of fame.

[oddelabop]

I agree with what a lot of you have said about, they signed up for it, so they knew it was coming. I guess my anger is more towards the attitude of tyra. As mentioned by Chen bao jun, I can't cope with he "mean girl" approach she has to it. She wouldn't be caught dead without her weave.

And I agree completely, why is short hair celebrated so much in today's society. Ironically I was reading an article on this today, as it is only ever other female friends telling me to cut my hair, men on the other hand, tell me they much prefer it at the classic length it is now, as it's so uncommon. My female friends refer to me as cousin it, etc (cousin it had fabulous hair so the jokes on them ;) ) but this article implied that women are more likely to influence the actions of other women to decrease competition, I.e cut other women's hair so that they are less appealing. Kind of elimination of competition, if you will.


Another interesting point it highlighted, is that other women often say that "only VERY attractive girls can pull off short hair" (which to a degree I understand) but the point was made that perhaps there is some sort of psychological draw to cutting hair. And women then think "oh, I must be very pretty If I can sport a shorter haircut".

I guess it's just food for thought!

[Lyv]

^ There are actually a surprising amount of pictures of her without her weave in!

It doesn't bother me. It's not like it's a secret that if you go on the show you're getting a new look (including extensions on a lot of girls) and tbh if some of those stylists wanted to do my hair I'd let them do whatever. With the amount of styling a high fashion model's hair goes through it's a little silly to think they can have super long natural hair that looks nice. I don't watch the show anymore but I've seen quite a few of the girls from earlier seasons in magazine's and tv so whatever they're doing most be working for some! I do think Tyra can be a little rude but not nearly as nasty as Janice lol.

[GlassWidow]

My opinion is colored by the fact that I never wanted to be a model. It can be a very glamorous profession, but it seems to me that most models are simply invisible. On the rare occasion that I watch ANTM, they talk about wanting people who look "weird pretty" rather than simply pretty. They want someone who will draw attention to the ad, but who will not overpower the product, once they have people's attention.

It seems to me that the hair styles that are chosen for the contestants are designed to highlight the "weird pretty" in each of them. It doesn't always mean that they'll look everyday, simply pretty, but it means they'll take great photographs. The goal is to get you to say "Look at her (interesting feature). Oh, on closer inspection she's not that remarkable, but look at that dress/bracelet/eye shadow/etc. I think I need that!")

So, yeah, I cringe when they cut off beautiful hair, but I also enjoy watching the transformation.

[divinedobbie]

It just made me mad when some of the girls were really upset and stressed out about getting their hair cut off and they just waved it off. This one girl in cycle 17 asks if the hairdresser even knows how long it takes to grow an inch of hair and he responds with 4 months, and then says that with long hair she looks like a "dowdy housewife". Made me so mad.

[DreamSheep]

Not the sort of show I would watch, though I suspect a lot is orchestrated for drama (and I agree on the points that being a model involves putting yourself in the hands of others and conforming to their vision, so I suppose if they want to be models they will have to be OK with that possibility).

That said, I just searched Tyra Banks hair to get an idea of what she does, and found this:
http://www.instyle.com/news/tyra-banks-chops-her-hair-pixie

[blue_eyes]

I don't watch ANTM but this reminds me so much of the show What Not To Wear. The hair stylist (I think it was Nick Arrojo) cut everone's hair into a chin length bob. Always. Women with long hair would be in tears begging him not to, and he would insist it had to be done and eventually they'd give in. His "one style fits all" attitude & unhappy clients eventually got him removed from the show, but I still feel so sorry for all the women pressured into letting him chop their hair, knowing they probably spent the next 2-3 years growing it back out.

[proo]

Remember Tommy Hilfiger glamming up the Idol contestants?
He pixied and dyed one gal -
bam! - eliminated the next week.
Just sayin.

My daughter asked me if I'd be offended if she nominated me for "what not to wear";
I replied no, not offended but they'd have to give me the exact hair treatment I want:
head massage, dc, microdust, rollerset, silkwrap - I'll take it from there.
And part of the 5k used for luxurious hair things, like a really nice fine-toothed horn comb,
I'm sure NYC has some cooool stuff.
Oh, and I'd want to stay boho, so Stacy and Clinton would have to stay with that theme - snort!

As for Tyra, she's a cartoon like Cruella Deville or cat woman.

[texangrrl]

I don't watch ANTM but this reminds me so much of the show What Not To Wear. The hair stylist (I think it was Nick Arrojo) cut everone's hair into a chin length bob. Always. Women with long hair would be in tears begging him not to, and he would insist it had to be done and eventually they'd give in. His "one style fits all" attitude & unhappy clients eventually got him removed from the show, but I still feel so sorry for all the women pressured into letting him chop their hair, knowing they probably spent the next 2-3 years growing it back out.

I never did watch ANTM, but I did watch a few episodes of the show you're referring to. And yes, he would ALWAYS cut their hair off telling them it made them look older and frumpy. I never understood this though, because the co-host (I think her name was Stacy London) had long hair that was at least BSL or MBL. There was one episode I remember that a woman had very long hair (TBL maybe?) and she refused to let Nick cut it and he acted like it was she was doing herself a disservice and she seemed remorseful or sad that he convinced her that her hair made her look old but she didn't have the courage to cut it. Ugh...

[lapushka]

Personally, I love ANTM and I adore Tyra. The people who sign up to do that show, or who want to be a model know what they're getting into. People are going to want to chop off hair or add hair, bleach it, color it with every photo shoot they do. It's not bullying, it's just the industry. You can't go to a photo shoot for something and then refuse to let the stylist do your hair, that isn't how it works. You won't get hired, you won't get paid. If you're going to throw a fit about your hair, you're better off being something that doesn't require you to look like someone else's vision.

Well said! :)

[Doreen]

They do know what they're getting into when they sign up and that there will be a big chance that she will do this to them, but that still doesn't stop me from feeling really sad for them when it happens and someone starts to cry. I guess they always just think they're going to be one of the few exceptions.

There was one girl, I don't remember what season, who had a lot taken off and was actually quite happy with it, but then Tyra gave her these huge unblended blond streaks in the front on top of her deep brown base and it really just zapped away all her confidence. That was was especially cringeworthy because it was not at all flattering and not even ""high fashion"". Just sadistic... :( I dunno.

[blue_eyes]

I never understood this though, because the co-host (I think her name was Stacy London) had long hair that was at least BSL or MBL.

I always thought the same thing. Stacy & Carmindy (the makeup artist) both had long hair, but I suppose Nick would have chopped that too if he could. He made it sound as if no woman could look anything other than old and frumpywith long hair and thus it had to be cut, meanwhile the only two women on the show are rocking BSL/MBL hair. :steam

I don't know if I saw the same episode with the lady with very long hair, but I did see one where a long haired woman refused to let him touch her hair. I seem to remember him being very frustrated and laying a guilt trip on her, but she never gave in! :)

[Lady melissa]

that's why i never enter in competitions to win a make-over....i'm afraid they would cut off my hair...

[Rosetta]

I've never watched these "next top model" things, but yeah, basically all "makeovers" I've ever seen or heard of consist of cutting one's hair... :rolleyes: Wonder why?

[Sableringlets]

.

And I agree completely, why is short hair celebrated so much in today's society. Ironically I was reading an article on this today, as it is only ever other female friends telling me to cut my hair, men on the other hand, tell me they much prefer it at the classic length it is now, as it's so uncommon. My female friends refer to me as cousin it, etc (cousin it had fabulous hair so the jokes on them ;) ) but this article implied that women are more likely to influence the actions of other women to decrease competition, I.e cut other women's hair so that they are less appealing. Kind of elimination of competition, if you will.

Another interesting point it highlighted, is that other women often say that "only VERY attractive girls can pull off short hair" (which to a degree I understand) but the point was made that perhaps there is some sort of psychological draw to cutting hair. And women then think "oh, I must be very pretty If I can sport a shorter haircut".

I guess it's just food for thought!

I actually agree with you! I think your thoughts are quite astute, especially with our culture and how women tend to interact.

