Perhaps by now you have heard that ANTM‘s 13th cycle will feature contestants 5’7″ and under. Casting director Michelle Mock-Falcon tells Entertainment Weekly:
“Since the show started, we’ve always had girls under 5’7″ asking and begging, quite frankly, Tyra to please give them a chance. I mean, she would get stopped in the street, in restaurants, anywhere, by girls asking how they can do it being as short as they are. We’ve been thinking about it for a while now, what a great opportunity to give these girls that opportunity. The show is all about opportunity…”
Quick, say opportunity again! But seriously: If there’s one thing models are supposed to be, it’s tall. Striking? Sure. Thin? Maybe, maybe not. Tall? Yes. Naturally, Mock-Falcon brings up the woman everyone brings up when speaking of exceptions to this rule:
“Kate Moss is a prime example,” she says. “Tyra knows a stream of supermodels that are under that size and are very successful, so she said, ‘Why not?’ It’s gonna be all about the face and the package as a whole.”
Newsflash: No one still thinks a Kate Moss-eque “top model” will come out of this competition. It’s about “personalities,” catfights, catalog work and Cover Girl. And: Won’t ditching the height requirement just mean the winner will be taken even less seriously? On the other hand, since the show is clearly not churning out actual “top models,” it might as well just drop the charade and open up the doors to the vertically challenged. Who knows? Maybe this is the catalyst the series needs to return to its former glory?
‘America’s Next Top Model’ casting director talks shorties, what not to wear [EW]