The internet has found its newest obsession, and it’s all thanks to Tyra Banks and the recently released Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model docuseries on Netflix. People are currently cracking up over a new “traumatic photoshoot” meme, which parodies Banks’ controversial method of having models pose with their deepest fears and personal traumas.
According to The Daily Dot, this isn’t the first time the docuseries has sparked a viral trend, as it previously inspired a “lack of accountability” meme. Now, social media users are fixated on Banks’ behavior as the host of the reality series, especially her tendency to push models into uncomfortable situations for dramatic photoshoots. It’s a wild ride, and people just can’t get enough of making fun of it.
One particularly striking incident highlighted in Reality Check involved Cycle 8 contestant Dionne Walters. Walters’ mother had been paralyzed due to gun violence. Shockingly, during a “crime scene” photoshoot, Walters was made to pose as though she had been shot in the head.
Dionne Walters is not happy about the show’s ‘trauma trope’
Walters shared her experience in the docuseries, stating, “When I was a kid, my mom was shot, and she was paralyzed from the waist down. They knew about it from the application process, but they still chose to have me do this particular photoshoot that involved gun violence. I thought it was a coincidence at the time, but I don’t think it was.”
It wasn’t just Walters, though. This “trauma trope” seemed to pop up season after season on “America’s Next Top Model.” Whether it was deeply personal family trauma, like Walters’ story, or more common fears such as spiders, heights, or even just modeling in public, the show often used these vulnerabilities for dramatic effect.
Now, the internet isn’t holding back with its parodies. While some of the new memes can be a bit dark, they’re all incredibly creative and genuinely hilarious. People are taking everyday annoyances or minor mishaps and turning them into high-fashion, trauma-inspired photoshoots. It’s a brilliant way to poke fun at something that was pretty tone-deaf on the show.
You’ll find everything from “Shower power” where someone dramatically poses after getting soap in their eyes, to “Blizzard babes” featuring models looking fabulous while freezing in the snow. There’s also “Hammer the point home,” where someone turns a simple DIY accident into an artistic statement. Don’t forget the “Allergy chic” trend, showing models looking fierce while sneezing.
Published: Feb 24, 2026 06:30 pm