Top Model

My how a week flies? Seems like I just posted two days ago.

Its season finale time in tv land these days which makes for quite the interesting watching. Cliffhangers and edge of your seat excitement abounds as shows attempt to pull in those ratings and maintain those fans for next season. Add to that the NBA playoffs where my Pistons and Spurs both sit on the precipice of total defeat and there is a lot of must see TV for me these days.

Well Wednesday was the finale for Tyra Bank's America's Top model. Yea what can I say a brother still watches that show although I'm not blogging on it like I did a couple of seasons ago. Why not watch it though? Its all good clean fun and by fun I mean hot model type women on the tele every week competing and taking themselves with the most seriousness as they compete for a modeling contract while being nice on the eyes and providing hilarity with their antics. What's not to like? Wunnah expect me to watch a bunch a serious ugly people all the time? No star it nuh go so.

Anyway in the finale on Wednesday to my utter surprise homegirl Danielle from Little Rock Arkansas won. The final three were Danielle, Jade and Joanie and after Jade, the self-proclaimed "undiscovered supermodel" a girl who complained everyone mistook her confidence for arrogance (maybe because it was) was knocked off to leave the final two I was sure that Joanie was going to walk away with it.

Why? Well before I get to that let me say that this season's ANTM was actually pretty fun watching. From watching Nnenna struggle with her clingy boyfriend to the clueless Gina and the Fabulous Furonda it was quite the cast of characters. Add Tyra who justified choosing a few girls who definitely weren't the best looking by proclaiming them "unique beauties" to the mix and while not must see TV ANTM sure was interesting. Unique beauty hmmm I'll have to add that to my vocabulary as a synonym for ugly or not quite good looking in future. See what can I say the show was educational.

So back to the results. Well yea I was backing Danielle and the fabulous Furonda from day one but there was no way I thought Danielle was going to win it all. Just absolutely no way!

don't get me wrong. Yes she deserved to win because we watched her improve from week to week, yes she took excellent photos, yes she had presence, yes she was fine on the eyes, yes she let them fix her one big flaw in terms of looks in the modeling world that being the gap in her front teeth, yes she fought through illness, falls and other adversity to compete week after week, yes she was nice on the catwalk BUT week after week the judges in particular Tyra kept harping on her southern accent.

What's a lil southern drawl got to do with this show? Well according to the judges from what I can gather of their deliberations every week this drawl was a Grand Canyon sized flaw which negated every positive about Danielle. No way could she be a top model sounding like Forrest Gump, how was she going to sell Cover girl and a range of other products with that accent?

To be honest it got a bit annoying to me to hear the judges especially Tyra go on about the southern accent. It almost felt like they were pulling down homegirl unnecessarily. I mean its actually a bit classist in my opinion because why can thick European accents be used to sell all sorts of products but a southern drawl couldn't? Its not like Twiggy with her working class British accent was that much more decipherable than Danielle at times so why constantly pick on a sister week after week. Ok we get it she sounds like she's from the south which she is. Its not going to change overnight so accept it and move on.

It came off almost like bullying in a sense. Top Model as a case study for classism in the US. You may be as good looking, as smart as hard working as the others but sorry you're from south of the Mason-Dixon line and don't sound like some of the others so lets pick on you. (Cant wait for Canadian's version of Top model to see if anyone with a Newfie accent gets picked on. p.s I probably wont watch that show and damn sure wont be blogging on it even if I do.)

The accent argument while probably a bit valid was harped on way too much because how silly was it all as when you think of it can you actually remember what most models sound like? Nope its basically all about the looks and presence and in those departments Danielle more than held her own.

Luckily in the end it seems like the judges realized that. Congrats Danielle.