Today Heidi Klum is turning 50. Nothing spectacular, but some thoughts are coming to mind.
This lady started to become present in my life, when „Germany‘s next top model“ (GNTM) hit the television. The first season I watched. Then I decided, that this is one of the most stupid, but also one of the most influencing TV shows. Young girls and women are told how to be, to become a top model. It is not only dreaming about being a model, but being used as public experiment to be transformed – no matter if you like it or not.
Well, the show is an outstanding success. Still in 2023 about 2 million viewers in Germany. Regardless of the constant critic around eating disorder, sexism, false role understanding and so on. And for sure nothing to do with Heidi Klum. She keeps saying, that all is good and diversity has been integrated into the show. And above all – people should care about their live and not others.
The brutality comes clear, when you try to figure, why this format is still so successful – despite all the above. The TV station – Pro7Sat1 – is making an insane fortune with this show. It has one of the highest commercial prices across German television. It’s a money printing format and advertising for the show makes the money rolling even more. In years, when the critics had been the strongest, the viewership skyrocketed given the endless headlines the show produced – based on fundamental society and health critics.
Greed is driving people to act like this. Greed is the fuel of unprecedented behavior. The show is on for 18 years now. There had been master and bachelor works done about the show, and what negative impact the show has for young women. You can say, that the viewers should take a vote and stop watching. Fair, but this is hard, when the advertising and the public is so influenced by the media. Why not asking the decision makers at the media company or the host of the show to think clear and take proper action?
Whenever I see things like this, the simple answer for me is greed. Greed for money, greed for fame, greed for being special. And the trick about greed is, that it never stops – once you have a certain level of fame…greed makes sure that you aspire for more.
So the real marriage Heidi Klum is in, is not with the different men (which is definitely or own thing – with that I agree), it is with greed. Must be quite a ride…and it will never stop…
