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00:13¡Gracias!
00:30You hear that all the time.
00:31I was rooting for you. We were all rooting for you. How dare you.
00:35They took everything from me. They took my title, the winnings, they de-crowned me.
00:43It's a reality show. Hello.
00:46¡Oh!
00:59¡It was literally the wild, wild west!
01:01Do not bring a chaperone.
01:03You don't have to really feed them.
01:04You don't even have to worry about their schooling.
01:06I had said, I am on diuretic pills.
01:10I am trying to fit a double size zero.
01:14For what?
01:19You're the only thing that is there to protect yourself.
01:30They are young, beautiful, and hungry.
01:33And they arrive here at New York City every day, hoping to break out as fashion's next it girl.
01:39But owning the runway is no easy accomplishment.
01:42This week, we're diving into the wild world of modeling.
01:5020 years ago, Tyra Banks launched her quest to find America's next top model.
01:56It was a potent mix in the early days of reality TV, with one of the world's most successful supermodels
02:03apparently wielding the power.
02:06Well, now a new streaming audience has discovered that show.
02:09And one thing is clear.
02:11What may have been invoked then is not just passé, but what many are calling problematic.
02:16From claims of bullying, body shaming, to behavior the supermodel herself has called wrong.
02:22So, what do former contestants and judges have to say?
02:26We found out.
02:42We're going to keep it civilized and we're going to stay focused because each of you had such a unique
02:48experience.
02:49Any time America's next top model is brought up personally for me, it brings a smile to my face.
02:54It gave me a lot of opportunity and changed the course and direction of my life.
02:59It's not that deep.
02:59It's not loaded to me.
03:01It's not.
03:01It's cute.
03:02I just want more compassion for people on reality television and also to expose the formula that has hurt a
03:11lot of us.
03:11I won Cycle 17.
03:13And what happened after that?
03:14They took everything from me.
03:16My title, the winnings.
03:17They decrowned me.
03:18Anjalee Preston, Kenya Hill, Lisa D'Amato, and Tiffany Richardson.
03:26They're four of the most well-known women to compete to become America's next top model.
03:32Hello, ladies.
03:33More than 300 contestants in all across 24 seasons.
03:38The hit reality show helped define the early era of reality TV before ending in 2018.
03:44We've grown up loving and watching one of our favorite shows of all time.
03:48But viewers are still not done with it.
03:51Ever since the start of the pandemic, when people started binging old TV shows,
03:56top model has been having another moment in the spotlight.
03:59Some viewers are turning to TikTok, YouTube, and podcasts,
04:03sharing how some of those throwback shows suddenly feel different.
04:09I started re-watching America's Next Top Model season one,
04:11and I could not believe the things that came out of those people's mouths.
04:14America's Next Top Model has become a poster child
04:17for how quickly society's views can shift.
04:20Hi, everyone.
04:21Welcome back to another episode of
04:22why America's Next Top Model is the most toxic show of its decade.
04:25The most unattractive thing in the world to me is a quitter.
04:27And how what's viewed as appropriate can completely change.
04:31This show is literally why I experienced eating disorders growing up.
04:36Ciao.
04:36The people on social media were talking real heavy about Top Model, okay?
04:40And they were letting Tyra have it.
04:42They were talking about the usage of blackface.
04:45There's a twist.
04:46We are actually going to switch your ethnicities.
04:49Like a scene from Cycle 4 in 2005,
04:51when a modeling photo shoot was race-swapping.
04:55What in the cultural appropriation, racist, blackface bullshit is this?
05:03In hindsight, it was incredibly problematic,
05:05but at the time was just a kooky challenge from Tyra Banks.
05:10It really is incredible how different things were 20 years ago.
05:13I didn't think too much of it at the time.
05:15I didn't think anything about it either.
05:17Now I'm like...
05:18With Top Model finding a new audience,
05:21ABC News assembled a group of four former contestants
05:24to discuss the show's legacy and cultural impact.
05:29Some of them hadn't seen each other since appearing on the show until now.
05:35Can you even imagine if you were to do it now?
05:38But now we would know because we will be acting better
05:40because we know the cameras are...
05:42They're going to show everything.
05:43Give me one word that crosses your mind.
05:45It's iconic.
05:46Extra.
05:48That's fair.
05:49Extra.
05:50That's fair.
05:52Tiffany...
05:53We're not worthy.
05:55We're all rooting for you.
05:55You must hear that all the time.
05:58Stop it!
05:59I have never in my life yelled at a girl like this.
06:02When my mother yells at this, it's because she loves me.
06:05I was rooting for you.
06:06We were all rooting for you.
06:07How dare you learn something from this?
06:11America's Next Top Model was a cultural phenomenon.
06:15So the winner of this challenge...
06:16Spawning catchphrases and memes year after year.
06:20Can you smize?
06:22Without going like this?
06:26America's Next Top Model is a global phenomenon, okay?
06:30It was a reality TV that became the giant legendary goddess of all reality TV.
06:36And I think also, too, reality TV was so new at the time.
06:41And so this idea of being a warrior, looking into other people's lives was so fresh.
06:47I launched a nationwide search, and people sent in tapes from all over the country.
06:52The first season, or cycle, as the show liked to call them, aired in 2003, around the same time that
06:58those competition-based reality shows were really just starting to gain popularity.
07:04Like The Amazing Race.
07:0522 people who have decided to take a break from their everyday lives and embark on a race around the
07:11world for $1 million.
07:14Survivor.
07:15They've been given two minutes to salvage whatever they can off this boat.
07:19You don't need...
07:20American Idol.
07:21What can make me feel this way, my girl?
07:26Steven, Steven, Steven.
07:28It's dope.
07:28So this idea of taking regular people, doing regular things, injecting them in front of millions of people, and hopefully
07:36they get started on what's like a thing.
07:38This can totally change your life.
07:41Young girls from across the country started applying, hoping to get on the show that promised big rewards, usually including
07:49a modeling contract, a spread in a fashion magazine, and a cash prize.
07:55$100,000 contract with a cover girl, a national campaign for Express, a spread in Italian Vogue.
08:01The show is the brainchild of showrunner Ken Mock and supermodel Tyra Banks.
08:06I would say America's Next Top Model stuck out amongst the other reality shows at the time, in large part
08:13due to Tyra Banks.
08:15Hey, just start judging.
08:19Wherever you are, Mariah, don't hate.
08:22You know Tyra Banks.
08:23She is a household name.
08:25She began her modeling career when she was just 15, and in no time, she skyrocketed to stardom, going on
08:32to become one of the few black women to reach supermodel status.
08:38Tyra Banks, when did I first get a load of that babe?
08:41She was this up-and-coming, skinny, knock-kneed model, very spindly, you know, just with these big, big eyes.
08:53And she got jobs that other people didn't.
08:57She was the first black woman on the cover of Sports Illustrated, AMGQ, a Victoria's Secret angel.
09:03She took on acting roles, starring in the movie Life Size, alongside Lindsay Lohan, and playing Will Smith's love interest
09:11on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and, of course, creating and hosting a reality TV franchise.
09:17We cannot deny that this woman created a cultural phenomenon that changed the tide of not only fashion and beauty,
09:26but television and media.
09:28Along with Tyra, a black supermodel, you had queer representation in Miss J. Alexander and Mr. J., these guest judges,
09:37Andre Leon Talley as well.
09:39Not only were they just visible on screen, they were treated with respect.
09:43She looks not dreck.
09:45No dreckitude.
09:46No dreckitude.
09:47The judging panel frequently had reoccurring judges, including Janice Dickinson, who, her claim to fame is that she is the
09:54quote-unquote first supermodel.
09:55And she was a really sort of brassy force on the panel.
10:00You know why I coined the term supermodel?
10:03Why?
10:03Because I can.
10:04Janice Dickinson!
10:06How could I forget?
10:07Janice Dickinson.
10:08I'm detecting a little bit of attitude from you.
10:10Zip it, bitch.
10:11Zip it.
10:12You're dead in my book.
10:13I think a Next American's top model is not a plus-size model.
10:16No, I'm sorry.
10:17I wasn't cruel.
10:18You don't think so?
10:19I don't think I was cruel at all.
10:22100%.
10:23I was correct.
10:25So you stand by everything you say.
10:27I do.
10:29If I hurt anyone's feelings, and even the viewers' feelings for watching something like this take place, then I apologize
10:36for that.
10:37Because I'm not in the business to hurt anyone or make enemies or make people feel bad.
10:43That's not who I am as a person.
10:44I was hired to be, like, the female Simon Cowell on the show.
10:49Janice Dickinson.
10:50She was one of the most successful models of the 70s and 80s before becoming a judge on the show.
10:57When everyone was giving these sweet, lovely answers about how everything is rosy and, you know, rainbows and unicorns, Miss
11:07Banks was the protagonist and I was the antagonist.
11:10There are former contestants who are upset or feel like it wasn't what they hoped it would be.
11:17What's your response to them?
11:19Do you just feel like they should have known better?
11:22No, I don't expect them to know better because they're young girls.
11:26So do you think that this was a Ken Mock, Tyra Banks, other producers, they saw an opportunity for a
11:33successful reality TV show, and it played right into...
