Thursday, September 16, 2010

I cannot look away


Lately, I find myself spending more time in the man cave.

After the girls complete their chores and their homework, we let them unwind with a little TV. And the first thing that comes up on the DVR menu is the latest offering from America's Next Top Model.

I have no stomach for watching these women. Actually, I hesitate to call them women. They're more like high cheekbone, nattering, posing machines. But I do find myself drawn to the antics of Miss Jay Alexander or, as my youngest daughter calls him, Runway Diva Coach Extraordinairre. If you haven't seen him, well here are a few choice shots...


This man takes odd to a whole new level. These photos, grabbed from Google Images, hardly do the experience any justice. In some instances Miss Jay will clothe himself in tenting material or strap a kitchen gadget to his head. It's all in the name of haute couture, an arena I know nothing about.

Another bewildering aspect of the show is the very nature of modeling. The panel seems to go to extraordinary lengths criticizing the model's performance, which I always understood to be the responsibility of the photographer. No one more so than Tyra.

"If you want to make it as a top supermodel, the spark that is within you and makes you unique and distinctive must come through. It's not about posing for the camera it's about being one with the camera. So try doing less of this (cocks her head at an angle) and do more of this (cocks her head at the same angle). Do you see what I'm getting at?"

No.






2 comments:

Ellen November said...

Fully on uncontrolled laughter. I used to watch this show, but always had a hard time with 'him.' And what are his qualifications?
Creep show.
Tyra, what a drama queen.
But so rich!
Rich, you're outnumbered by the ladies.
You have many more years of these atrocious shows to endure!

laura l. sweet said...

I love this post!
And I also love the show.
In all fairness to Tyra, gotta give her kudos for stepping up the seriousness of the show this season. The judges this year are seriously impressive (Diane Von Furstenberg, Patricia Field, photographers Patrick Demarchelier, Francesco Carrozzini, and Matthew Rolston, supermodel Karolina Kurkova, designers Roberto Cavalli, Zac Posen, and Margherita Missoni, Kyle Hagler of IMG Models, and Vogue Italia editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani.) And the new grand prize of featuring the winner on the cover of Italia Vogue.

For all of that, I can put up with the awkward, coltish, anorexic "models" and Runway Diva Coach Extraordinaire, Miss Jay.

And I'm sure your girls hope the same of you. Besides I look forward to some more ANTM related posts from you over the season.