I spent pretty much all of my middle school/early high school years watching "America's Next Top Model" (ANTM). It was my favorite show, and recently my friends and I have been binge-watching the early seasons of ANTM. As a younger person, I didn't notice how extremely offensive the show used to be in the early seasons, but now I cannot stop cringing while watching them.
1. They did blackface for a photo shoot competition in season four.
Blackface. I have never gasped so much in 30 minutes. For a "Got Milk" ad, the models posed as different races and paired with a child of that race. Tyra Banks, the creator of the show and model, television personality, talk show host, producer, author, actress, singer and business woman, sort of apologized for the use of blackface on the show.
2. They've never heard the phrase "body positivity."
3. They were completely ageist.
Brita was 25 years old, but looked 17. The judges even said she looked 17 years old. But of course, her time on the show ended rather abruptly because of her age and weight.
4. The early 2000s outfits.
I'm offended! Those outfits were awful, but hey, you can't really blame them. They didn't know any better. Let's just try to forget about it.