11:38The heart of America.
11:40It absolutely played right into the hearts of the young girls out there hoping to grow up and to be
11:46the winner of America's Next Top Models because that's the real deal.
11:50That's on television.
11:52The show had the contestants competing against each other in a series of modeling challenges, and it's safe to say
11:59are controversial looking at it now.
12:05Like on Cycle 6, where Tyra tells one contestant that her tooth gap wasn't marketable.
12:12So, Danielle, you went to the dentist, but you refused to have your gap closed.
12:16Do you really think you can have a cover girl contract with a gap in your mouth?
12:18Yeah, why not?
12:19This is all people see.
12:22What was...
12:23And look, watching it back, it didn't age well.
12:27No.
12:28And that's why it is such a big thing now because people watch back and you're like, oh my gosh,
12:34like how did, how as a society were we here?
12:36And it wasn't that long ago.
12:38What was it like at the time when that happened?
12:42Girl, I mean, you know, it's reality TV, but we all had to fit a certain characters.
12:51Without Twitter and your ability to respond, how do you think?
12:58It was different.
12:59It was so long ago.
13:00So, the game that you guys have now because you have the internet and all these other things, we didn't
13:05have.
13:05We just watched it on TV when it came on once a week.
13:08So, we didn't know how to act when we get on TV.
13:12It's like, we were creating it.
13:15Keenya, when you watch this show back, what's hardest for you about what you see versus your lived experience?
13:23Would you want to watch yourself at 19 years old?
13:26Absolutely not.
13:27We look back at America's Next Top Model and it's easy to say, oh, it was problematic, it's not woke.
13:34In 2003, we did not have the word woke.
13:37We didn't really have that language and so we weren't able to sort of pinpoint the problems and hear it
13:44in the series in the way that we are now.
13:47In a statement to Impact, Ken Mock, in part, told us, quote,
13:51When Tyra and I created America's Next Top Model in 2001, we wanted to use the series as a tool
13:57for positive change.
13:59Tyra and I had one goal in mind, to change the definition of beauty.
14:04Back then, the fashion industry lacked any sort of real diversity.
14:07How are you?
14:09I am great now that you're here.
14:11Tyra talked about the recent backlash in 2020 on Tamron Hall.
14:15I created it to introduce diversity and inclusion into a world that was pretty much not representing that.
14:24And we made so many inroads.
14:26This is almost 20 years ago.
14:27Right, right.
14:29But at the same time, we were still operating in a world, I was still a model at the time,
14:35not a retired model yet, and still operating in this world that had so many rules and so many like,
14:42you know,
14:42I was trying to push boundaries, but was also torn to like, try to make sure that these girls could
14:48work, you know, so it was a balance.
14:52It was like, oh, break beauty barriers, but yeah, I can break them all I want on the show.
14:56Oh, they'll graduate from the show and they won't work.
14:58I wouldn't say that it's necessarily a regret.
15:00I think it was just wrong.
15:03So maybe even stronger than regret.
15:06There's many things.
15:08A lot of it is, you know, telling somebody that they needed to change something because I had model agents
15:13here saying these three girls could really, really work, but this must change.
15:17So there was a whole behind the scenes thing happening.
15:19Seeing the issues on some of the episodes is more clear now with 20 years hindsight.
15:25And America's Next Hot Model is far from the only show that reads differently two decades later, like The Swan
15:33on Fox.
15:34Each looking to fulfill their fantasies of going from ugly ducklings.
15:38People just don't understand what it feels like to feel ugly.
15:42I'm afraid that nobody else would ever love me.
15:44To beautiful swans.
15:46Or Bravo's boy meets boy.
15:49What neither the gay suitors nor the leading men know is that some of the suitors are straight men pretending
15:55to be gay.
15:56And how about Are You Hot? The search for America's sexiest people on ABC.
16:01There will be no dance numbers.
16:04No one will sing or tell jokes.
16:06The only thing that matters.
16:08Are you hot?
16:10A lot of reality shows and a lot of shows in general don't transcend.
16:15They don't make an impact.
16:16For all of its flaws and all of its faults, America's Next Hot Model certainly made an impact and will
16:22be remembered.
16:22The provocative program offered a peek into the posh world of modeling while trying to challenge the status quos of
16:32the fashion industry.
16:33And it advertised itself as an avenue for young people to become top models.
16:39Winning America's Next Top Model was sold as a golden ticket into the fashion industry, into the modeling world.
16:49That didn't always pan out.
16:50It's a reality show!
16:52Hello!
16:54It was never about...
16:55Did I say anything of meaning on this show here today, this interview?
16:58It's a reality show!
17:00Really? So that's the bottom line.
