America’s Next Top Model 7: Why Jaeda is Not a Top Model

If Jaeda hadn’t gone home this week, I would have cried foul on the judges. She outlasted way too many girls who were more talented than her. I’m still unsure as to how Jaeda lasted longer than Brooke, experience or no experience. She should have been out of the competition long ago. And looking over the Top Model Tips, I’m not sure how she lasted as long as she did. She didn’t follow them very well.

Tip #1 tells the models to be open and welcome change. Well, Jaeda doesn’t get off to a great start here. She was originally open to a new hairstyle before her makeover, but afterwards… well, we all know what happened. She complained about her short hair. And complained. And complained. She never shut up about it, even weeks later when it had grown out a little and she found other things to do with it. Jaeda also stated not long ago that she only likes to look pretty and she’s only comfortable when she’s doing something familiar. That doesn’t sound like someone who’s open to change.

Tip #2 is to know something about the fashion industry. I really have no idea what Jaeda knew about the industry. After all, she only ever talked about her hair. Maybe if she’d named some models with short hair who made the cut work, I would have something to discuss. Since all I ever remember her saying is, “Waaah!” I have to move on.

The third tip says to practice your walk. We never saw Jaeda practicing, but she did well walking on cobblestones the third week, and I remember her balancing the fruit on her head well at the panel challenge. Whether she practiced or not, she did manage to shine in that particular area of modeling. Still, Jaeda always seemed self-conscious to me, and maybe if she’d practiced more, she would have carried herself with more confidence.

Tip #4 is that personality counts. I don’t recall Jaeda ever showing a personality. The judges tried to single her out as the one who said that she was the prettiest girl in school, but that doesn’t really point to personality. Jaeda always blended into the crowd for me, and the only way I separated her from the others was to remember that she was the whiny, untalented one. I’m sure Jaeda has a nice personality, but her self-consciousness and lack of confidence overshadowed it. I wish we’d gotten to see her interacting with the other models more; the more likeable side of her would have most likely come out.

The fifth tip tells the girls to focus on themselves, not the other models. Jaeda didn’t have problems with the other models, but she did have problems with herself. She was unable to focus much on the competition, but it was more because of herself than the other girls. She had self-confidence issues and couldn’t take her mind off of her hair. This hurt her performances and made the judges think that she couldn’t keep her head in the game.

The only time I really saw Jaeda focus was during the acting class, when she committed to the silent movie so much that she actually ate a lemon. (And then complained that she was the only one.) Even when she said that she was going to stop focusing on her hair and start thinking more about the competition, she didn’t (or couldn’t). Jaeda didn’t need a Melrose or Monique to distract her - she did it all on her own.

The last tip says to roll with the punches and not fight with the judges. It seems almost redundant to note that Jaeda didn’t do well here either. She wasn’t exactly one for rolling with the punches. Because she was only comfortable with things that were familiar to her, she had trouble adjusting to new circumstances. Just take a look at her photos - she was never the shining star among the models. Jaeda’s low level of confidence kept her from going with the flow, and she was too concerned with looking good to let herself actually look good.

It’s pretty obvious why Jaeda isn’t a Top Model. But why did the judges keep her around so long? It’s hard to know. They often eliminate girls after just one bad week, keeping around girls who have had bad week after bad week. I mean, Jaeda was in the bottom two three times before she was finally eliminated! A lot of more talented girls were let go before her. Jaeda demonstrated very little talent and exhibits very few of the characteristics the judges look for in a Top Model. It’s easy to see why she isn’t one.

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Jenn Brasler is an Assistant Editor of Reality News Online and an aspiring writer from Falls Church, Virginia. By day she works for a court reporting firm, and by night she’s a spy for a covert branch of the CIA. You can e-mail her at luckyjenn@hotmail.com. She hopes Melrose goes next, but she knows it’s too much to wish for.

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