About this episode
This week, MacKenzie Green (who auditioned for ANTM) and I talk about the cultural implications of America's Next Top Model documentary Reality Check. We also share fiction and non-fiction books that relate to the themes of the documentary.
Hear us dive into:
- How pop culture—especially America’s Next Top Model—shaped beauty standards, body image, and the way women learned to critique themselves and each other.
- A broader conversation about “girl-on-girl” dynamics: internalized patriarchy, reality TV as a mirror of culture, and why shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race offered a more affirming counterpoint.
- How being a conscious consumer makes all the difference in the media you consume.
Books for the ANTM Syllabus
Girl on Girl by Sophie Gilbert
Cue The Sun! by Emily Nussbaum
Apprentice in Wonderland by Ramin Setoodeh
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
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Follow Co-hosts On Instagram:
Gare Billings @gareindeedreads
Steph Lauer @books.in.badgerland
Brian Watson @readingwithbrian
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