I read Tyra Banks' YA fantasy book Modelland so you don't have to

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 พ.ย. 2024

ความคิดเห็น • 649

  • @elleliteracy
    @elleliteracy  ปีที่แล้ว +403

    1.PSA the TW for self harm at 47:00 is wrong! skip to 47:18 to avoid discussion of self-harm! (sorry for the typo)
    2.question for you all: how do you find the audio here? I couldn't tell if I was fixating on it or if it was a little iffy. let me know!
    3.before I get a million comments on my accent I've decided to pin here -it's also in the description of all the vids but-
    *faq*
    what's your accent? i lived in america til i was 7 and ireland since then so my accent is a mix between the two!
    eyeshadow: kaja bento box trio
    jumper: kina and tam
    wall art: laura duffy

    • @kamsismith
      @kamsismith ปีที่แล้ว +37

      I have to point out the protagonist Tookie is named after a convicted felon, Stanley Tookie Williams, who was sentenced to death for killing four people. He also established the Crips, one of the most dangerous gangs in America which is a major yikes.

    • @elleliteracy
      @elleliteracy  ปีที่แล้ว +42

      @@kamsismith wait whaaaaat? I more associated it with cookies and cream i.e. cookie de la creme

    • @kamsismith
      @kamsismith ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Although the other names were weird, Tookie was the most egregious one because while she isn't a criminal per se, writers need to be careful about who they name their characters after.

    • @beekee01
      @beekee01 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢)

    • @bobby_naur
      @bobby_naur ปีที่แล้ว +8

      The audio is perfectly normal 👍🏽

  • @bugzilly
    @bugzilly ปีที่แล้ว +1921

    Tyra's propensity for body horror makes so much intuitive sense

    • @elleliteracy
      @elleliteracy  ปีที่แล้ว +195

      it fits

    • @SuperNuclearUnicorn
      @SuperNuclearUnicorn ปีที่แล้ว +164

      Given how obsessed she is with looks and bodies, yeah for sure. It's like she's spent so much time judging people's bodies that she instinctively knows what she hates in a body and then takes it to an extreme for horror

    • @falconinthedive
      @falconinthedive ปีที่แล้ว +101

      ​@@SuperNuclearUnicornjudging other people but also being judged. Let's not forget she was a model herself for a decade before being a reality tv star.
      The body horror of modelland was the most interesting parts of it tbh because it showed how estranged a supermodel really is from her body.

    • @agwarddd
      @agwarddd ปีที่แล้ว +48

      Honestly, the book gives some honest glimmers of potential in Tyra if she was just more willing to explore those and maybe take a real creative writing course. She could genuinely make an amazing career for herself in writing, just looking at the horrors of what being policed on your body and looks for a decade does to you.

    • @falconinthedive
      @falconinthedive ปีที่แล้ว +21

      @@agwarddd let's not get ahead of ourselves here. The book's a mess, just has a few accidentally revealing body horror passages.

  • @welpppppppppppppp
    @welpppppppppppppp ปีที่แล้ว +991

    tyra has such a talent for inadvertent horror. i honestly feel like the neon demon is a spiritual adaptation of modelland

    • @elleliteracy
      @elleliteracy  ปีที่แล้ว +112

      wait you're so right how did I not make that connection

    • @RedSpade37
      @RedSpade37 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      I stared at this comment, doing my best to type up a response, but I was left speechless.
      Holy crap, it fits too well...

    • @karak962
      @karak962 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      right to the eye horror!!!!!

    • @ana_d_73
      @ana_d_73 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      I want Junji Ito to take a crack at adapting this mess. He'll really make the horror amazing

    • @shortinsomniac76
      @shortinsomniac76 ปีที่แล้ว

      ​@@ana_d_73not by him but check out Hellter Skelter, its a japanese horror movie that could fit this comment, also the visuals are amazing

  • @FawnieFox
    @FawnieFox ปีที่แล้ว +1117

    Tyra Banks is always trying to redefine beauty standards but like, by not doing that and just keeping them the way they are.

