In recent weeks, model Tyra Banks has come under fire online. She hasn't committed any crimes, and hasn't said anything particularly inflammatory on social media. Rather, she has been called out on behaviour during her tenure on America's Next Top Model, with one prevailing message suggesting that she 'belongs in jail'. The incidents were wide ranging, and now she has spoken out on the controversy.
Tweeting over the weekend, Tyra{
Many have referred to the post as an apology, although she stops short of saying sorry. Rather, it is an acknowledgement that she overstepped the line at times. America's Next Top Model ran for twenty four seasons, pitting women - and later, men - against each other at photoshoots and fashion-related challenges. Tyra has been criticised for asking contestants to change their ethnicities for shoots, asking them to cut their hair before sending them home, mocking accents and tooth gaps, acting aggressively to individuals like Tiffany (you'll remember the 'I have never in my life shouted at a girl like this' moment) and pretending to be ill and passing out to announce an acting challenge. She also famously asked a contestant to partake in a photoshoot in an open grave, hours after she received a phone call about the death of a close friend.
Nevertheless, the show remains a popular and much-loved staple in the nostalgia canon. Tyra's behaviour is undoubtedly part of that. Did she go too far? Even she, sort of, seems to think so. But it wouldn't have been ANTM without her...
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