The whole "only very attractive girls can pull off short hair" thing seems to be more of a modern trend. Just a handful of decades ago, Elizabeth Taylor set the trend for short hair because cutting your hair was a sign of independence. Ever seen "Roman Holiday"? In the movie Audrey Hepburn is a princess who cuts off all her hair as a sign of her independence. Elizabeth Taylor did it to be daring, and as a result other actresses followed suit and soon so did women. It just to happens a lot of these trend-setting women were very attractive in the first place. I think you need to be attractive from the get-go for short hair to look good on you. Like all trends, it goes in cycles and just recently there was trend of actresses cutting their hair very short, like Beyonce, Pamela Anderson, and more recently Katy Perry. It's trendy because of the novelty, and women are highly influenced by each other.

If you ask men, their opinions are very different. Research has shown men by and large, prefer longer hair on women. Women tell each other to cut their hair because it's trendy, and yes I do think some of it is competition to make other women less appealing to men. Sure, there are men who think shorter hair is more attractive, but they're going to be attracted to the women sporting that hair.

[shulkie]

I *hated* Nick on WNTW--it wasn't even that he did the same thing to all of his makeoverees, but that it was UGLY each time. And he almost always forced them to dye their hair, too. Like, you can grow out bad layers but once he's dyed your hair 10 shades darker than your hair, you are either stuck with it or (as you all know) have to commit to undoing it.

Having always had short hair while watching ANTM, I always had a "eh" reaction to when the girls got their hair cut and started sobbing about it. Like, getting your hair cut short is not the worst thing that could happen, and it totally changes what your cheekbones look like and can make you look at yourself in a new way, which could be a good kick start if you're trying to win a modeling challenge. That said, Tyra was definitely kind of sadistic about it.

And none of them became actual top models but I saw Fo (don't remember which season she was) in a few commercials a couple of years ago, and at least one of them was in the final runway show for Project Runway.

I have really good taste in TV, y'all.

[Estrid]

Haha, I have been watching those makeovers on youtube the last month! Odd coincidence ;)

I never cared about them cutting long hair short when I used to follow the show (at age 13-17?), I thought they were silly to cry over their hair when they knew it was coming. At that time I could chop off my hair with a kitchen scissor just because I felt like it, so I did not care much about hair.

And now, as I said, I have been seeing the makeovers on youtube again. I am not provoked about them chopping off long hair, but I am a bit weirded out about what they do to some of the girls, like bleaching the eyebrows so that they don't show... I mean, why? It is just so confusing.

I like watching makeovers happen, so that is why I watch them. Other shows that I like is "what not to wear" that I see is mentioned above. I have never seen any with someone called "nick" in it though. That is a bit bothering to me btw, I used to watch those on youtube, the ones I liked: a dark skinned girl and light skinned girl (I do not remember their names). I thought they were really good and nice to watch, but now youtube is flooded by the other WNTW that I don't like *sad face*

[excentricat]

I've seen Carrie Dee in a commercial recently for something. I only watched a few seasons of it, and then realized that the judges had decided on the winner long before the end of the show.

[blue_eyes]

I *hated* Nick on WNTW--it wasn't even that he did the same thing to all of his makeoverees, but that it was UGLY each time. And he almost always forced them to dye their hair, too. Like, you can grow out bad layers but once he's dyed your hair 10 shades darker than your hair, you are either stuck with it or (as you all know) have to commit to undoing it.

Completely agree. I feel like Nick never looked at the faces of the makeoverees to figure out what style might suit them, nor did he care about what they wanted. It was almost like he said "oh, if you're on this show then you obviously don't put effort into your appearance so we'll give you a bob that will be super easy to take care of! But then I'll dye it so you have to go to the salon every 6 weeks (whether you can afford it or not), and it will only look good when it's straight (so you'll have to straighten it every day, and nevermind whether or not the style suits your face at all." And he did it to everyone, and it really didn't suit them at all. If anything it aged them in most cases.

[Rosetta]

^ :eek: That makes me so glad I've never watched shows like WNTW... Even the name is so off-putting to me, as if someone else would know better than me what I should wear (I already know what I want to wear to look my best, thank you very much!)...