  • @Smidgeon-pigeon
    @Smidgeon-pigeon ปีที่แล้ว +529

    Tookie's favorite food being whipped cream is such a telling detail. Reminds me of that line from The Devil Wears Prada--"I'm on this diet. I don't eat anything. And then when i feel like I'm about to faint, I eat [a small dollop of whipped cream]."

    • @Oobs212
      @Oobs212 ปีที่แล้ว +87

      forreal, my first thought was that whipped cream isn't a food... it's an accessory to food

    • @ana_d_73
      @ana_d_73 ปีที่แล้ว +91

      Tookie's eating habits feel like thinly veiled ED trauma.

    • @seraph3m
      @seraph3m ปีที่แล้ว +35

      it was a cube of cheese wasn’t it?

    • @iloveazaeliabanks
      @iloveazaeliabanks ปีที่แล้ว +12

      it was cheese 🤦‍♀️

    • @ariartsy9220
      @ariartsy9220 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@iloveazaeliabanks 15:59 It was whipped cream

  • @spriddlez
    @spriddlez ปีที่แล้ว +1262

    I would pay money to interview the ghost writer about what happened in the development for this book.

    • @quenepacrossing4675
      @quenepacrossing4675 ปีที่แล้ว +127

      Yes i want their side of the story sooo badly. Was it a million times worse before they got to it? Were they unable to work anything in at all? I want answers.

    • @elleliteracy
      @elleliteracy  ปีที่แล้ว +121

      get him on the phone now!!

    • @bawi5883
      @bawi5883 ปีที่แล้ว +56

      My head cannon is: Tyra just shares a bunch of notes she called “Genius book ideas so I don’t forget” with the ghostwriter and says “make it work” 😏

    • @quinnzykir
      @quinnzykir 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +17

      I think she wrote it herself. It’s so batshit insane. It’s like if they Took Margret Attwood and forced her to watch everythingTyra Banks has done under penalty of death

  • @ragdollrose2687
    @ragdollrose2687 ปีที่แล้ว +151

    Tooky Delacreme is such a drag name!
    Also, I have to give it to her, in a regular high school romantic comedy setting, pretending to do a lay down protest cause you just froze on your crush after tripping and hitting your head is actually a pretty funny plot device. Imagine things escalating to a Forest Gump running level with that idea

  • @quartzossie
    @quartzossie ปีที่แล้ว +345

    Ah yes, my favorite kind of literature. Two self-inserts of the same person pumping each others' ego up until it explodes.

  • @quenepacrossing4675
    @quenepacrossing4675 ปีที่แล้ว +486

    I wasn’t expecting Tyra to show off all her kinks so blatantly in a ya book but here we are.

    • @chelonianmobile
      @chelonianmobile ปีที่แล้ว +34

      What else are YA media for? Best place to put them without the intended audience noticing.

    • @FawnieFox
      @FawnieFox ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Omg right? It’s way too telling.

    • @daughterofluthien
      @daughterofluthien ปีที่แล้ว

      Right?? Like, the thumb sucking scene is definitely something I’ve scene before, but like. In erotica. Not a YA novel pls send help

    • @itsnotrounditsapyramid
      @itsnotrounditsapyramid 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      ​@@tigipilledYA young adult? Is that what you were asking

  • @clementinedanger
    @clementinedanger ปีที่แล้ว +383

    I'm one of the four people who has also read Modelland and it makes perfect sense when you see it as a series of themed modeling challenges. Tyra spent, what, two decades coming up with increasingly unhinged themes for shoots? She doesn't draw from other novels, she draws from her notebook of ideas for shoots. She was probably attracted to the idea of a novel because it frees you from real world limitations. This is how her imagination works, this is how she structures her creative impulses, a core image with themed fluff around it, then on to the next thing. The ghostwriter's job was probably writing a structured treatment and linking all those disparate images together. Every scene in this novel makes sense when you image them playing out as a ANTM setpiece. It's a series of vignettes loosely linked by the need for a novel to have a through line.
    So you can't read this as a novel with a classical three act structure and character arcs. It's a series of themed images she had in her head for models to act out blended with her own emotional response to those images. It's like a 90s music video, all weird flash and odd horror meant to elicit emotions without through line or internal logic.

