Whitney Thompson Exposes The ‘ANTM’ Actuality That Cameras By no means Confirmed – The Imperial Wire Insider

Whitney Thompson is pulling again the curtain on her time contained in the “America’s Subsequent High Mannequin” home, and the image she paints isn’t glamorous. Forward of Netflix’s upcoming documentary “Actuality Verify: Inside America’s Subsequent High Mannequin,” the trailblazing winner is revisiting the emotional toll, physique scrutiny, and behind-the-scenes moments that outlined her historic win and practically broke her alongside the way in which.

As the primary plus-size winner of “America’s Subsequent High Mannequin,” Thompson made historical past when she gained Cycle 10 in 2008. However behind the milestone second, she says the expertise usually felt stacked in opposition to her.

Thompson, who was simply 20 years previous and a dimension 6 when she entered the competitors, revealed that one thing as primary as wardrobe grew to become a supply of humiliation and frustration. She advised PEOPLE that not having correct garments for plus-size contestants “felt intentional,” leaving her feeling singled out fairly than supported.

With cameras rolling practically nonstop, Thompson stated privateness was nearly nonexistent, apart from one place. “I simply pretended prefer it didn’t trouble me, however, and I’m certain many of the ladies would do that, I’d cry within the bathe daily,” she admitted. “As a result of the bathe is the one place that the cameramen couldn’t come, in order that was your secure place to launch and be like, “Why are they doing this to me?”’

Regardless of the emotional toll, Thompson stated she made a aware selection to not give producers what they had been pushing for, telling the outlet, “I knew that they had been attempting to poke me and get one thing out of me, so I simply performed it cool, like, ‘That is tremendous. We’ll simply duct tape my gown. No worries.”’

Whereas the challenges had been robust, Thompson stated the judging course of itself was even tougher to endure. She didn’t mince phrases when describing the expertise, calling it a “nightmare” and revealing simply how intense the stress grew to become. “I took Xanax earlier than each judging,” she admitted. “You’re standing there for eight, 9 hours underneath these sizzling lights ready for individuals to inform you that one thing is flawed with the way you look. It was emotionally exhausting.”

On the heart of all of it was the present’s creator and host, Tyra Banks, whose panel critiques grew to become a defining and infrequently painful a part of the competitors.

Even because the modeling business started embracing fuller figures, Thompson says the definition of “plus-size” remained inflexible and unrealistic. She defined that acceptance usually got here with circumstances that didn’t align with actual our bodies or actual individuals.

“We’d go together with our pads to castings and photograph shoots, and the padding would make our waist bigger, our hips bigger, however we might nonetheless have the identical jawline, arms and ankles,” Thompson revealed. “You would have a stomach, however you continue to needed to have a reduce jawline.”

Based on Thompson, inclusivity usually felt performative, a pattern fairly than a change. because the business clung to slender magnificence requirements underneath the guise of progress.