What's Up Rock Bottom?

Dear MTV,

We've been in a relationship for about twelve years now. Back in the days when you actually played music videos, I was hooked every time you aired No Doubt's "Don't Speak". I wanted to be Gwen Stefani in that dark blue dress with polka dots, telling my seventh grade die-hard crush Nick "don't tell me 'cause it hurts". When I couldn't go on Spring Break because my parents weren't about to shell out 1000 bucks for their high school sophomore to imbibe jello shots and make a cameo on Cancun Underage Gone Wild, I vicariously watched college students from around the country in the cholorine mosh pits and felt like I was there (and then was severely glad my parents put me on lockdown). I grew up with the rise and decline or decline and rise (depending on how you look at it) of The Real World. I pretended to be watching Letterman when my dad was in the room and then switched to Loveline in secret. I was with you for the good times: Singled Out, Daria, Dismissed (I miss you, tear) and Next. I stomached TRL. I was sufficiently freaked out by the Challenges, but watched nonetheless. I got hooked on Laguna Beach which was really just a gateway for harder things like The Hills. No matter how bad it got (Maui Fever), I always tried it. At times, you were like Cold Stone Creamery. That cake batter flavor is disgusting. You may not know what the ingredients are, but you can take an educated guess of what's it in. It will probably give you diabetes, but you can't not try it. I was your taste tester, MTV. If I judged, at least I tried. I even watched two minutes of Tila Tequila once and that's two minutes I'll never get back.

Today, however, I've hit a wall. I don't know if I can try something that is on your horizon. Today was the day I read in AM New York that you are beginning to tape a show in September called Model Makers, which will air sometime next year. The premise is this: girls who are tall enough, but not "skinny enough" to be models are put through 12 weeks of training to help them slim down to their "ideal" size. Eliminations are held each week. The show's press release read like a junior high health clinic's nightmare: 'skinny' 'no body fat' and 'size zero' are the words and phrases associated with models; 'chubby', 'well fed' and 'big boned' are not. Now, I'd like to think of myself as someone who has an open mind. You know I am nowhere near uptight. I like to endlessly make fun of you and it's all in jest. Critics of shows like these immediately get branded with the ultra sensitivity label. I have a treasure chest sized sense of humor and a tough skin. Creative license, yeah I get that. But, I also have been a thirteen year old girl, turning you on for the first time. Whatever it is that you first see, is imprinted in your mind for years to come. It undeniably shapes your locker years. I can still vividly remember viewing "Don't Speak" for the first time at a co-ed sleepover. Lying next to Nick on a sleeping bag and thinking I could die then and be happy because his arm was brushing mine. He had just broken up with Jackie and here was my chance. We both knew the words. So please stop explaining. It's as clear as crystal to this day. Girls this winter or spring are gonna turn on their MTV and Model Makers will speak to them. Beyond the buzz, it will tell them that any slight body fat is evil and in order to be attractive, they must be a size zero. They will then proceed to watch as girl after girl is eliminated for not being enough of a rail. I can't even begin to imagine how these eliminations will unfold. Tiffany, your arms are looking slightly below par and those hips are about two full sized dinners away from baby muffin top, you will not be continuing on. Sorry, No. 2 pencils only. It's anyones guess how this will effect how the girls treat one another. "Jessica ate a cheeto today, that fat ass is on a first class ticket back home"/"are you seriously drinking TWO PERCENT MILK?". These are not even girls that are unhealthy, these are merely girls who are not super-human thin.

I am, not in this moment, taking on the modeling industry. To play devil's advocate, you could of course say that this isnt a high school popularity contest, it's a modeling competition. These people choose to be on this show. The thing is that when you involve young girls as viewers, it is always a popularity contest. Self-esteem takes a nose-dive somewhere around junior high. These words might mean nothing to you in the face of ratings, but MTV, you are tailor made for teenagers. As if young girls didn't feel enough pressure to be thin, you are now glorifying weight loss to acheive an generally unrealistic figure. I guess the fact that you signed off on Tila Tequila shouldn't make me declare that you know you are better than that. Still, somehow I thought you were. At least My Super Sweet Sixteen seemed to poke fun at spoiled brats rather than elevate them. The Real World doesn't make apologies, but it almost doesn't have to. The Hills might be fake/real. But, this is not fake/real. This is real/real. This has the potential to harm. I am terrified of what my hypothetical daughter might be watching on MTV (RTV by then maybe?) many years down the line if an extreme weight loss competition for teenagers is a 2009 breakout hit. You just don't mess with body image when the youth vote is watching. You just don't haphazardly throw a shark into the kiddie pool. For the first time in twelve years, I am questioning our relationship, MTV. I just don't know if we can come back from this.

.....Seriously?

it's not me, its you

RealesTalk