Was Tyra Banks the Villain? Or Were We?
3/8/202635 min
As millennials march into middle age, many are reconsidering the culture of their youth. A new Netflix documentary, “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model,” is doing just that: exploring how a reality show set out to change the modeling industry, but often wound up humiliating contestants along the way.
The culture editor Nadja Spiegelman sits down with the former modeling agent and brand strategist Kendall Werts and the Opinion writer Jessica Grose to reflect on their relationships to the original show. “I saw these girls being treated so ugly at the time, and I enjoyed it,” Grose says. “And now, with the hindsight of 20 years, I don’t think I would even rewatch the show.”
Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.
This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Vishakha Darbha. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. Mixing and original music by Isaac Jones. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker and Kate Sinclair. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The deputy director of Opinion Shows is Alison Bruzek. The director of Opinion Shows is Annie-Rose Strasser.
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
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Speaker 10:31
[upbeat music] This is The Opinions, a show that brings you a mix of voices from New York Times Opinion. You've heard the news. Here's what to make of it.
Nadja Spiegelman· Host0:43
I'm Nadja Spiegelman, an editor at New York Times Opinion. Like so many millennials, I recently binged the Netflix docuseries Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model. I was in high school when that reality show first aired, and I was completely addicted to it.
Tyra Banks· Soundbite1:07
Five beautiful young ladies stand before me, but I only have four photos in my hands.
Nadja Spiegelman· Host1:12
The original show was a reality TV contest hosted by Tyra Banks, who plucked young women from all over the country competing to win a contract with a modeling agency. I'd never seen anything like it. No one had. I'd never seen real girls on television talking about being gay