A new clip on Twitter pulled from a YouTube compilation titled “black antm models getting misjudged for 4 minutes” has gone viral over the past week that "shows the panel evaluating untouched and retouched portraits of contestants Yaya DaCosta and Kelle Jacob," says Kyndall Cunningham. "The premise of the photoshoot alone is baffling, in that the women are seemingly being judged for how much their natural faces match up to the airbrushed versions of the photos. To some users, the exercise felt like a smokescreen to allow the judges to point out what they considered to be the women’s flaws—one of the flaws, according to (Nigel) Barker, being DaCosta’s skin, which appears immaculately smooth and blemish-free in both photos but noticeably a few shades lighter in the edited version. Banks assures her that she “can get there.” The judge’s evaluation of Jacob’s photo is even more baffling, as Banks tells her that women of color have to wear more makeup because 'we don’t reflect light.' Maybe the show’s most routinely petty judge Dickinson then goes into an animated bit having the producers switch back and forth between her untouched and retouched photos, comparing it to a Hitchcock film and mimicking horror-film violin screeches. When Jacob retorts that she has 'beautiful skin,' Banks cuts her off and scolds her for 'placing the blame' on the photographer." Last year, Banks acknowledged her problematic behavior after ANTM clips went viral of her mistreating contestants.
TOPICS: Tyra Banks, America's Next Top Model, Reality TV, Retro TV