Radicalized Affect in the Media

I decided to create a video based on my topic which has to do with multiple representations of contestants on America’s Next Top Model. I focused my video one of the most notable contestants Chantelle Winnie Harlow. Chantelle was known for her symmetrical vitiligo, a disease that creates different pigmentations in a person’s skin. In this video I open with a quote from the Herman Gray reading that says, ‘’the market promises to deliver more and increasingly differentiated market choices to address every aspect of life.” I chose this quote because it accurately describes the addition of Winnie Harlow to the ANTM cast. Her presence shows a different representation of someone of the black race. Not only is her story giving representation to the black experience but also someone who appears to have multiple skin tones and is from someone of a specific community. Her vitiligo has shaped her experience as a model and as a person. It is celebrating her experiences and outlining all the struggles and triumphs she has gone through. I wanted to contrast her casting video on ANTM with that of film of April Star a young aspiring model whose inspiration is Harlow.

Star is on the show “The Real Daytime,” and talks with the hosts about how her inspiration is Harlow, and why she admires her. One of the reasons is because of her confidence and I used the opacity feature on iMovie to show the young girl with vitiligo admiring Harlow’s confidence, and Harlow explaining how her journey to be confident has been wrought with bullying. Star eventually gets to talk to Harlow over the person and is clearly so excited and surprised. An article from the American Academy of Dermatology, explains that although there is no cure for vitiligo it is helpful for people with the condition to others like them. Witnessing these two connect on TV, produces an affect of joy and tenderness. Throughout this video, the decision to represent different types of people on ANTM leads to extremely positive results like touching the life of a child. This raises the stakes for the argument and shows just how much power this type of diverse representation in the media can bring.