Watching ‘America’s Next Top Model’ Back Gives Me Major Second-Hand Embarrassment—Here Are The Cringiest Moments

For a reality TV show that spanned 24 seasons and was watched by millions of viewers over its 15-year lifespan, America’s Next Top Model had a major impact on 2000s pop-culture. It defined what the modeling industry looked like to millions of young women around the world and was the inspiration for countless famous faces to try their shot in the fashion industry.

While we certainly don’t give into hysterical cancel culture over here at Evie, nor can we blame Tyra Banks herself for any of the show’s shortcomings, it’s pretty obvious that quite a few moments from ANTM’s history have aged pretty poorly. Just because Tyra and her modeling empire have had many positive impacts, it doesn’t excuse potentially distasteful moments that, when watched today, feel downright out of touch. Let’s take a look at a few of the cringiest moments that the internet has recently decided to dig up.

When Models Were Shamed for Not Posing Nude

As the seasons have gone on, models have been able to be classier in their attire, but in the earlier cycles, many models faced negative consequences for not wanting to pose nude.

In Cycle 1, multiple models refused to pose in a “semi-nude” shoot. Robin Manning and Shannon Stewart both said no to posing nude because of religious beliefs, and interestingly enough, those two also ended up in the bottom two for the challenge. 

Infamously critical judge Janice Dickinson told Shannon, “If you’re not willing to do that, you might as well go work at a car factory or a bakery because that’s part of being a model.” 

Then, in Cycle 7, Ginger Wells also didn’t want to pose nude. The model had just turned 18 and didn’t feel comfortable being naked in front of strangers. Eventually, they convinced her to take two of the pictures, but since she refused to take all of them, she was eliminated.

This calls to question whether or not aspiring models need to do nude shoots in order to make it in the industry. Unfortunately, models like Ginger have been rumored to face criticism in the real world or lose opportunities to advance their careers due to the pressure to reveal more skin or do personal favors.

There’s also a hidden level of irony in Tyra and the ANTM team pressuring contestants into posing nude, as Tyra allegedly doesn’t do nude photoshoots herself. Instead, she does illusion nude shoots where she wears a skin-colored G-string and the undergarment is photoshopped out. Couldn’t the girls have been offered options without the threat of being in the bottom two or eliminated altogether?

Perhaps reasons like these are why the first hijab-wearing supermodel, Halima Aden, left the modeling industry since fashion appears to be incompatible with women who don’t want to bare it all.

When Healthy-Sized Models Were Called “Fat” and “Huge”

The internet’s most recent tirade against Tyra Banks and America’s Next Top Model came after a compilation video was made on TikTok of Robin Manning from Cycle 1 being insulted due to her weight. Both Tyra and the panel of judges repeatedly put her down and labeled her as “plus-size,” even though she measured as a size six at the time. Look, I get that the modeling industry is pretty cutthroat, but Robin clearly had a great body. But perhaps healthy bodies weren’t up to par with early 2000s body standards.

During Cycle 1, Tyra actually had similar measurements to Robin and was still modeling, so excuse me for being a bit put off by this blatant “rules for thee but not for me” standard the show was setting just to create drama.

Another video started circulating on Twitter that showed a few different moments where judges Janice and Alexander Jenkins, more commonly known as Miss J., said inflammatory quips about the contestants' weight.

“You all know how I feel about large women in couture,” was a quote from Janice while Miss J. said “Miss Toccara, we all know you’re plus-sized. Suck the gut, baby. Anything hanging out, it looks nasty.”

Similarly, in Cycle 4, when contestant Keenyah Hill had gained a bit of weight, she was asked to portray “gluttony” in one photoshoot and dress as an elephant in another. Coincidence, or borderline cruel punishment?

Let’s also not forget about Cycle 3’s Cassie Grisham, who clearly struggled with disordered eating. She admitted to practicing bulimia while on the show, stated she had an obsession with her weight, and shared she thought about food around the clock. 

