Friday, February 20

I'm not a fan

Being too weak to do anything much, I've decided to become a couch potato for the next couple of weeks. Last evening I settled down among the cushions, hot-water bottle on my feet and soft blanket covering my knees; water, a tissue box, my protein drink and the remote control within easy reach. So I started flipping through the channels when - horror among horrors - I came across Germany's Next Top Model. Even more horrendous: it's the 4th season! When this reality show first aired a couple of years ago I watched it like the rest of us thinking it was all about girls being made over, nice clothes, nice photo shoots etc. Little did I know that this show is all about mental torture! Honestly. I couldn't watch till the end. The way these poor girls are treated you'd think they are all hideous, dumb, colour blind and anti-social. Atleast that's how they are portrayed. And then omnipresent super-woman Heidi Klum arrives and seemingly turns them all into Cinderellas. But not before giving them the good cop/bad cop routine, trampling all over their delicate self-esteem, then doing an about-face and fawning all over them the next day. Besides, Klum's incessant and repetitive psycho-babble drives me insane! No wonder the girls are all afraid of her. The hype surrounding Klum, who hails from a small town not very far from here, has been inflated to such ginormous proportions that the woman doesn't seem real anymore. Last year I talked about this show to my pupils (girls, aged 12-14), and they told me they watch this show with dedication. They all want to be like Heidi Klum. One twelve year old told me she needed to lose weight. Frightening. Just imagine...when these girls look into the mirror, what do they see? Intelligence? Creativity? Compassion? No. Their critical eyes only see the surface. Not blond enough, not tall enough, not thin enough and so on and so forth. Each season this show airs is always accompanied by outraged moms, who - like me - believe its underlying message to be detrimental to young girls who seem to watch it religiously. And each season the media downplays and devalues these concerns. They say that's reality T.V. You can choose to watch it or not. Reality? What's real is that it reflects our degenerative (western) society. And that's a sad fact.
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13 comments:

  1. GreenFebruary 20, 2009

    We watch alot of reality shows in our house, but I can't get into the model shows.

    Hope you're doing better each day :)

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  2. Erika February 20, 2009

    You are right. My husband coaches on the side of his regular job and I try not to go to the practices for this type of behavior. The girls are pushed by their parents to be smaller and to put sports before academics! It is sickening.

    But beauty and thinness is revered in our society so unfortunately, shows like this one will continue to be hits.

    ReplyDelete
  3. rkdsign88February 20, 2009

    I know how you felt Duni.
    The most important thing is actually for me is believe in yourself & be yourself :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. GreenFebruary 21, 2009

    Thanks for your nice compliment on my new look :)

    When eveything is installed, I promise to send a pic!!!

    How are you feeling today?

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousFebruary 21, 2009

    Hi Duni!! Hope you are feeling better! I have to agree with this post...I'm not a Top Model fan, either. The only reality tv I watch is the Food Network, LOL. :)

    Thank you for your kind words on my blog!! I have to say, I'm still on Cloud Nine after that big sale! I've got a lot of work to do, though--my inventory got wiped out!!! :)

    Big hugs,
    Abby

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  6. Deborah LambsonFebruary 21, 2009

    I can't wait for the trend to end..I fear for little girls. Parents have to work very very hard to counter all of the body image obsessive garbage that is in the media now.
    Feel better Duni! :)

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  7. Nina MaranaFebruary 21, 2009

    I think these kind of show are over rated. I am with rkdsign88, this what I always tell my daughter (teenager)

    Ms Recipe

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  8. AllisonFebruary 22, 2009

    I can remember, even as a young girl, that my parents always stressed that one day looks will fade and that it is more important to focus on the beauty that is inside. Unfortunately many people channel all their energy and make it their life's focus on extremely shallow values such as beauty and wealth. Unfortunately we do live in a society where outward beauty is prized over intelligence, capabilities, or character. I think sometimes it is easier to point the finger and blame TV, society, music, or whatever keeps the finger from being pointed at oneself. Are parents today really showing by example that it is not the car that one drives, the clothes one wears, or even the way that one looks that determines a persons worth? When a woman decides to pursue career that focuses on her outward appearances instead of more meaningful endeavours, I think it is only realistic for her to realize that such harsh criticism come with the territory.

    But despite all that, I guess when you have made it to your mid-30's, are already past many of life's low self-esteem issues, and are a little more grounded in who you are, one can tolerably watch silly model shows and find them quite entertaining. (plus the fact that it is good practice for my German)

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  9. Kristin February 22, 2009

    Dear Duni,
    Glad to hear you are getting your rest.. and I could not agree with you more.. the hype surrounding these model shows only give a false impression to young girls as to what they should look like.. It really does leave a big imprint on them, and sad to say that that imprint is negative..
    Continued well wishes to you, my friend,
    Kristin

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  10. AnonymousFebruary 22, 2009

    I couldn't agree more. i tried watching this show and felt tortured as well. I was just reading about your virus and hope you get well soon!

    ReplyDelete
  11. LizzyTFebruary 22, 2009

    Sorry to hear you are not well, I hope you are feeling better soon. Thanks for your comments on my blogs new look. I found a great site that has lovely backgrounds to try. I love the cute blogs, yours is lovely and I have been wanting to change mine for some time. I am not a reality tv fan myself either. It is a shame that our children are worried about being too fat, short etc at such a young age.

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  12. AnonymousFebruary 22, 2009

    I'm n iot much of a TV fan, I'd rather read or surf in the internet. Great observations. God bless.

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  13. tashabudFebruary 22, 2009

    Hi Duni,
    I hope you're feeling better. We have a similar TV show here with Tara Banks as the host. She's very kind, but the other judges are very harsh. I only got to watch a few when my son's girlfriend would watch it. I always ask why those girls have to go through the harsh criticisms just to get number one. I'm like you, I'm not a fan either. I hardly watch TV nowadays. But I'm sure if I'm sick and not feeling energy to do anything, I'd be a couch potato and be doing exactly what you're doing too.

    Get well, okay? Have a great day.
    Tasha

    ReplyDelete

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