17:02It was not about making The Next Top Model.
17:04No! It's a reality show.
17:06And they had to come up with snappy episodics to fill in the time.
17:11What was America's Next Top Model to you before you got on?
17:14Nothing. I didn't even know about the show like that. My grandmother liked the show.
17:18And she was, like, forcing me, like, oh, you should do it.
17:21And I think I watched a couple shows before I actually went to try out.
17:24And then it was what it was. But it wasn't that deep.
17:28But I, like, I mess with Tyra heavy.
17:30Like, I always liked the Tyra from Fresh Prince and everything.
17:33So it was, it was before, it wasn't necessarily the show.
17:36It was Tyra.
17:37It was Tyra.
17:38It's Tyra.
17:39Yes.
17:40Thanks.
17:41Underlying.
17:42Period. Period.
17:43Period. I'm going to see Tyra.
17:44Tyra.
17:45I don't know about the rest of y'all, but they're on the show.
17:47When they say, Tyra going to be there, I'm going to be there.
17:49You're going to be there.
17:49Tiffany knows I'm, I'm competitive in a healthy way, in a healthy way.
17:54But I, I definitely just saw it as an opportunity.
17:59An opportunity to meet Tyra and follow out a dream that was a very new, fresh dream for me.
18:07Ready?
18:14And exactly.
18:16Cycle 4's Kenia Hill is one of the few contestants still in the modeling world, mentoring and coaching young models.
18:23You can have the facts straight up or you can even curve and round that.
18:26With advice she didn't always get on the show.
18:30So, this is my portfolio.
18:35You really want to start getting really creative, especially when you have like a chair shot, right?
18:40The modeling industry can be very, very intimidating.
18:43A lot of things can happen that can really affect your self-confidence and kind of dim your light.
18:50Back in 2005, 20-year-old Kenia had just been cast on the fourth cycle of America's Next Top Model
18:57and was on her way to meet her idol.
19:00Tyra was a huge part of me wanting to be on America's Next Top Model.
19:05At that time, it was Tyra, Naomi, Christy Turlington.
19:10And I was just so inspired by these women.
19:12They were incredibly confident.
19:13Here is your best shot.
19:15But the judges didn't hold back.
19:17You learn how to suck it in, girlfriend.
19:20I got the same stomach, girl.
19:21But I got to hold it in like when I'm a model.
19:23You got to work with what you got.
19:24That's a whole other conversation because they were talking about my weight on the show.
19:29And they were like, you know, make sure you give her a crop top.
19:32Make sure you show her stomach.
19:34Dino, you get to be the elephant.
19:36I don't know how we all say that.
19:38One week is gluttony, next week is an elephant.
19:42I definitely felt like I was body shamed.
19:45We reached out to Tyra's team for comment on this and didn't hear back.
19:49And I remember being a child being like, Kiyah is not big at all.
19:54But if Tyra, the knowledge of all knowledge, is saying, you know, Kiyah needs to watch out for that.
19:59I do remember standing in front of the mirror and being like, am I, am I too, too big, too?
20:06Is this too much flesh?
20:06I need you to be you.
20:09I need to believe this.
20:10I need it to feel carefree.
20:11And I need you to stop posing for the camera.
20:14Then, on a photo shoot in South Africa, Kiyah was asked to pose with male models.
20:18And that situation felt really uncomfortable.
20:25What's the issue?
20:26I know it's not about feeling comfortable, but hearing moaning, it just threw me off.
20:31Moaning where?
20:32Like, on me, like, I'm sorry, I just didn't feel comfortable.
20:37He was wearing, like, a really thin little cloth over his parts.
20:44And he was turned on, okay, and was grunting.
20:52And it really made me feel incredibly uncomfortable.
20:56In a statement to Impact, that male model, Bertini Omini, told us it wasn't my intention to make her feel
21:03uncomfortable.
21:04I just wanted her to have a good picture.
21:06So I thought to myself in that moment, what would Tyra do in this moment?
21:11With your feminine wiles, like, well, you best to back up before I knock you upside the head.
21:15But you do it in a fun way where he knows to back the heck up.
21:18Tyra expressed that I was being a bit of a diva for stopping the shoot.
21:24And that was a huge shock to me, especially considering that I thought I was doing something that Tyra would
21:30do.
21:31And that definitely would not fly today.
21:35We reached out to Tyra's team for comment on this and didn't hear back.
21:42Despite experiencing some of the show's most problematic moments, Kenya remains grateful for her time.
21:49My message would be to all women, just say if you're uncomfortable.
21:52If you're doing a photo shoot or if you're in line at the grocery store and someone is standing too
21:58close to you, speak up and say something.
