Glee keeps getting bigger and bigger and this year, it entered its fifth season of drama, silliness and singing. The show has already featured many big name guest stars (like Demi Lovato and Adam Lambert) who seem to be sticking around. So, when I found out that Tyra Banks was going to be on Glee, I was a little confused. We know Tyra Banks for her crazy antics as the host ofAmerica’s Next Top Model and her numerous endeavors from modeling to talk show host and more. With that in mind, I wasn’t sure how Tyra would be incorporated into the singing, dancing production of Glee and the season’s plot. I found that her role in this particular episode added to a bigger message than just what was seen in her maybe five minutes of screen time.
Now, I’m going to backtrack slightly before I get to Tyra specifically because I believe that the episode as a whole addressed a loaded, important topic. It starts with McKinley High School hosting a career fair of horrible jobs so that, as Principal Sue describes it, the students can prepare themselves for the disappointment that comes with the current job market. Mr. Schuester is upset by the lack of representation for career paths in the arts. However, in keeping with Sue’s goal, it’s not surprising that a career so rooted in talent, passion, and luck would be absent from the fair.
I understand Will’s frustration since, in one way or another, because that’s the road I’m paving for myself. High school students are already uncertain and self-conscious about everything from their bodies to their interests and passions. To them, it could be the ultimate sign of discouragement to see (or in this case, to not see) any information about their dream careers. It could convince an immensely talented person with the potential to become a star or redefine the industry to give up on their hopes and dreams to take a risk.
After this disagreement with Sue, Mr. Schuester goes into the choir room to address the reality of how challenging and impractical a job in the arts can be. Despite the strikingly realistic overtone of his monologue, Mr. Schue still manages to sound optimistic and hopeful by underlining a message with which I can certainly identify. Those pursuing the arts know it’s a difficult path to take and that it does not often equate to success and stardom, but they are fighting for what they want, even when it’s not easy. In the end, following your passions, having the drive to accomplish your goals, and doing what you love–being an actor, a painter, a writer, or anything else–is so rewarding.
So where does Tyra fit into all of this? Anyone who has watched ANTM knows that Tyra Banks prides herself in encouraging and helping aspiring models to reach the status of any other models who walk the runway. She doesn’t tell them to starve themselves to become the notorious image of model skinny or force them to be someone they are not for the sake of fame. She encourages them to embrace what they might consider flaws as vital differences that make them unique and thus stand out to a client. It’s being different that makes you beautiful.
In her character of Bichette on Glee, Tyra is the complete opposite of her real self . Banks describes that she told the stylists, “Don’t make [Bichette] look like me at all because she’s saying stuff I would never say.” Instead of encouraging Chord Overstreet’s character Sam to embrace his differences, she is embodying the stereotype about modeling and the fashion industry as cutthroat, cruel, overly meticulous, and so much more that is all too true. On the contrary, when Bichette is advising Sam how to make it as a male model, she tells him to lose 10 pounds before he could even consider taking more fashion shots to show hiring agencies. This is a completely absurd request since he’s already fit when Bichette sees him. Later, Sam says something to the equally skeptical Sue that I can believe in: “I like who I am and I’m not going to change for anybody.”
Yes, Glee is just a show, and what happens to the characters on the show is fabricated and is often ridiculous or improbable. But the dose of reality that this episode delivers is refreshing. Hearing Mr. Schuester talk about a life in the arts and about the importance of following your dreams struck a chord with me. It acknowledges that following your dreams can be a long and laborious road, but in the end, it holds the ultimate reward in the satisfaction and happiness of enjoying what you do. I can appreciate that, and hopefully you all can too.