Props to Tyra for advising that Cassie seek therapy, but I’m not surprised that viewers lost respect for ANTM’s response to Cassie’s struggle when she was then sent home the next week after being told her hips were too big. Well, we must not have all been looking at the same girl, because when I see photos of Cassie on the show, I see slender, model-esque hips.

Though the body positivity movement lies to overweight and obese women about how they can be healthy at any size, there is some truth to the fact that many women are unfairly criticized for actually maintaining a healthy weight instead of trying to be the skinniest version of themselves that they can be.

When Some Models Had To Alter Their Appearance in Ways They Didn’t Approve

From Lauren Hutton to Georgia May Jagger, models embracing their tooth gaps has been en vogue since the mid-20th century. Yet, in Cycle 6, contestant Danielle Evans was asked to fix the gap between her teeth. Tyra actually questioned whether or not Danielle could score a CoverGirl contract if she had a tooth gap, so she had it partially closed.

“This is all people see,” Tyra said while pointing to the middle of her two front teeth in a patronizing manner and then stating how it’s not marketable.

Danielle actually took to Instagram for a statement on the controversy, explaining why she went through with the decision and making it very clear that she wasn’t interested in bashing Tyra. According to Danielle, at the time she saw the dental work as being her “one way ticket out on this side” and that she wanted to get out of her hometown and create a better life for herself. 

Flash forward to Cycle 15, and Tyra did a complete-180 when she asked contestant Chelsey Hersley to widen the gap between her teeth. Chelsea didn’t take issue with being asked to have her two front teeth filed down, but it demonstrated a bizarre level of inconsistency with Tyra’s decision making and apparent inability to just let the girls’ natural beauty shine.

“My gap used to be a lot bigger when I was younger, so I wasn't worried about it at all. I trusted Tyra and her team, and if she thought I could pull off a bigger gap and it could help my career, then I was all for it,” said Chelsey.

While many girls on the show were subjected to hair transformations that left them in puddles of tears, one incident, in particular, stood out to some online users as a direct personal target based on ideology. In Cycle 24, contestant Liberty Netuschil was forced to dye her hair red under the assumption that she was a Republican voter.

“You voted red, now you’re seeing red,” said Tyra in the episode.

Liberty has since come out saying she did not vote for President Trump and that she felt ANTM cut her clips in a way that made her sound like a “die-hard” Republican. 

“My family has both liberals and conservatives. My father, who is not pro-Trump, talked to me about business, so I said, ‘I'm actually pro-Trump because my family owns a small business, and I heard he helps small businesses because that's his background,” she shared with Entertainment Weekly.

When Skin Color Became a Hot-Button Issue

Though Tyra has since issued an apology and reiterated her innocent intentions, the moment when ANTM aired a “biracial” shoot left a sour taste on viewers' palettes. Each of the girls was supposed to switch ethnicities, with darker-skinned girls being made up to be lighter and lighter-skinned girls being made up to be darker.

At the time of this airing, there didn’t appear to be as much controversy as there is now. Tyra had meant for the challenge to be a method of celebrating diversity and bi-racial beauty, but many online users have called her and the show out for allegedly using race as a costume.

Another moment that has gone viral is from Cycle 3 when contestants Kelle Jacob’s and Yaya Decosta’s untouched and retouched photos faced critique from the judging panel based on their skin. In the untouched photos, their skin looks darker, but in their retouched photos, their skin has a brighter glow with more light shining on their face.

In the episode, Tyra advises one of the models to know that, as a fellow woman with dark skin, she had been taught to wear more makeup because of how their skin tone reflects light differently, but some have called it out as equating a darker skin tone to being a flaw.

Closing Thoughts

America’s Next Top Model had major success selling the dream that any small-town girl with an intriguing visage could practice strutting her stuff and end up with a high-paying modeling contract. Many women came onto the show with little to no experience, and got toughened up in modeling challenges, but also many women were subjected to humiliation in one way or another that has left people cringing to this day.

The modeling industry can be ruthless and fierce. Clearly, the showrunners capitalized on the spectacle of scandal, but when it hit humiliating levels, we can’t help but be a bit put off. So, how did watching ANTM make you feel? 

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