    • @radishfest
      @radishfest ปีที่แล้ว +34

      This description is gorgeous, I feel excitement and dread.
      Had to pause 5 minutes in because I choose to believe Tyra recorded her ideas as audio notes in between bouts of Tyra Antics and sent them off to the ghostwriter. It would be so perfect.

    • @andialice3458
      @andialice3458 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      I am so glad to see someone else thought about this too.

    • @clementinedanger
      @clementinedanger 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      @@andialice3458 I'm always thinking at least a little bit about Modelland and I cannot, will not stop

    • @andialice3458
      @andialice3458 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@clementinedanger if I had also read it, i don't think i'd ever stop thinking about it either

    • @NatTalyx
      @NatTalyx 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      This book is still floating around some where in my house 🫣 all I remember is blood oranges😅

  • @justanotherredheadattheend955
    @justanotherredheadattheend955 ปีที่แล้ว +127

    I feel like an Uglies/Pretties style story written by an actual model who has basically lived in that reality would be really interesting, but that ghost writer needed to be....MUCH more in charge.
    Though I will give Tyra credit, it takes work to come up with genuinely alien sounding names that truly feel like they're from a totally foreign culture. These names are so surreal and so cartoonish, it truly feels like some kind of pink-plastic nightmare. "Creamy de la Creme" is what losing your mind sounds like.

    • @kelsey2333
      @kelsey2333 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I loved the uglies books

  • @Apollo9898LP
    @Apollo9898LP ปีที่แล้ว +80

    Obsessed that all of the Gurus are like mythological, explicitly supernatural beings and then just one Non-Binary person chilling with them

    • @catboy_official
      @catboy_official 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Nb people are too powerful 😤👌🏻

  • @featheredskyblue
    @featheredskyblue ปีที่แล้ว +140

    If I remember correctly, Tyra has what she considers a large forehead and large feet, so it surprises me not at all that her very special main character would have those physical details.

  • @meganphillips9339
    @meganphillips9339 ปีที่แล้ว +494

    New insult unlocked: oily voice
    Tyra Banks watched Hunger Games and was like, "Yes, but make it fashion!"

    • @Twinkdoesdrag
      @Twinkdoesdrag ปีที่แล้ว +2

      lmaooo

    • @Twinkdoesdrag
      @Twinkdoesdrag ปีที่แล้ว +23

      "But is it fashion?" -Bob the Drag Queen

    • @lucapeyrefitte6899
      @lucapeyrefitte6899 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Which is crazy it didn’t work 😂

    • @RuailleBuaille
      @RuailleBuaille ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Nit the first time someone's been described as having an oily voice - not ally it'll be conveyed as having "an unctuous voice/way of speaking" which seems almost onomatopoeiaic. Bleugh 😂

    • @anasdomain9994
      @anasdomain9994 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      The hunger games was more fashion than Model land could ever be 😂

  • @dukemarine3425
    @dukemarine3425 ปีที่แล้ว +168

    This was bizarrely the best thing I’ve ever seen! I feel like you were Virgil leading us through Hell 😂

    • @kamilareeder1493
      @kamilareeder1493 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Bruh that was certainly the vibe in some parts of the book. 😂❤

  • @thelonelywoodstock674
    @thelonelywoodstock674 ปีที่แล้ว +117

    After watching this, I must credit Modelland for giving me the confidence to keep my silly joke names in blurbs I write for myself. "Tookie De La Creme," an MC name from a fully published novel, will always be worse than what I came up with for one off characters.

  • @cbluc3611
    @cbluc3611 ปีที่แล้ว +159

    I really need a fan art of this characters I've been looking all over the internet for one lol

    • @elleliteracy
      @elleliteracy  ปีที่แล้ว +73

      that's why I had to fancast... they're too absurdly proportioned and described to draw!! i tried to photoshop something but didn't have the willpower

    • @emilyrln
      @emilyrln ปีที่แล้ว +19

      Just take Megamind, do a hue shift from blue to whatever we think Tookie's skin color is, and add 3 different wigs 😂

    • @theabnormalsquid
      @theabnormalsquid ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I’m glad I’m not the only one who wished there was some…I looked! 😅

    • @hawkins347
      @hawkins347 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@emilyrln I feel like Tookie is Tyra's self-insert based on the forehead thing alone.

