Men on America's Next Top Model!

Okay, so I know that this show is getting old and there has been so many seasons, 20 to be exact, but this season of America’s Next Top Model (ANTM) 2.0 is truly fabulous!  It now is aired on the CW, Friday nights at 8pm.  The new 2.0 season is so new and fresh that it has recaptured the audience’s attention.  This season differs from all the other seasons because this is the first season where there are men in the competition.  Not only are there men but the viewers get to become one of the judges and make a difference in the outcome.  This gives a whole new meaning to the outlook of modeling and shows that gender should not make a difference no matter what your dreams are.  Not only is gender a huge change in this show but also the articulation of the “perfect model” and how it forms our opinion on how we should look in order to be as perfect as a model. 

            ANTM season 2.0 has got hooked.  Just having the difference between the men and women has really got my attention.  The male models in particular have changed the way people look at male models.  Even though they can look so tough in their photos, the men sometimes have more drama and emotions then even the women!  I find this absolutely hilarious!  For example, one of the models, Marvin, was not prepared to handle the emotional part of the compotation, the eliminations.  Huffington post wrote an article discussing how emotional Marvin has been getting after each time someone went home.  They wrote, “It wasn't his own elimination that had Marvin stressing out week after week.  He was getting overwhelmed by other contestants getting the boot.”  This statement was made after Marvin had an emotional breakdown crying about how, “You get used to people being in your life and then they’re gone," he said at one point. "I almost lost Phil too, like if you left today, I don’t know. I’m so used to you being around!”  Marvin however has not been the only man to breakdown during this season.  Another contestant, Chris, has also been facing a hard time.  He has a hard time communicating his feelings with the other contestants and this results in him arguing with the women in particular.  After taking time to talk to Chris the women then face him breaking down in multiple apologies dealing with him crying and explaining his past, which I might add they could care less hearing about.   

            I think that the women intimidate the men.  There have been only women on ANTM until this season and I do think that they are threatened.  Tv.com’s author, Price Peterson, writes, “The men in this case follow ANTM tradition in that they aren't quite model-caliber (I think we can all agree that people with actual model potential probably avoid this franchise like the career-ender it is), but to make up for their lack of gorgeosity they at least seem to have well-defined personalities (for better or worse) that make them not only not interchangeable, but poised to butt heads in the most entertaining ways.”  The men try to pull pranks on the women just to stir up trouble.  The men and women have also teamed up against each other.  I also find that the more the contestants grow close to each other the more unfocused they get.  This leads to their departure resulting in not winning the series.  Season 2.0 is all about the battle of the sexes.  Buddy TV’s writer, Jennifer Lind-Westbrook, writes in her article, “They also discuss the possibility of which eliminated model(s) might be coming back. Phil seems confident that one of the guys will return because, overall, they've been performing more strongly than the girls. Yes, there are five guys left and only three girls, but Phil is at the bottom of the pack.”  The fact that there are more guys at this point than girls does surprise me.  The guys however just seem to be dragging along while the girls are continuing to win competitions and score high in the overall categories. 

            Masculinity is also a huge debate while watching this show.  What masculine man would want to put make up on and pose for the camera with some of the challenges that are brought upon them?  Although the men look so strong in their photos does that mean that they are in real life?    For example, one of the male contestants, Cory, is actually NOT masculine at all, yet in his photos he comes off as a masculine male.  His pictures are so strong and show that you cannot tell who or how a person is just by looking at a photo.  This brings me to my next point about ANTM.  ANTM is connected to how the audience portrays what a model should “look like.”  Yes, they do a great job keeping the contestants diverse, but they all have the same qualities, thin, attractive and for men, toned and strong facial structures.  They take an ordinary attractive person and make them into a “model.”  Giving them makeovers and making them into this person they just are not! 

            Overall ANTM has taken a turn for the better adding in the male gender.  Hopefully people will understand better how many differences there are between them when it comes down to modeling.  From stance, face, and personality the men in ANTM have revolutionized this series for the better.  I can’t wait to see who will win a man or female!