Model Stereotypes
Stereotypes are an extension of discourse. In Cycle 7, there was a photo shoot that was meant to shed light on the various
stereotypes that society places on models. This was the first photo shoot of the season and the contestant's job in this shoot was to convincing portray their particular stereotype. The models in alphabetical
order and their corresponding stereotypes are listed below. Follow the links for individual photographs.
These images aim to shed light on these stereotypes. By utilizing them in the show, America's Next Top Model (ANTM) actually reproduces the ideas and stereotypes and simply repackages the stereotype. It is hard to dispel a stereotype or myth
when the public is inundated with these ideas on a daily basis. Stereotypes are a portion of discourse because they have a significant influence on the ways in which people think about, relate to, and act around people from a different group from them.
Rose defines discourse as it "refers to groups of statements which structure the way a thing is thought, and the way we act on the basis of that thinking". Many groups and institutions have a discourse that they help to "produce and circulate" and the television medium and
the genre of reality television are no exceptions (Rose, 142).
Discourse