  • @NisaTye248
    @NisaTye248 ปีที่แล้ว +221

    So I never watched ANTM when it was at its peak. But as a young black woman who grew up with (and still has) self image issues, I developed a love for Tyra Banks in my teens mostly due to watching epidodes of her talk show on TH-cam and then later into the 2010s seeing her continue to brand herself as this champion for body image diversity in modelling.
    Now that I am 25😬, seeing all of these retrospective reflections on Tyra's career with both of her shows, its easy to see that her "efforts" to promote diversity in modelling was mostly talk and not a lot of action. From the resurfaced clips from ANTM, it was very of its time and Tyra was given many opportunities to challenge norms and still ended up using it as more of a vehicle to promote herself and ultimately uphold the status quo. And with her talk show, re watching them as an adult you see how her attempts to explore deep societal topics were handled in such a missguided and surface level way.
    I still have some love for Tyra as a public personality, but as an adult I think she's lowkey crazy. Alongside her alleged pyramid scheme makeup line, her badly written book and her Modelland themed "amusement park", which sounds like a money drain or a money laundering front🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️. She still cute tho Tyra.

    • @elleliteracy
      @elleliteracy  ปีที่แล้ว +27

      she definitely made her mark on the culture

  • @mandyg8022
    @mandyg8022 ปีที่แล้ว +414

    Is Tyra okay? The more I learn about her (thanks to you), the more it seems she's just been horribly damaged by the industry. And like many victims before her, she perpetuated her trauma.

    • @popcultureoverdosed
      @popcultureoverdosed ปีที่แล้ว +2

      She's not a victim. She's an abuser.

    • @Maya-sw3qz
      @Maya-sw3qz ปีที่แล้ว +51

      u can be both surely

    • @popcultureoverdosed
      @popcultureoverdosed ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@Maya-sw3qz she's still not a victim

    • @juicyfry4326
      @juicyfry4326 ปีที่แล้ว +36

      Oh no doubt about it, I mean c'mon she was one of the few first black supermodels of the 90s where looking like a starved drug addict was the beauty ideal. The fashion model world is NOT kind to models, and they end up leaving in pieces. I mean she's not the only model who had her mind broken.

  • @Poroszka5
    @Poroszka5 ปีที่แล้ว +81

    as someone who enjoyed writing parody fanfiction with friends back in the day, i can say this reads exactly like one

    • @aurea.
      @aurea. ปีที่แล้ว

      I just remembered this one parody fanfic I wrote for me and my bff to laugh at, good times 😄

    • @snicketylemony
      @snicketylemony 19 วันที่ผ่านมา

      It really does My Immortal vibes 😂

  • @Elizabethcantsing
    @Elizabethcantsing ปีที่แล้ว +105

    I truly have never physically reacted to something so cringe as the description of that kiss. My entire body shriveled into itself as if I was a snail being buried alive in salt

    • @hawkins347
      @hawkins347 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      I've read some bad smut in my days and written some myself, but I think this takes the... defacake.

  • @c-puff
    @c-puff ปีที่แล้ว +58

    I love Modelland! I have watched and listened to multiple people reading and discussing it and I am still unsure what the plot is. Absolutely incredible! Nothing else like it.

  • @HueKea
    @HueKea ปีที่แล้ว +46

    god, the whipped cream thing i remember from one of the episodes of tyras talkshow. Its her actual favorite snack. she filled her mouth with it, TOOK IT OUT AS A SOLID PIECE and sat on stage and ate it

  • @subject667
    @subject667 ปีที่แล้ว +182

    So, not done watching the video but I kept laughing at the "multiple personality disorder" hair phrase. When you started talking about DID because of how Tyra had portrayed mental illnesses with Lizzie as a bridge to go back to the topic of how Tyra was using mocking terms for the main character's hair was not something I expected but was pleasantly surprised to hear how educated you were with DID! Thanks for informing people and curbing the stigma about how living with the disorder is.