Another interesting point it highlighted, is that other women often say that "only VERY attractive girls can pull off short hair" (which to a degree I understand) but the point was made that perhaps there is some sort of psychological draw to cutting hair. And women then think "oh, I must be very pretty If I can sport a shorter haircut".
This is another thing I've always been puzzled about... All this talk (mostly by other women, yes!) of being able to "pull off" short hair, as if it was some kind of achievement... :eek:

[MINAKO]

Imho, everyone whos thirsty enough to submit themselves to this kind of exploitation truly deserves the lesson. Everyone knows that real models do not need to deal with any of that excessive drama. Someonediscovers you, you get invited and slowly ease yourself into the job until you are professional enough to take enough money for it to actually make a living. Also nobody gets "forced" to drastic changes. An agent might convince a model to go blonde or cut bangs and she agrees but ends up not liking it, but she might as well have said no. That being said, those who dont really areunique enough to stand put are sometimes better off with some strking signature look thats rather created than natural. Others will be able to just wear their hair however they want to. Look at Adriana Lima, she literally had the same "boring" hair for like 15 years (plus minus bangs). Not everyone is better off with drastic changes.
Anyways, the entire concept of these shows is really stupid, everytime i watch it it reminds me of donkey island in pinocchio, lol.

[hennalonghair]

Imho, everyone whos thirsty enough to submit themselves to this kind of exploitation truly deserves the lesson. Everyone knows that real models do not need to deal with any of that excessive drama. Someonediscovers you, you get invited and slowly ease yourself into the job until you are professional enough to take enough money for it to actually make a living. Also nobody gets "forced" to drastic changes. An agent might convince a model to go blonde or cut bangs and she agrees but ends up not liking it, but she might as well have said no. That being said, those who dont really areunique enough to stand put are sometimes better off with some strking signature look thats rather created than natural. Others will be able to just wear their hair however they want to. Look at Adriana Lima, she literally had the same "boring" hair for like 15 years (plus minus bangs). Not everyone is better off with drastic changes.
Anyways, the entire concept of these shows is really stupid, everytime i watch it it reminds me of donkey island in pinocchio, lol.

I agree completely. I once was asked if I'd be willing to cut my hair and I said no. The agency director smiled and said that she didn't blame me and it wasn't ever mentioned again.
This is a television 'show' and isn't reflective of the true modelling world. The drama is thrown in there for ratings only.

[blue_eyes]

Whoops, double post!

[blue_eyes]

Imho, everyone whos thirsty enough to submit themselves to this kind of exploitation truly deserves the lesson. Everyone knows that real models do not need to deal with any of that excessive drama. Someonediscovers you, you get invited and slowly ease yourself into the job until you are professional enough to take enough money for it to actually make a living. Also nobody gets "forced" to drastic changes. An agent might convince a model to go blonde or cut bangs and she agrees but ends up not liking it, but she might as well have said no. That being said, those who dont really areunique enough to stand put are sometimes better off with some strking signature look thats rather created than natural. Others will be able to just wear their hair however they want to. Look at Adriana Lima, she literally had the same "boring" hair for like 15 years (plus minus bangs). Not everyone is better off with drastic changes.
Anyways, the entire concept of these shows is really stupid, everytime i watch it it reminds me of donkey island in pinocchio, lol.


I agree completely. I once was asked if I'd be willing to cut my hair and I said no. The agency director smiled and said that she didn't blame me and it wasn't ever mentioned again.
This is a television 'show' and isn't reflective of the true modelling world. The drama is thrown in there for ratings only.

Yup, I agree as well. I worked as a model under contract at an agency & they strongly emphasized that I should go blonde. I said no, because at the time my hair was dyed black and I knew how horrific the damage would be if I tried to go blonde. They weren't too pleased, but they couldn't force me to do it. They never asked me to cut it, but I would've said no to that too. :P

[vpatt]

I simply don't understand those shows and their popularity. Why would people want to be treated that way....oh, money , I guess. I think this proves that I am old. Lol lol