Media Theories: 'Feminism' and 'Post-feminism'- ‘The America’s Next Top Model’

  The media text introducing in this article is the well-known reality TV programme ‘The America’s Next Top Model’. (ANTM) (The CW Television Network, 2013) It presents the girls from different nationalities compete for a title of ‘America’s Next Top Model’ and the alternative prizes. It broadcasts the girls’ real lives and the process of modelling. It reveals both concept of feminism and post-feminism through the differences of model’s real lives and their career.

  To begin with, the concept of feminism is applied to the role of model. In this programme, the girls need to change their outlook from changing the feminine clothes, showing the sexy pose and following the marketing preference. Women are presented as the passive objects because they could not argue with the fashion professionals about what they wear and act like as the typical women figure. Feminist argue that men take the advantages in the media text as they are presented as powerful, highly educated and having higher economic power. In ANTM, it always emphasizes on sexuality and physical appearance of the girls and they need to pretend as the stereotype of women like having lots of cosmetic product and always being pretty to attract men.

 Conversely, the concept of post-feminism suggests that girls have their right to compete with men and become the active characters. Women have choices to be playful and dominant the society. This theory can be seen in the scenes of models’ real lives. It represents that every girls compete for their dream of being a professional model and show the ambitious to their career. It emphasizes the pain of being a model and reverses public’s view on model. Also, the girls are presented as the active role to date the other male models and they always have gossip related to boys in their gaze. According to Judith Butler (1999), it is suggested that gender is not the result of nature but is socially constructed. The girls’ private lives are projected in the different way from the point of view of traditional women. It is also the reason why this TV programme being successful because it presents both feminism and post-feminism from the part of society’s value of beauty and modern girls’ private lives.