The Photo Shoot:Jay meets the girls at a sugar cane field to reveal the week's photo shoot. But first, he introduces the photographer: TYRA!
Tyra claims that she is becoming the photographer twice in one cycle for the FIRST TIME IN
TOP MODEL HISTORY (that gets said a lot, doesn't it?) because "you guys inspire me, and you're beautiful." Right. Or because they couldn't find a real photographer to fly out to Hawaii on short notice.
So, what's the photo shoot? Tyra explains the history of Hawaii (and the birds and the bees) in a quick minute, to get to her crucial point: many mixed-race people live in Hawaii, and the word they've given themselves is "hapa," meaning "half." Each model will take on two ethnicities to portray in her photo shoot. Right down to her darkened skin.
Well, this is awkward. I honestly don't know if Tyra is trying to celebrate Hawaiian culture and mixed race people, or if this is just a hack way to get controversial publicity following
French Vogue's recent blackface spread which certainly got people talking... and lashing back. Whatever the case, it makes me a bit uncomfortable, and even though this sort of broad-stroked, insensitive stunt doesn't surprise me (coming from Tyra, after all), I can see why some people --whether mixed race or not--might be offended by the aestheticizing and stereotyping of so many ethnicities. How about you?
Eeeek! is right, Tyra. Jay is more like, "I didn't do it. Not my problem. Grab me some popcorn while I watch this shiz go dooooown."
The models learn what races they will be portraying:
Laura: Mexican and Greek
Erin: Tibetan and Egyptian
Sundai: Moroccan and Russian
Brittany: Native American and East Indian
Jennifer: Botswanan and Polynesian
Nicole: Japanese and Malagasy (Madagascar)
Each model disappoints Tyra at the beginning of her photo shoot, except for Nicole, who kills it from the beginning with her wicked smart angles. Jennifer, Sundai and Laura each snap out of the weirdness of being in blackface and intimidation of having Tyra as their photographer, and crank out some decent shots in the end.
Brittany tries hard to channel that one Native American chief in that recycling commercial who has a single, heartbreaking tear running down his cheek, but instead she just looks stiff and "catalog."
Erin acts "weird" on set and looks bored in all her photos. Tyra tries to tell her to "think about Egypt and the people, what they've been through," but that means nothing whatsoever to Erin. She also admits that she has only a "vague idea of Tibet, except that it needs to be freed."
Judging Panel:Click the slideshow to see all the final elimination photos (plus 1 extra of Nicole):
The judges evaluate each hapa photo, and give feedback:
Jennifer: It's National Geographic, but the angles aren't flattering enough to call it modeling.
Laura: Her face looks beautiful, and she went through the most drastic transformation.
Erin: Her face looks pretty, but she relies too much on that and doesn't provide enough edge or emotion. She didn't seem present during the shoot, and looked "commercial" in lots of shots.
Brittany: The shot lacks energy or animation and looks "catalog."
Sundai: She gives the same angle in every photo, and looks like a "fierce 12 year old" in a Gap Kids ad.
Nicole: She looks graceful and powerful with great angles, and didn't even lose her neck in that massive neckpiece.
Elimination:Nicole gets first call-out, obviously.
Then comes Jennifer, Laura and Sundai, leaving Brittany and Erin in the Bottom Two.
"So, who stays and who goes?" Tyra asks.
The girl who takes beautiful photos but is becoming "formulaic" (Brittany)?
Or the girl who has a "memorable face" but is "doing something that we [as in, the world?] call self sabotage" (Erin)?
Tyra eliminates Brittany. LAAAAAAME. But she doesn't let her leave before giving her some of that Tyra-trademark "advice."
"You loved the photo, but the photo could be stronger. You went for something safe, and fashion is not safe."
Since when is "safe" worse than "whiny and bored"?
Next week: Marisa Miller teaches the models how to rock bikinis, and Laura hyperventilates deep down in the ocean.
<<PREV (1) (2)-Meghan Carlson, BuddyTV Staff WriterImage courtesy of CW