Michelle

AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL welcomes guest judges from the fashion community during cycle 13’s search for America’s Next Petite Model, premiering Wednesday, September 9 from 8:00-10:00 p.m. on The CW. For the first time ever, the show features a crop of fourteen girls with one thing in common: they are all 5’7” and under, well below the industry standard.

The guest judges include:

CHANEL IMAN one of the world’s most in-demand models, having walked in runway shows for Dolce & Gabana and Valentino. Episode airs September 9.

LAUREN CONRAD is a television personality best known for “The Hills,” and debuts the LC – Lauren Conrad fashion line this fall. Episode airs September 16.

JAIME RISHAR is a famous petite model (5’7 ½”), having appeared on the cover of Italian, German and Australian Vogue, in addition to walking in fashion shows for designers such as John Galliano and Dolce & Gabana. Episode airs September 23.

CHINA CHOW is an actress and model for such designers as Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein. Episode airs September 30.

JOSIE MARAN is a famous petite model (5’7”) who has appeared on the cover of Glamour and was featured as the Guess Girl in a summer/fall 1998 campaign. She is most recognizable as the face of Maybelline Cosmetics. Episode airs October 7.

JESSICA WHITE has been the face of CoverGirl, Chloe and Gap, in addition to walking the runway for Ralph Lauren, Oscar de la Renta and Marc Jacobs. White recently signed a contract with Maybelline Cosmetics. Episode airs October 14.

KIM KARDASHIAN is a television personality who started her career as a fashion stylist. With her sisters, she opened a designer clothing store, DASH, in Los Angeles and Miami. She also has an online shoe company and will soon launch her own fragrance. 90210’s JESSICA LOWNDES also appears in the episode to test the girls’ interviewing skills. Episode airs October 21.

KIRSTY HUME has walked the catwalk for Christina Dior, Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan and Louis Vuitton among others, while modeling for campaigns including Chanel, Versace and Gucci. Episode airs October 28.

MARISA MILLER is a Victoria’s Secret Angel, has worked on such campaigns at Tommy Hilfiger and has appeared in the pages of Vogue, Elle, Vanity Fair, and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue from 2002-2008. Episode airs November 4.

ANN SHOKET is the editor-in-chief of Seventeen Magazine. The winner of cycle 13, as in previous cycles, will appear in a six-page spread and on the cover of Seventeen Magazine. Episode airs November 11.

The winner of Cycle 13 will receive a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl Cosmetics, a contract with Wilhelmina Models and a cover and six-page spread in Seventeen Magazine.

Michelle

[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] had this to say about the "petite" models on the upcoming America's Next Top Model cycle:

So the much buzzed-about America's Next Top Model season of the shorties is almost upon us, but after seeing the press release with the bios and photos of these vertically challenged girls, we think that "short" might be a bit of an overstatement. Sure, they aren't traditional runway height, but the smallest girl measures up at 5'3", which is at the taller end of the petite spectrum in most retail stores. And that's not the only thing that has me worried about Cycle 13: between the absence of judge Paulina Porizkova, a revolving door of guest judges and Tyra's ever-expanding ego, this season could be the biggest letdown yet.


Let's start with the new crop of girls. Looking over the [Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register], there are only maybe three who actually look short. They may range from 5' 3" to 5' 7", but they all seem to have freakishly long legs. That, combined with the tallest high heels available and a photographer who is a fan of shooting them from below, makes them all appear much longer than they in actually are. Oh, and naturally, most of them have super-lanky body types with ultra-skintight pants on, accentuating the elongation effect. So this season doesn't seem to be so much about short girls as it does about making smaller girls look like they are truly Amazonian in stature.