22:00You know, it's a good thing.
22:24Well, I'm going to get my son right now from school and go and get him something to eat.
22:30Hi, mom.
22:31Hi, baby.
22:32Hi.
22:33Hi.
22:34Hi.
22:34Hi.
22:34Close to her boy.
22:36Oh, okay.
22:38Like Kenya, Anjalee Preston dreamed of becoming a supermodel.
22:43She's now a mother and a journalist working in national radio.
22:47I wanted to be a model.
22:48I wanted to, like, you know, I'm not going to lie.
22:51I wanted to have the fame, but I also wanted to have a career off of it.
22:55Hi, y'all.
22:55How are you?
22:56I am.
22:57She was 24 when she joined the house on Cycle 14 of America's Next Top Model.
23:02It was my dream come true.
23:03I'm ready to kick ass.
23:05You just went boom, boom, boom.
23:07When they were like, come on, Cycle 14.
23:09And I was like, yes.
23:11I was like, yay.
23:15And then you've come so far.
23:18Anjalee went far on that season, but was eliminated right before the finale.
23:23Oh, trust me.
23:24You will be seeing me again.
23:25Know that.
23:26I have high hopes for you.
23:27After returning home, while other contestants were getting calls from modeling agencies, her phone was silent.
23:37Times were hard, and Anjalee had to find ways to make ends meet.
23:41She says for a short time, a male acquaintance forced her to do sex work against her will.
23:48This guy is like, you know, you can make some money.
23:51You don't have to do anything that you don't want to do.
23:54You just go on dates.
23:56That's all you do.
23:57So I was like, oh, that's fine.
23:59I could do that.
24:00And so I believed him.
24:03And then found myself in a very traumatic situation.
24:17I was like, girl, don't you start tearing up because you've been told this story a million times.
24:23I guess I'm still ashamed to verbalize it because I just can't believe that I put myself in that situation.
24:32So I did it.
24:33I went through all the past cycles and brought back your favorite.
24:37She got a second chance and was invited back for All-Star Cycle 17.
24:42Oh, my God.
24:43From Easy Breezy Beautiful.
24:45Cover girl.
24:46With high hopes this would be her season.
24:49And things went exactly as planned.
24:52And we're here for a special finale.
24:54Until they didn't.
24:56Yeah, it turns out that after shooting was wrapped, our production team and the network learned information from Anjalee that
25:03disqualifies her from the competition.
25:08Anjalee says she was crowned winner in the original finale, but that never made it to air.
25:14Lisa.
25:15In the finale that did air, Lisa D'Amato was crowned winner.
25:20Anjalee filed a lawsuit against America's Next Top Model, alleging the show falsely publicly announced that the winner of Cycle
25:2817 was 30-year-old Lisa D'Amato.
25:30The suit also alleges production knew about Anjalee's past sex work ahead of filming, quote,
25:37From initial casting to the conclusion of the production of Cycle 17, defendants were on actual and or constructive notice
25:45of Preston's past escorting activity.
25:49When we asked about that, a source close to production told ABC News production did not know of her former
25:55job title ahead of time.
25:59Anjalee dropped her lawsuit after three and a half years.
26:15You guys haven't seen each other since, since, uh, yeah, since all that, over 10 years.
26:20And in person, we haven't seen each other.
26:23What's that?
26:23I tried to, I tried to reach out to her after it all went down, but I could only imagine,
26:28like, how guarded she was.
26:30Um, there's a lot of things that we weren't allowed to talk about, but one thing in particular that really
26:34broke, I didn't know a lot of your backstory.
26:36But what they had done to her broke my heart so bad.
26:39And then you still, why did you still go along with it?
26:42What do you mean?
26:43Go along with what?
26:44The reshoot?
26:45Yeah.
26:45Because I also went for redemption.
26:47That's also my story.
26:49You gotta understand that I was projected all over the world as an alcoholic, crazy person that pissed in a
26:54diaper.
26:55I wanted to be in the industry.
26:57This was my dream.
26:58So it was devastating to me.
27:00I went on the all-stars for the real reason, to, like, let everyone see, like, the person that I
27:08truly am.
27:08This was really, really early in the reality world game.
27:11And so we, I had no idea, the idea of scripted reality wasn't even a thing yet.
27:17We just thought, we all thought it was real still then, right?
27:21Well, while we were filming, yeah, we were just thinking, at least I was thinking.
27:23I'm saying we like I was there with you.
27:24I felt like I was.
27:25You were there.
27:26You were there.
27:27But no, we, I definitely thought, okay, this film crew is just going to record all of this stuff.
27:33And I didn't notice anything.