    • @elleliteracy
      @elleliteracy  ปีที่แล้ว +44

      using absurd problematic literature is always the best way to break down stigma

  • @PLTFRMSYOUTUBENIVERSE
    @PLTFRMSYOUTUBENIVERSE ปีที่แล้ว +72

    im def reading this. clearly she is describing her time as a model in the 90's

    • @elleliteracy
      @elleliteracy  ปีที่แล้ว +64

      ah the 90s... when supermodels could shapeshift, teleport, and see into the future. when they trained up their modelling powers with the aid of mutant gurus in magical classes

    • @PLTFRMSYOUTUBENIVERSE
      @PLTFRMSYOUTUBENIVERSE ปีที่แล้ว +19

      @@elleliteracy gotta make it into a fantasy novel to avoid lawsuits 😜

  • @louthelost
    @louthelost ปีที่แล้ว +31

    "My fan casting for Tookie is Quasimodo" was said and moved on from so quickly and it straight killed me dead, I burst out laughing so hard and for so long that I had to pause the video cuz I couldn't hear a word being said, then I backed up because I'd missed the opening lines and got to hear "my fan casting for Tookie is Quasimodo" AGAIN and I burst out laughing AGAIN and had to pause and back up all over again, eventually I just had to giggle through that section. It was just so unexpected and I laughed so hard!
    Also I don't know how to describe the noise I was making through the reading out of the different countries in this world. Wailing? I think that was wailing. It was certainly distraught

  • @orangjeuic7530
    @orangjeuic7530 ปีที่แล้ว +157

    thank you for talking abt tyra's misuse of DID, even briefly! i have DID and its so tiring and uncomfortable how often shit like that goes without issue / without mention. people think it's just a small thing, but it adds up for us systems bc a lot of the time, we have trauma from being misunderstood and belittled. jokes & minimization like using it as a 'descriptor' aren't okay and make a lot of us with DID uncomfortable/upset. never watched you before but it made my heart warm when you talked about it. thank you

    • @elleliteracy
      @elleliteracy  ปีที่แล้ว +26

      thank you!! I’m so glad you found it respectful ! it means a lot hearing you were happy with that part 💖

    • @kelsey2333
      @kelsey2333 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      That's a crazy rare disorder....

    • @guggelguggel7491
      @guggelguggel7491 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

      ​@@kelsey2333 Just because something is rare doesnt mean its not misunderstood/mocked, and in fact, often just means people not knowing anything about it, thus leading to people assuming that the stereotypes are all there is to it.

    • @jacqueline373
      @jacqueline373 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      @@guggelguggel7491i think they’re just pointing out how unlikely it is for someone to have the disorder in the first place, much less one of the fewer than a quarter of a million to have watched this video [when you take into account that only around 1% of the entire WORLD has DID [some estimates place it higher at around 1.5% but conservative estimates are closer to 0.01% prevalence]]
      not that it means this commenter doesn’t have it, it’s just incredibly rare

  • @fynnsternis6432
    @fynnsternis6432 ปีที่แล้ว +32

    I watched the entire 3 hour video from KrimsonRogue, and I was losing my mind in this video anyway because this book is so packed, I already forgot the plot again, and you mentioned so many more weird ass things.
    I love how you glossed over the cat girl mutants. Imagine what kind of book a book must be that you don't have the time to unpack *cat girl mutants*

    • @archanashreedhar5089
      @archanashreedhar5089 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I've watched Krimson's video too and here I am not remembering most of the plot😂

  • @skippycoulter
    @skippycoulter ปีที่แล้ว +225

    The editing and inserted jokes in this is exceptional. I normally watch everything tabbed over to something else (ADHDers unite) but I had to watch this with all my attention.

