In the start of the 18th season of “Germany’s Next Top Model” Heidi Klum presses the tear duct. Your attempt to justify yourself against the allegations seems artificial and unconvincing. The clip has since been deleted from the on-demand episode. A comment.
Stuttgart – You’re walking again. Or, more aptly: you’re limping again. Almost 30 very young contenders have been fighting for the title of “Germany’s Next Top Model 2023” since last Thursday. Many of them are entering the TV stage for the first time. But before the big stalking starts, the spectators are enlightened again by model mom Heidi Klum about a big misunderstanding. In a detailed statement, the 49-year-old comments on the criticism of the model show that does not want to be demolished. In essence, Klum claims: Unlike what many of the show accuse, “everything is real” here and nobody wants the “Meeedchen” anything bad. Nobody who has the slightest idea how reality formats work will believe her lie.
While in the premiere of episode 1 at Pro7 A detailed statement from Klum was also part of the intro, but you won’t find it in the on-demand version in the media library. Seriously, Pro7? You struggle with such a long explanation and then immediately cut it out of the episode? As if the statements weren’t credible enough, with this step you only support the thesis that you can’t take them seriously. Meanwhile, recordings of the program are circulating online, showing Klum’s questionable claims.
GNTM: Heidi Klum justifies himself against allegations
“We’re a reality show,” says Klum. “And we show exactly what is happening. There is no text and no storyline. Everything the models do and say is entirely their own decision.” In essence, this statement may be true. But she ignores the fact that every statement made by the young women in a specific emotion can be taken completely out of context and incorporated elsewhere. The way in which the editors of the program formulate their questions can also make the participants appear conceited, bitchy or have a difficult character.
Anyone cut off from their family for weeks, deprived of their smartphone and thus their contact with the outside world, living under the same roof with complete strangers is more likely to become mentally weak and get into conflicts. The claim that no harm is intended for the candidates is laughable. The bullying of ex-candidate Lijana Kaggwa took on an extent that the broadcaster might not have foreseen. If you believe the participant, the show has cheerfully fueled the hatred against her by deliberately manipulating many scenes and being carried away to certain statements.
Another straw that Heidi Klum uses to justify her inhuman show GNTM likes to cling: When it comes to diversity, she is at the forefront of the industry in her eyes. “Where diversity stops for others, we at Germany’s Next Topmodel go a long way,” emphasizes Klum. Melancholic piano music underscores her statement. In fact, she’s right about the fact that her models aren’t all just streaks in the landscape anymore, all wearing size zero on their bony bodies. But the reason why the women are so different is less due to the desire for diversity and more to the stereotypes that reality formats like GNTM like to work with. The best example of this is the 66-year-old Lieselotte from season 17, who was dragged on from episode to episode despite her lack of talent as a model. The only reason: She perfectly fulfilled the cliché of the funny, young at heart stage pig who wants to know it again.
GNTM: Diversity just an excuse to depict as many different stereotypes as possible?
Steep thesis: Klum’s “More Heidi” show is not really just about diversity. It’s also about showing the viewer something new. Whether in the form of best agers, curvy or petite models: different types actually only make sense in a show that is about entertainment. As ex-juror Joop recently revealed, the Pro7 editors also decide who stays and who leaves the show based on the quota suitability of the candidates.
In view of the numerous revelations about the mechanisms of the show, it seems unlikely that the self-proclaimed model mom only wants the best for her protégés. First and foremost, Klum should be about marketing. For all young women who have fallen for the show’s manipulations due to youthful naivety, Heidi’s self-portrayal as Mother Teresa of the fashion industry sounds like sheer mockery. Even Lijana Kaggwa, who was at times plagued by suicidal thoughts because of the way she was portrayed on the show and the consequences, doesn’t want to leave the hypocritical statement like this: “I’m shocked. Heidi just responded to EVERY point of my reveal video from last year,” she said in a video on social media. “But don’t worry: the answer will not be long in coming.”
