In the spring of 2009, America's Next Top Model host Tyra Banks announced plans to break out from the show’s established mold, and to stretch the public's perception of models.
As commercials for open call auditions proclaimed, for the upcoming season, prospective models had to be shorter than 5’7”, which is typically the minimum height for the wannabe supermodels.
How Short are the New Models?
Even though Top Model producers welcomed anyone with a height less than 5’7”, the final 14 for cycle 13 all fall in the 5’3”- 5’7” range. In fact, four of the contestants hit the maximum height, which is a full three inches taller than the national average height of women.
The heights of the finalist models break down as follows:
- Ashley, 5'6"
- Bianca, 5'7”
- Brittany, 5'5”
- Courtney, 5'4"
- Erin, 5'6”
- Jennifer, 5'5”
- Kara, 5'7”
- Laura, 5'6”
- Lisa, 5'5”
- Lulu, 5'7”
- Nicole, 5'7”
- Rachel, 5'5”
- Rae, 5’6”
- Sundai, 5'3”
While the 5’3” Sundai actually does qualify as “short,” the other models are still taller-than-average women, even if the modeling industry ordinarily does not recognize them as such.
Performance of the Short Models
Cycle 13 began generating buzz even before its premiere episode. During the New York open call auditions, a fight broke out between contestants, and panic spread when a nearby BMW started spewing smoke. According to a statement by an audition-goer, the “girls were running like it was 9/11 part two.”
The ruckus forced Top Model's production team to abandon the day's auditions; however, Banks quickly released a Tyra Mail saying that the she and the judges were "doing everything we can to make sure that ALL the girls who weren't seen get an opportunity to audition."
By the time the season aired, it became clear that the models’ exuberance and excitement matched previous seasons’, complete with screeches and squeals upon Banks’ first entrance.
The models also kept their personal drama in line with their predecessors. In the pool of semifinalists, Top Model producers included abuse survivors, religious zealots and devoted academics. Not surprisingly, the conflicting personal pasts and personalities immediately led to catty comments in the audition rooms, and will certainly lead to even more friction when they move into the Top Model house.
However, the new girls will have to work harder than their predecessors, as Banks theatrically proclaimed that “short women have no place in this industry,” before reminding her fellow judges that “we are making so many girls proud because they deserve to be beautiful, too.”
Even though the judging panel eventually opted to eliminate 5’5” Lisa, they gushed over their newfound talents, and the girls’ ability to transcend their short statures. As one semifinalist exclaimed, their legs “may be short, but they’re beautiful!”
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