    • @elleliteracy
      @elleliteracy  ปีที่แล้ว +57

      as a fellow ADHD queen this is genuinely the highest paid compliment ever and I’m so glad

  • @HalfLight333
    @HalfLight333 ปีที่แล้ว +54

    Man, part of me really wants to rewrite this story and attempt to make it a semi-coherent tale of Found Family, brutal deconstruction of the beauty and fashion industry and how beholden it is to capitalism, and the protagonist taking an axe to the entire system and moving her classmates into tearing it down and starting to rebuild it into something more sustainable and compassionate, where Zarpessa and Tookie begin to bond and grow together as characters. And also making it HELLA gay where at least half the girls embrace their inner lesbian fashion disasters and a Bestosterbro comes out as a trans woman and absolutely kills it.
    ...Maybe one day.

  • @JohnSmith-gf6jt
    @JohnSmith-gf6jt ปีที่แล้ว +49

    I haven't read Modelland in a while b/c I read it once years ago and I think rereading might cause real psychic damage, but what I remember the most is how, more than anything, it reminded me of the fantasy stories I wrote when I was 8, 9, 10 years old. No editing, no themes, no real narrative structure, just whatever weird idea comes to you at any moment, and for that reason I had a great time. But also, Tyra was in her late 30s when Modelland came out.

  • @lyrialzander
    @lyrialzander ปีที่แล้ว +42

    People with eating disorders often get Amenorrhoea, which is the absence of a period due to malnutrition or hormonal distress. Seems like something models would have to deal with...

    • @lexpeters9925
      @lexpeters9925 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      I'm so glad you mentioned this! In combination with that food challenge, it definitely seems like Tyra is unintentionally making some commentary about the modeling world and the physical and psychological trauma models often face. I can't help but think that with some writing classes, critiques, and a strong editor, this could have been a really cool book.

  • @melskmelsk
    @melskmelsk ปีที่แล้ว +41

    I feel like the only explanation for this is that Tyra chewed up and spat out like a dozen editors such that none of them got through more than a random selection of pages? Thanks for the wild journey! Big thanks for unequivocally slamming that DID hair bullshit too.

  • @spagetd1526
    @spagetd1526 ปีที่แล้ว +22

    this sounds like a storyline that would develop when my best friend and i were playing barbies at 11 years old when we were annoyed at each other or something. the unconnected plotlines and random violence/killing off of characters brings back childhood memories LMAO

  • @karak962
    @karak962 ปีที่แล้ว +30

    i have a brain injury that causes severe headaches almost every day and im now going to start explaining it as "bequeathing my crown with an anatomical ache" you are SO funny

    • @karak962
      @karak962 ปีที่แล้ว

      TOOKIE APPARENTLY ALSO HAS A BRAIN INJURY BECAUSE HITTING YOUR HEAD AND BLACKING OUT IS NOT SOMETHING YOU DO WITHOUT DAMAGE. HONESTLY THAT WOULD EXPLAIN THIS BOOK. IT'S JUST WHAT THE WORLD FEELS LIKE WHEN YOU HAVE A BRAIN INJURY.

  • @emilyrln
    @emilyrln ปีที่แล้ว +45

    An "oily voice" usually means unctuous, obsequious, servile, excessively flattering, etc, but I'm not sure if that's what Tyra meant 😂 just wanted to defend that particular descriptor, as I have in fact seen it before.

    • @shroom2267
      @shroom2267 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Yeah actually I'm pretty sure it's used in Harry Potter 😂😂

  • @killitwithfire5377
    @killitwithfire5377 ปีที่แล้ว +125

    this is the only piece of media that exists in the same genre as my immortal, except it‘s as if tara was really into barbie and modeling instead of hot topic

    • @C19520
      @C19520 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      YES THANK YOU THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINKING TOO like this is the only work of - dare I say art? - that even comes close to matching My Immortal

    • @zombiemombie666
      @zombiemombie666 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

      Does this mean Tyra accidentally outed herself as the real writer of My Immortal? 😂

  • @peterg8187
    @peterg8187 ปีที่แล้ว +28

    One of my core memories was watching that ANTM episode and because it is so utterly batshit when they did the photo shoot and tyra says “Tookie loves whipped cream” my mom and I kept waiting for a male model to come out and represent the character Whipped Cream. And it took far too long for it to dawn on me she meant the food.

