Roles, Rules, and Rebellions: Creating the Carnivalesque through the Judges' Behaviors on America's Next Top Model

Abstract

The concept of the carnival gained popularity from Russian philosopher, Mikhail Bakhtin. Through his work, Rabelais and his World, Bakhtin reconstructs a type of folk humor that challenges the hegemonic hierarchy through humor, masquerades, and performance. This article is a critical analysis of the reality show, America's Next Top Model. We raise the notion of Bahktin's carnival to examine and critique how the show's judges use concepts of the carnival and carnivalesque in a postmodern, televisual era in order to invert standard themes of society through the fashion and modeling industries. We argue that the use of carnivalesque techniques by the judges provide a means of temporary power, where they would normally be marginalized or have less access to power in general society.

Keywords:

• America's Next Top Model
• Bahktin
• Carnival
• Carnivalesque
• Reality Television

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Marilyn Snyder for her editing and proofreading.

Notes

Candid Camera was originally a successful radio show, Candid Microphone, which was broadcast in 1947.

After inputting all data into an MS Excel spreadsheet, episodes were randomly chosen with assistance from the data analysis and sampling tabs. Cycle 7 was resampled as one of the randomly chosen episodes was a recap program. The following is the list of cycles and episodes chosen: 1–3, 1–5, 2–1, 2–2, 3–4, 3–11, 4–7, 4–9, 5–6, 5–8, 6–3, 6–8, 7–1, 7–5, 8–6, and 8–10.

Although Nigel is multiracial, he appears White and is afforded White male privileges based on his visual representation.

The jockey's timeless design was borrowed from ancient Greece and reinvented in colonial America by such figures as George Washington and Harriet Tubman, and other escaping slaves to be used as examples of patriotism, endurance, and hope. In the 1860s, African American lawn jockey's took on the racist minstrel exaggerated features. Since no image of the lawn jockey was presented in conjunction with the model, the authors cannot/will not assume to which style of lawn jockey Miss. J. refers.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tracey Owens Patton

Tracey Owens Patton is the Director of African American & Diaspora Studies and a Professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism at University of Wyoming.

Julie Snyder-Yuly

Julie Snyder-Yuly is Assistant Director for the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University.