Actual women. With breasts. And bottoms. And thighs. And tummies. And WALLETS. Which makes it a little surprising that he's so eagerly prepared to play the bitchy judge role in Australia's Next Top Model. Is that good for his brand? For his buisness?
He's no fool and knows how to deliver a sharp soundbite so it's not like he's merely goaded by producers into being provocative or edited unfairly. When he calls a teenage girl a 'wild pig' as he apparently does in the first episode – to be screened on Fox 8 tonight at 7;30pm - he knows what he's doing.
Having said all of that, I'm going to give myself whiplash and point out that in many ways, this is at least an accurate portrayal of the life of a model. That's how many people DO talk about models. These girls are not hired for their personalities or their talents or their kind deeds. It's purely about how they look and what they weigh. This may be unpalatable for many people but it's like trying to pretend that the meat industry doesn't involve killing animals (and no I'm not trying to be a smart arse with the animal analogy).
Modelling is superficial and tough and makes many more girls insecure than it does rich. THAT'S THE REALITY of it, so let's not pretend otherwise. Let's not make it look fun and easy and nurturing. Because any job that depends SOLELY on how you look? Well that's not a ticket to financial or emotional security. Let alone career longevity.
So maybe Alex Perry and Charlotte are doing everyone a favour by showing how modelling really is…….
the young fashion plates a variety of nasty names, describing one as
like "a wild pig", another is described as a "blockhead", and he
describes another as being like "a murderous beauty pageant queen –
JonBenet Ramsey aged 18".
"If I've offended any sensibilities then I'm very sorry," Perry was reported as saying on the weekend. "I guess I was a little bit naughty. But it's in the delivery, too. Wild pig seems harsher in print. But the girl couldn't walk in a straight line. She was all over the shop and I thought she looked like a wild pig scuttling around."
I'm not a fan of model contests. One of the first things I did when I became ed-in-chief of Dolly was to kill the covergirl contest because I didn't feel it was a positive message to send to young girls – that they should aspire to be a model, to be judged entirely on how they looked. That was probably a mistake for the brand and bad for the buisness but for me personally it was an important line in the sand.
Will you be watching the show tonight? I will be. I've watched the past few seasons and I'm looking forward to seeing
Sarah Murdoch hosting – I think she's the perfect choice. A wonderful
mix of industry experience and motherly advice.And quite frankly, I could just stare at her for hours. She's sublimely beautiful. And a good person.
Australia's Next Top Model is more of a reality show than a model contest. It's showbiz not modelling. Alice Burdeau's success as the winner of season 3 is extremely rare. Most of the winners in Australia and America disappear into obscurity…..
Are we getting the message that modelling is NOT a great career goal for girls?
Top Comments
mmmm...I don't know if we should be so quick to judge Alex Perry. His comments I agree are incredibly harsh, but I think we need to look beyond his comments and to the machine that is AusNTM. Sarah Murdoch is the executive producer and clearly knows what generates discussion and talk. Perhaps Perry's comments have created a forum for women and perceptions on acceptable body images. The media continually perpetuates this image, and is now relishing in scrutinising, said fashion designer. I think it's a good thing that people are engaging in this debate - the machine continues to whirl. Today's Alex Perry comment is tomorrow's NW front cover. Oh, but of course they will provide us with 20 reasons why Kim Kardashian is too fat - but as long as they don't call her a 'wild pig' It will be okay.
I watched ANTM last night. Sarah was excellent, so confident and of course beautiful. Alex was bitchy, but hey this is the fashion world after all. Take it or leave it! There was catty comments from the contestants towards each other. Why does confidence equal up yourself? Hopefully, the judges will pull them into line.