Janice Dickinson defends body-shaming on ANTM

"It was acting and that's that."

Former model Janice Dickinson has defended herself from criticism of comments made while a judge on the reality show America's Next Top Model by insisting that she was "acting". ANTM has come under scrutiny recently, with many viewers pointing out how contestants were shamed for their bodies and appearances. Over on TikTok, creators have been calling out judges Tyra Banks and Janice Dickinson for their "critique" of the participants. In the first season of the show, Dickinson criticised one model for being "plus-sized". Seeing the photos of 2003 contestant Robin Manning, the former supermodel asks Tyra: "Are we shooting for the large size category?" Later, she refers to Robin as "huge" and "fat" and suggests that she's not going to make it as a model. At various points throughout her time on the series, Dickinson insulted the models' appearances. In one instance, she said that one contestant's face looked like "the battery died in her vibrator". In another, she compared a photo of a model to a Hitchcock film.  

@officialjanicedickinson Replying to @jenna? People forget that tv is acting #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound - Janice Dickinson

Now, Janice has defended herself from criticism, and insists that she was just playing a role. On her TikTok, an off-camera voice reads out a fan's submitted question: "Do you have any regrets about things you said/did during your time as a judge on ANTM?" To this, Janice says: "No. It was acting and that's that." In her caption, she wrote: "People forget that TV is acting." Janice appeared on the show's judging panel between 2003 and 2008. In 2005, she defended herself from criticism by saying that she was trying to "save the girls from going out there and being told they're too short, too fat, or that their' skin's not good enough". She told RadarOnline that she was "just telling the truth" but felt that she had been unfairly branded.