display
On February 4th, the model circus comes back to town.
In the 16th year, Heidi Klum will again send a series of New Faces on absurd adventures around catwalks and competitions, in order to then have them judged by industry giants such as Denglish icon Thomas Hayo or fashion expert Otto Waalkes.
This inevitably leads to two knee-jerk standard reactions: The criticism of a TV format like GNTM, which is justified in many places, but sometimes also absurdly dramatized, and the start of my weekly “Germany's Next Top Model” column on WELT.
The favorite reading of many Germans.
Well, that's what my mother says, at least.
While a few dozen girls will try to understand Heidi Klum's instructions as well as possible (with advice like “someone has to be at home in your face” is not always an easy undertaking) and for as long as possible of her legendary sentence "Unfortunately I don't have a photo for you today", the GNTM fan base is looking forward to the traditional classics: the nude shoot.
The makeover.
The model villa.
The boyfriends visit.
Traditions are particularly important in these times.
So it is fitting that ProSieben is giving us “Germany's Next Top Model” again this February.
"Jungle camp" for selfie queens.
In the disgust tests, Heidi Klum replaces cockroaches and kangaroo testicles with greasy photographers and a thoroughly euphoric marketing manager from AboutYou.
He has just organized a fashion event with the title “Re-Think Fashion” at the fashion week in Berlin, at which attentive observers have already spotted the first candidates for the new GNTM season.
display
To what extent AboutYou will succeed in being a credible pioneer of sustainability while in the middle of a global pandemic, of all things, at a sustainability event with partners like Perwoll (known for animal experiments) or guests like Loredana, who pose with real fur and exhilarate through the Traveling the world is an open question.
Credibility and relevance were also long criticisms of GNTM.
Many of the clichés are now a thing of the past.
If you look at previous seasons, it cannot be dismissed out of hand: The range of candidates has really expanded.
Even with the guest jurors, apart from the economically necessary concession decisions for paying sponsors, the procedure is surprisingly chosen.
For example, agency boss, choreographer and stage coach Nikeata Thompson has been a permanent member of the GNTM cosmos for many years.
Since Nikeata finally received the long overdue boost in awareness in Germany, at least since #BlackLivesMatter, she has been one of the most important voices in raising awareness on the subject of racism.
display
For example, as a white man who had been completely spared from racism, I was convinced for years that I was by no means racist.
I have learned more on this subject from people like Nikeata, who focus on education and reconciliation and not on non-solution-oriented camp struggles than I did in 13 years of school or from the outrageous bubble cracker on Twitter.
Having someone like her with you at GNTM can only do the format good.
Under the pressure of having to deliver a lot of entertaining episodes, it is sometimes forgotten that a model (unlike a washing machine) is a product, but above all a person.
In people, sentences like “Finally show your personality” or “We're not looking for Miss Shopping Center” can trigger profound reactions.
There is usually less danger with a washing machine.
For this season I would like model mom Klum to intervene consistently in these moments and not wriggle out of responsibility every time with a comfortable “Well, the modeling business is just tough, you have to go through it”.
Quitting only satisfies the addiction to cancel culture
display
Now one can argue that after 15 seasons of catwalk training, all applicants would probably be aware of what they are getting into.
However, the dynamics of a TV production lasting several months, the vehemence of a devastating judgment by supposed industry giants and also the often insulting echo from the anonymity of the social media channels that comes with the newly gained popularity is difficult to anticipate in all its force.
Especially for very, very young girls who are driven for weeks apart from friends and family alone through a completely new world of glitter and shine.
And before the comment columns and the Twitter inquisition officers hyperventilate again: Yes, GMTM's diversity strategy naturally also includes a PR strategy.
Greenwashing.
OK.
But I think that observing, commenting and suggesting improvements is more effective than locking up.
From my point of view, it makes more sense to help optimize a TV show that is far from perfect with many fans.
Millions of people can see a positive development.
This is the only way to create learning processes.
Quitting only satisfies the addiction to cancel culture.
This is how the new season is advertised, it starts on February 4th
Source: dpa / Rankin
Sure, this season too, ProSieben's PR advertises the diversity of the aspirant squad.
Such are the mechanisms of the entertainment industry.
One can condemn that.
But I am convinced that the appearance of transgender candidates or girls who do not fit in size 34 (and not 36 or 38) will definitely have a noticeable effect on the audience.
Of course, statements like “I have 164,000 followers on Instagram and I am infinitely grateful for each and every one” do not necessarily have the comforting sound of intellectual bon mots for eternity.
But on the other hand: The proportion of former GNTM candidates with dubious Telegram groups is significantly lower than, for example, that of former DSDS jurors.
In any case, the 16th season “Germany's Next Top Model” starts on Thursday.
A broad fan base is happy, many critics gasp.
Surprisingly, nobody is legally forced to tune in this year either.
And the 16th year will again produce young women who enrich the German entertainment landscape.
You can think what you want from the previous graduates of the “Heidi Klum Academy for Posing, Attitude and Plusquamperfekt”.
Meanwhile, to claim that ex-candidates like Kim Hnizdo, Lena Gercke, Sara Nuru, Larissa Marolt, Alisar Ailabouni, Carolin Sünderhauf or Stefanie Giesinger are arbitrarily interchangeable, unsuccessful, brainless and faceless ephemera that no one will remember tomorrow even more grotesque than the fairy tale of a US election actually stolen by Donald Trump.
display
In other words, I'm looking forward to the new season - and my weekly columns on it.
In case you are also happy: I report here every Friday morning on the current episode GNTM from the previous evening.
You shouldn't miss this, because without this column you can't do a
competition
.
Marie von den Benken is on Twitter and Instagram as @Regendelfin, she is from Hamburg, model and author. In addition, from February 4th, she will be writing every week on ICONIST about the big and small dramas at “Germany's Next Topmodel”.
Our podcast THE REAL WORD is about the important big and small questions in life: What do breast selfies have to do with feminism? How does the long-term relationship stay happy? And what can you learn from the TV bachelorette? Subscribe to the podcast on
Spotify
,
Deezer
,
iTunes
or
Google Podcasts
or subscribe to us directly via
RSS feed
.
Here you can listen to our WELT podcasts
We use the player from the provider Podigee for our WELT podcasts.
We need your consent so that you can see the podcast player and to interact with or display content from Podigee and other social networks.
Activate social networks
I consent to content from social networks being displayed to me.
This allows personal data to be transmitted to third party providers.
This may require the storage of cookies on your device.
More information can be found here.