Now I know a lot of people love America’s Next Top Model. I used to enjoy it too- I liked the fact that they had a good mix of ethnicity and body shapes in the show. The only reason I don’t watch it anymore is because I couldn’t stand the schoolyard bitchiness.
So New Zealand decided to do their own show- New Zealand Next Top Model. I think the judges were a good pick (except they needed someone like Rachel Hunter to be in Tyra’s place) but the 13 contestants? Lets just say 10 of them are Caucasians. Two are Maori, and one is Sudanese. And as far as I can tell from blog articles, the poor Sudanese girl is already under the pressure of racism from the other ‘whiter’ girls.
Now when I walk down any street in the city, I see a huge mix of superb Maori, Pacific Islanders, and Asians. But the shows ‘spokesperson’ are denying they’re racist- only Caucasians applied, so they got be in the show. I seriously don’t believe that.
Thankfully MAX understands New Zealand women- which is why they had the sublime Ngahuia Williams as the face of Max Fashion a while ago. The advertising campaign was called ‘Keeping New Zealand Beautiful’ (see picture above) and I really enjoyed the concept. She has also been featured in my favourite magazine Fashion Quarterly.
Ngahuia Williams is my Fashion Muse this week because she truly embodies the New Zealand woman. She injects a relaxed, easygoing nature into her photos that show she is more than just a bland clothes hanger. I really hope she does well in the industry (she just came back from New York so it looks like her career is on the up and up). You can find her profile and more photos here, and as a treat here is her starring in a Max music video/ad:
