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Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that this reality series gives new meaning to the adage "Beauty is skin deep." It examines the inner workings of a modeling agency, and -- surprise, surprise -- reveals it as a harsh, ultra-critical world. And, beautiful as they may be, its ruthless, competitive inhabitants aren't very appealing. Of particular concern: The show reinforces many of the negative body-image messages that the modeling world is known for (very thin women are referred to as "Pillsbury doughboy" and "fat cow").

Families can talk about the rarefied-but-brutal world of modeling: How different are its standards from the real world? Which is more valued -- inner or outer beauty? Why? And for that matter, who's deciding how beauty is defined? Why does modeling seem so appealing when it's so competitive and cutting? And how do the modeling world's values trickle down to popular culture?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: S. Jhoanna Robledo

Just when you thought the world of modeling couldn't get any more cutthroat (see: America's Next Top Model), along comes another reality series about the industry. But this time there are no "challenges" to determine who's the winner, simply because the show doesn't need it: Apparently, the real deal is tough enough.

Meet the men and women who work at Wilhelmina, one of the most successful modeling agencies in the fashion capital of New York City. Through its doors glide stunning Amazons determined to make it in fashion; the agents they meet inside are the gatekeepers who decide who's in or out. Of them all, Becky Southwick is the harshest, an equal-opportunity critic who spews venom even at models who seem beautiful beyond belief. What she values, she says, is "tall, skinny, and can walk like demons."

Still, there's no denying that Southwick is a spitfire who gooses the sometimes-boring proceedings. At a model search where a consultant over-exaggerates the perfect runway walk, she scoffs and announces, "This isn't a bridal show in Texas." And another nugget: "Is there a potential you could grow? Because you're a little short."

While there's something strangely appealing about taking a peek behind the curtain -- what makes for a good walk, how a simple trim transforms one guy's look from good to great -- THE AGENCY unfortunately reinforces stereotypes, both about the modeling industry and about what its "experts" consider to be acceptable standards of beauty. Despite the industry's body mass index controversy, thin is still very much in vogue. Measuring one model with 36.5-inch hips, Southwick (again) says, "She's like the Pillsbury doughboy." Of another bony wannabe? "She's a fat cow."

The show also unearths double standards: The agents are shown more than once discussing how the male models are too thin, whereas the women almost always can't be thin enough. What is clear after just a few episodes is that there are very specific, even mysterious, conditions to which a model's look must hew.

Some may say The Agency's producers have missed an opportunity to present the modeling world in a new and/or surprising light. After a verbal spanking, one dismissed model cries, "There's no feeling in this business!" OK -- so why do she and others like her stick with it? The show doesn't really offer any compelling reasons.

But then again, perhaps there truly isn't anything new to say about how that inner sanctum works. This is a reality TV, after all. As Wilhelmina president Sean Patterson says, a good agent tells the truth. It's just that the truth isn't pretty.

Fans may also enjoy America's Next Top Model, The Devil Wears Prada, and -- for a funnier, more upbeat take on the world of high fashion, Ugly Betty.

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Content
		CS	adults	kids
Sexual Content Lots of partial nudity, but not really of a sexual nature. Men and women are seen disrobing for work purposes.
Violence Not much besides the inherent competitiveness of the industry.
Language So many profanities are strewn around that some sentences are incomprehensible because of the bleeps.
Message
	Social Behavior The cast is made up of abrasive, obsessive type-A agents who are eager to discover the next Heidi Klum. In the process, they backbite, fight loudly, swear frequently, and pick their clients apart with unapologetic glee. Lots of negative messages about body image; models are regularly measured and told to lose weight by dieting and working out. A model whose hips measured 37 inches was referred to as a "fat ass."
	Commercialism Given that the show centers around modeling, fashion brands pop up intermittently. The show is sponsored by Jenny Craig.
	Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco Alcohol flows freely at dinners and other get-togethers.

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