Earlier this month I received a press release for the upcoming book America's Next Top Model's Fierce Guide To Life. Based on Tyra Banks' popular modeling competition, the guide positions itself as a crash course for tweens and teens who are interested in "beauty, fashion and model behavior." From the press release:

America's Next Top Model Fierce Guide To Life. is a treasure trove of must-have advice and information and is the perfect resource for every young woman. Aspiring models, fashionistas, fans of the show, and most importantly, any young woman who wishes to boost her self confidence, and improve her style and appearance, can benefit from the positive empowering, and “you go girl” attitude found within the pages. .

There are a few issues here, but the one that hit me over the head — it's a guide to life? Really? Not just.. modeling? Sure, I understand that simply being an instructional guide for girls looking to break into the fashion industry would limit the book's audience and may have made the title a tad redundant, but still. There's a significant difference between an aspiring model and an average tween or teen ANTM fan. And by attempting to split the difference by interspersing "inner beauty tips" alongside the best ways to adhere to fashion industry standards, the book sends a dangerous mixed message to both. It wastes an opportunity to provide honest insight towards the harsh reality of starting a modeling career, and also risks confusing non-models' ideas of beauty with unrealistic fashion industry standards. At least I would be confused if read a paragraph that started "Yes, you should fully embrace your body with all of its flaws…" and ended with "A scrawnier body photographs most appropriately for fashion."

The fact that the book was written by neither Tyra nor anyone else associated with the show also doesn't help to boost its credibility. Not that many readers would be motivated enough to find out who the author actually is — a YA fiction novelist who specializes in film adaptations — but for most I imagine that just the lack of Tyra (or even one of the lesser judges) would be enough to raise suspicion that this is less a valuable resource and more just a cheap ploy for their hard earned cash. And with a recent study reported in Newsweek showing that 8 to 12-year-olds in this country already spend more than $40 million a month on beauty-related products, and teens spend another $100 million, they probably wouldn't be that far off.

For more coverage of the tween space, check out the Ypulse Tweens Channel, sponsored by the Tween Tribune.

Categorized under: Tweens

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