27:34And then when I would watch the show come, like, air, I noticed from little things like the music being
27:40really dark for just one particular girl.
27:43I would pay attention to that, like, okay, I know how this went in reality.
27:48And now there are all these cues to who's going home.
27:52Yeah.
27:52And who's going to make it.
27:54And who's going to probably be here for a while.
27:56So as we've talked so much about how different things were 20 years ago, the race switching.
28:02Race switch.
28:03Now there's a twist.
28:03We are actually going to switch your ethnicities.
28:08Kenya, Korean.
28:11Michelle, an Eskimo woman.
28:13And Noelle, we're making you into a traditionally African woman with a head wrap and everything.
28:18I didn't think too much of it at the time.
28:20I thought it was cool.
28:21It was fun.
28:22Do you feel like the people watching it now, they have a much different reaction than the folks who were
28:28watching it at the time.
28:30Do you chalk some of it up to the popularity of the show, the things that they were able to
28:35get away with on television, to the fact that we were just living in a different time then?
28:40Yeah, I do.
28:41Yeah?
28:42Just living in a different time.
28:43It's definitely a different time, but there's still no excuse.
28:46But other than that, like, I also have positive things to say about Talmodel.
28:50Like, I also had great experiences and met cool people.
28:53We got a couple of statements from a source close to production.
28:57We just got?
28:58Okay.
28:58Like, actually.
28:59As we were actually close to wrapping up the roundtable, we got a response from someone close to production.
29:05This is part of it.
29:06A source close to production saying in a statement to us,
29:10A&TM was a vetted industry project by a reputable network with extensive safety personnel on hand.
29:18The network and development executives signed off on each season's creative grid, gave notes, and ultimately approved clearance for the
29:24theme and content for each show.
29:26The show revolutionized the fashion industry and before today's powerful beauty and body inclusivity movement.
29:32With an abundance of time passing and new understandings, one is bound to recognize areas that are significantly different than
29:38where the world exists presently, as with many shows of its time.
29:42That was boring as hell.
29:43Who's the source?
29:44That was literally, I would expect nothing less.
29:47It makes sense in a way, but to me it still seems a little like glossed over.
29:52So do you have some compassion or extra level of understanding for Tyra?
29:58No, I ain't got no compassion.
29:59I ain't going to tell you that no more.
30:00I ain't going to tell you that no more.
30:01No.
30:02Understandings.
30:03Understandings.
30:05Understandings.
30:06But you're not going to give her compassion.
30:07We're not giving her compassion for making money off us.
30:09No, we're not going to do that in this segment.
30:11So if you really look at all of this stuff, they're trying to make America and the viewers happy, you
30:17know?
30:18And I know that this is why I know you don't want to use the word compassion, but I have
30:23understanding or whatever you want to call it for Tyra because I know that she's not calling all of the
30:29shots.
30:30This was a reality show about our dreams.
30:34So when we say, like, do we give Tyra credit?
30:36She had a responsibility to help be a leader in our dreams, and she didn't do that.
30:41If she was just somebody who was doing the amazing race, then I wouldn't give a shit.
30:45She could do whatever she wants.
30:46Make money off of us.
30:47We reached out to Tyra's team for comment on this and didn't hear back.
30:51Make us look a fool.
30:53But doing it at the careers that we so desperately wanted to be a part of, that's where it's insanely
30:57offensive.
30:58Because you didn't sign up just to be on a reality show.
31:01You signed up.
31:02But I blame myself because I wouldn't even want to be on a model show now.
31:05Like, being who I am, I wouldn't want to do this.
31:07Why would I want to go in front of somebody?
31:09That's why I say that had to be our dream.
31:11And the more I say it, I'm like, maybe it wasn't my dream.
31:13Like, everybody always tell me that.
31:14Like, you didn't really want it, but...
31:16I really, maybe I didn't because to have somebody pick me apart and tell me what I'm supposed to be
31:21and trying to fit into something that I'm not supposed to fit into is kind of corny.
31:26Looking back on your experience, you're not completely satisfied with how things went with America's Next Top Model.
31:32No, I'm not completely satisfied with the events that took place on America's Next Top Model.
31:38I was extremely satisfied with my work and the work that I put in on camera
31:43and the interchanging moments that I had with the models
31:46and the one-on-one with the models and, you know, trying to big sister the models
31:51and showing them something that all models need to have is confidence.
31:55Everything that I've been through is the reason why I'm here.
31:59So I wouldn't change. I wouldn't change anything.
32:02I would just tell myself to, uh, don't worry.
32:06Don't worry about everything's going to be okay.
32:08I was not, I was 19, I was a completely different person.
