Natalie Roboned

Last year, pop culture journalist Bridget Armstrong made a podcast all about the show's legacy and complexities.

It's called Curse of America's Next Top Model, and it uncovered a lot of what has now bubbled to the fore.

Bridget, welcome to the show.

Thanks for having me.

So when did you start watching America's Next Top Model?

For those who haven't seen it, can you describe what the show is like?

They were all living together in these apartments, or at least in season one, as you reported, this sort of shitty hotel room that they converted into apartments.

Yeah.

But yeah, I mean, part of what was so appealing to me, at least as a young viewer, was what you describe as this kind of Cinderella story, where it's these girls who seem regular, yes, pretty, maybe tall, but that they might become...

supermodels is so exciting because it's this wish fulfillment for you where you're like, oh, wow, maybe that could be me too, you know?

And the makeover is really crucial too.

They always have this sort of ugly duckling makeover where suddenly these girls just have their full potential unleashed and they come out looking gorgeous, kind of.

So when did Top Model come back into your consciousness?

I mean, did you keep watching it?

Probably not.

So when you started making your podcast, who did you talk to first?

And a little bit of what the title of your podcast refers to is that America's Next Top Model promised to find America's Next Top Model, but none of the winners or really any of the participants went on to really make it as models.

And in fact, as you report, being on the show was considered a mark against them in the fashion industry.

I want to tell you guys about a podcast that is near and dear to my heart, and I cannot believe it already came out a year ago.

And you can all go listen to it ad-free by subscribing to the Binge Podcast channel.