Reality Check: America's Next Top Model's Fatphobia Remains Unchanged

The show's body-shaming tactics may have been cringeworthy, but the culture's obsession with thinness persists.

Feb. 23, 2026 at 11:15am

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The recent Netflix documentary "Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model" revisits the show's history of fat-shaming, forced cosmetic surgeries, and other problematic practices. While the documentary acknowledges these issues as "signs of the times," the author argues that the culture's underlying fatphobia remains largely unchanged, as evidenced by the proliferation of weight-loss drugs and continued societal pressure to be thin.

Why it matters

America's Next Top Model was a hugely influential show that normalized and even celebrated the fashion industry's toxic attitudes towards body image. While the documentary attempts to hold the show accountable, the author argues that the culture's obsession with thinness persists, undermining any real progress on dismantling fatphobia.

The details

The documentary features awkward admissions of wrongdoing from the show's producers and judges, who claim these practices were simply "signs of the times." However, the author points out that even as the show has been labeled "problematic," the judging criteria it embodied remain deeply embedded in our culture's continued commitment to hating fat. The proliferation of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic is cited as evidence that the opinions of figures like Tyra Banks and Janice Dickinson are still very much alive, despite being labeled as "archaic."

  • America's Next Top Model premiered in 2003.
  • About a decade later, the show's body-shaming tactics went viral online during the pandemic.
  • The recent Netflix documentary "Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model" was released in 2026.

The players

Tyra Banks

The creator, host, and executive producer of America's Next Top Model.

Ken Mok

The co-creator and executive producer of America's Next Top Model.

Whitney Thompson

A plus-size winner of America's Next Top Model who said she "would cry in the shower every day" during filming due to the body-shaming pressure.

Coco Rocha

A model who recalled being told by the fashion industry, "We don't want you to be anorexic but that's what we want you to look like."

Janice Dickinson

A judge on America's Next Top Model known for her harsh, body-shaming critiques of contestants.

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What they’re saying

“We don't want you to be anorexic but that's what we want you to look like.”

— Coco Rocha, Model

“I would cry in the shower every day.”

— Whitney Thompson, Plus-size winner of America's Next Top Model

“Hindsight is 20/20.”

— Tyra Banks

The takeaway

While the documentary on America's Next Top Model attempts to hold the show accountable for its problematic practices, the author argues that the culture's underlying fatphobia remains largely unchanged. The proliferation of weight-loss drugs and continued societal pressure to be thin demonstrate that the judging criteria embodied by the show are still deeply embedded in our society, undermining any real progress on dismantling harmful attitudes towards body image.