32:11So I don't, I mean, it's kind of funny that there are so many people on the planet
32:16who know the 19-year-old version of me.
32:19We are all different women now.
32:21We've grown now.
32:26How does a business based on exclusivity become a more inclusive place?
32:31Well, it might start with a long, hard look in the mirror.
32:35Coco Rocha, she's known as the queen of pros for what she does on the runway.
32:40But it's her whole experience in fashion, from the pressure of perfection to sexual harassment
32:45that she's sharing with the next generation of propuls.
32:48Her goal? The makeover industry that she says is so necessary.
32:54Nightline anchor Juju Chang stepped into the supermodel's world to learn more.
33:07So I need two looks, actually.
33:09Sitting.
33:09Sitting and walking.
33:10And walking.
33:11I think I want you to wear this, because this also sitting would be amazing over the chair.
33:16And so what goes under this one?
33:18A little black dress.
33:20Okay.
33:20Super simple.
33:23Can we try the floral suit, too?
33:25I'll be the assistant.
33:30Are we ready?
33:34Fabulous.
33:35My goodness.
33:38Coco Rocha needs a few fabulous outfits for an upcoming reality show.
33:42She's cute.
33:42Her friend, Christian Siriano, who shot to fame on Project Runway, is happy to oblige.
33:48Okay, come on.
33:50This is a vibe.
33:51Wow.
33:52This is like Bowie giving you glamour.
33:55Glamour and power.
33:56Coco, better known as the queen of pose, she's dominated the fashion industry for two decades.
34:03Having graced major magazine covers like the fashion Bible, Vogue, and stomping down runways
34:10for haute couture houses like Jean-Paul Gaultier, Dior, and Chanel.
34:17She's also been a guest judge on shows like Project Runway.
34:21Hi, guys.
34:23These days, she's helping lead a revolution for issues like body positivity and safety
34:28for working models.
34:29How do you think she's affected change?
34:32She's inspiring a younger generation to, I think, not just be a model.
34:37This is really great.
34:39In the fashion business, models often find themselves at the bottom of the food chain.
34:43Her weapon of choice to change all that is to mold the next generation of aspiring models
34:48at the Coco Rocha Model Camp.
34:55We're taking a rare behind-the-scenes look at this master class in pose and runway.
35:04Coco pulls back the curtain on the hyper-competitive, often ruthless modeling business, all in the
35:10hopes of revolutionizing fashion, one model at a time.
35:16Ailee, ten seconds.
35:18Ready?
35:18One.
35:19Two.
35:20I'm crocodile.
35:21You've got to run.
35:23Ten!
35:25Coco in mom mode is playful.
35:27Woo!
35:30Nurturing.
35:31Color in.
35:32The mom of three grew up in Canada, little Mikayla Rocha, with a passion for dance.
35:38I was discovered at an Irish dance competition.
35:41This individual came up to me and he was like, have you ever thought of modeling?
35:45Fast forward from Irish dancer to fashion darling.
35:49Coco became one of the first supermodels to express herself on social media.
35:53Eager to speak her mind about the dangers models face, she turned to activism, empowered
35:58by one very powerful player in fashion.
36:01Anna Wintour came to you and said, give a public address about some of the dark backroom stuff
36:09about the modeling industry.
36:10I had said, from this stage, I have lost my period, that I am on diuretic pills, that
36:17I am trying to fit a double size zero for what?
36:22I was also then known as the model that was wanting change in a time that change was such
36:29a bad idea.
36:29So I started talking about sexual harassment to underage models.
36:34I know the advice you give to your students now is, if something makes you feel wrong,
36:40then it's wrong.
36:42Yes.
36:42I remember being told to remove my garments.
36:46First of all, my mom has been told to go home to the hotel.
36:49She felt like, okay, leaving her with adults, these are the industry leaders here, so I
36:55guess I'll go.
36:55And how old are you at this point?
36:56I think 16.
36:59Underage.
36:59Underage.
37:00I was told, all right, so you're just going to be semi-nudes.
37:04I remember saying, um, I don't think so.
37:08And they said, well, it's either this or you go home back to Canada.
37:12And I think at the time, I just wanted, you know, like, let me do what the adults need
37:19me to do.
37:20And then, like, let me get out of here.
37:22Her activism helped expand a New York state law to include underage models, finally requiring
37:28those under 16 to have a chaperone at photo shoots or castings.
37:32Prior to the 2013 law that you helped pass, in what ways were underage models abused routinely?
37:40It was literally the wild, wild west here.
37:43Do not bring a chaperone.
37:44You don't have to really feed them.
37:46You don't even have to worry about their schooling.
37:48If anything should happen physically, mentally, emotionally, no one would know.
