New Zealand's Next Top Models Up In Smoke

Illustration courtesy of Alan Gray

Another day, another Top Model scandal, although this one is so mild it could hardly be considered a scandal, but where there’s smoke there’s always fire.

The Herald on Sunday reports this morning that Holly Potton and Danielle Hayes, contestants on “New Zealand’s Next Top Model” were spied smoking at an Auckland bar the night after the ‘Not Our Future’ anti-smoking campaign challenge.  The task involved the girls posing for anti-smoking campaign posters and contributing their own comments on the negative effects of smoking.

When we consider that 26% of the population aged between 15 and 24 are smokers, it’s hardly surprising that we would have a few nicotine heads in the household.  Watching the show on Friday night we wondered perhaps if Holly and Danielle were smokers as they’re often shown sitting outside with their morning coffee, perhaps having a sneaky puff?  Enjoying the winter sunshine?  Or just trying to avoid their castmates?  Although “New Zealand’s Next Top Model” network executive, Andrew Szusterman, said: "We're disappointed. However, these girls are adults, who choose what they do in their own time."  

Women have used tobacco as an appetite suppressant since time immemorial and the unpleasant practise of smoking has always been prevalent amongst young image conscious women.  Ultimately the negative effects of smoking will outweigh any miniscule effect it has on controlling your weight.  Most smokers are of course aware of this but once nicotine has a hold it can be hard to break free.  

Health Sponsorship Council Smokefree NZ manager Susie Robertson acknowledged that some of the celebrities featured in the high profile campaign are in fact smokers.  The testimony of smokers has the potential to be more powerful than that of non-smokers as it highlights the struggle that smokers go through, reconciling the damage they are doing to their own bodies and their inability to give up a dangerous habit.   Hopefully, their experiences can perhaps deter young people from ever picking up a ‘death stick’. 

When we expect perfection from our public figures you can ensure that disappointment will soon follow.  Let’s accept that the girls are human and fallible, and that their behaviour doesn’t necessarily have to stop them from being “New Zealand’s Next Top Role Models”.

So is it all a big stink over nothing?  Pretty much.