37:53And it was very easy to just get a new model.
37:59Protecting other up-and-coming models is precisely why she founded the Coco Rocha Model Camp back
38:04in 2018.
38:05There is no school.
38:07We don't go to a university of modeling.
38:10There isn't a business program for us.
38:12So to understand contracts, your rights, agencies, the accounting system, it is mind-boggling
38:21the sort of behind-the-scenes that models are expected to understand on day one.
38:29Models like Angela Vaughn.
38:31This is like the start of my model journey.
38:34I like to, of course, wear my natural hair in a lot of my photos.
38:39I always got the, oh, you're so tall, you should model kind of thing.
38:44And I was just worried about how the industry was towards a woman.
38:47Like, it was always about being really skinny, and I didn't want to be boxed into that area.
38:52But then I was like, you know what, I'm just going to try it.
38:54We'll bring this.
38:56I like this one.
38:57The 22-year-old STEM grad is among the dozens of aspiring models from around the country and
39:02the world, seizing a spot at Coco's 106th boot camp.
39:07It might work.
39:08I'm just really excited.
39:09I don't know what to expect.
39:11Okay.
39:12Yeah.
39:13Everything's good to go.
39:23It's the first big class at the camp.
39:26The energy in the room, electric.
39:29Coco switches from supermodel to mentor.
39:32All right, it's 9 o'clock.
39:34Let's start.
39:36The music starts.
39:38You pose, pose, pose, pose.
39:40Here we go.
39:43In the next few exercises, Angela and the others will be asked to harness the power of emotions.
39:49Pain.
39:50Anger.
39:52Confusion.
39:54Joy.
39:55Welcome to modeling.
39:59The past few years, we talk about diversity more than ever.
40:02And as you can see in this room, you are very different from each other, and that's how we
40:06choose to have our camps.
40:09Next up, runway class.
40:15Shoulders back, hips forward, leading with your hips, extension of leg and feet.
40:20Okay, here we go.
40:29Okay, I'm going to do my walk.
40:49Hello, hello.
40:51So, welcome to the Q&A.
40:54I am Barbara Walters.
40:56Before wrapping up for the day, Coco and her husband of 13 years, Camp co-founder James
41:01Conran, sit down with the models for a frank discussion about the industry.
41:05So, someone said, how can I deal with creeps on set?
41:09Ask other models their experience.
41:12Even then, if it's the first time working with someone, bring a friend.
41:16If there's a weird vibe, that friend is going to be ready to grab your stuff, and you're
41:20going to walk out of that situation.
41:22And however you reacted, it was right for that moment, because your safety matters more
41:26than anything.
41:34First things first.
41:35Have so much fun today.
41:36Please, go ahead and take some risks in your movement and your poses.
41:42All right, my love.
41:43So, I'm going to do my photo shoot.
41:58Yes!
42:00Angela is soaking it all in, as each of the models get their moment in the spotlight.
42:04I like it.
42:08It's amazing.
42:09You know, like a new me.
42:12She's like a revolutionary.
42:14This right now, it's all about your movement.
42:15I see it.
42:16All right.
42:17Go!
42:18Go for it!
42:19Yay!
42:20And when you look at the image of yourself, what do you see?
42:23Hi.
42:25This is kind of speechless.
42:27I saw what I hoped and dreamed was possible, but honestly, never truly thought less.
42:34Finally, it's time for Angela's close-up.
42:37How is it here?
42:38Here we go!
42:40Yay!
42:40Woo!
42:41Woo!
42:46Keep going!
42:47I don't know what you're doing, but I like it!
42:49Regardless of what I do, I just want to make sure I'm still Angela at the end of the day.
42:53Ah!
42:54Go!
42:55I love it!
42:58Woo-hoo!
42:59I love this.
43:01Good job.
43:02The one thing, you've got a gorgeous face.
43:04Your go-to face is stunning.
43:06Give range.
43:07Give me some range.
43:08I really don't let me feel what you're doing, okay?
43:11You're very good.
43:12And are you signed?
43:14No, I'm not.
43:15I'm not signed.
43:15I bet you you will get signed.
43:17However, slow down when people do give you a contract.
43:21Don't get too eager.
43:23Three, two, one.
43:25Nice job.
43:26In a way, you're asking them to define what's beautiful instead of making the industry define it for them.
43:32I think too many times I was trying to tell the industry, this is how you have to change, and
43:37it worked to a point, but also it felt like I was forcing it down people's throats.
43:42So to create Model Camp, it was my way of saying, I'll train you, now you go out there and
43:47tell them how it's done.
44:03Right?
44:17Right, right.
44:20You're right.
44:24Right.
44:28There's not a great deal.
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