  • @rx500android
    @rx500android ปีที่แล้ว +31

    Funny tidbit- “tookie” means “parrot” in Hebrew. The protag is basically called Cream Of Parrot 💀💀💀💀

  • @silver8632
    @silver8632 ปีที่แล้ว +153

    Having one brown eye and one green eye is BAD and not, in fact, the coolest shit ever? Jail. Jail for tyra for 1000 years. LOVE this video, you did an amazing job making this mess entertaining!

  • @sapphic.shortcake
    @sapphic.shortcake ปีที่แล้ว +20

    the fact that the french country is literally just named "very pretty" in french is SO TELLING to the lack of any depth in her writing fr

  • @trinaq
    @trinaq ปีที่แล้ว +140

    Thanks for this video, Ellen. I had no idea that Tyra even wrote a novel, but thanks for putting yourself through it so that we don't have to!

    • @elleliteracy
      @elleliteracy  ปีที่แล้ว +29

      it's a pleasure to do community service

    • @kamsismith
      @kamsismith ปีที่แล้ว +10

      I knew about it but never bothered to read it. Don't get me wrong, a story about the modeling world can be interesting as one of my story ideas is about a Japanese American girl in the late 60s attempting a modeling career in Japan after the American fashion industry refuse to take her seriously. It's obvious that Tyra is a narcissistic woman as she allowed the toxicity she wanted to fight against in her show.

    • @trinaq
      @trinaq ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@kamsismith Coolness, I really like your pitch for a story, I can't wait to read it!

    • @elleliteracy
      @elleliteracy  ปีที่แล้ว +13

      also trina I see your comments all over youtube so I'm so happy you also find yourself here!!

    • @trinaq
      @trinaq ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@elleliteracy Thanks so much, Ellen, it's an honour to be recognised by one of my favourite TH-camrs.

  • @lispeaks
    @lispeaks ปีที่แล้ว +5

    my fancast for Tookie is the toucan from george of the jungle

  • @Redem10
    @Redem10 ปีที่แล้ว +26

    This is one of those thing where bad art (even when absurb) feels like it's more revealing about the author than good art.

  • @Dobbyisfreelmao
    @Dobbyisfreelmao ปีที่แล้ว +26

    After listening you talk about this mess, I'm genuinely speechless. Gives me hope that my writing maybe isn't as bad as I think it is.

  • @Spookybluelights
    @Spookybluelights ปีที่แล้ว +35

    When Power Rangers has more internal consistency (and I say this as a super fan) than your world, there's a problem.

  • @5rcane
    @5rcane ปีที่แล้ว +12

    Had the horrific realization that Miracle might be a reference to miracle whip... Then I realized the entire family is named "Cream".
    Did Tyra seriously use whipped cream as a major inspiration?

    • @twilightjoltik3151
      @twilightjoltik3151 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Isn’t miracle whip mayonnaise, though?

  • @TheAllieBuba
    @TheAllieBuba ปีที่แล้ว +25

    Okay, we need to get that dude that draws characters how they are described in the book to make us a new cover for this book. 😅

  • @dashingtherouxthesnow4017
    @dashingtherouxthesnow4017 ปีที่แล้ว +24

    I'VE HOTLY ANTICIPATED THIS VIDEO

  • @haybails4876
    @haybails4876 ปีที่แล้ว +60

    I read this when I was a teen, like 6 years ago, and I remember it only as a fever dream. I still have visuals that haunt me, and reliving this book is very cathartic and hilarious cause I didn't understand how bad it was 💀💀💀💀

    • @kamilareeder1493
      @kamilareeder1493 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      I sorta of liked it as a kid. It had a sort of maximallist surrealist atmosphere. As a teen, most of the music, books, and clothes I liked were an assault on the senses.
      I think I knew the book wasn't perfect, but there were some parts I enjoyed 😂😂❤
      I loved to sew and make clothes, so my aunt had gifted me the book for a plane trip lol

    • @haybails4876
      @haybails4876 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @kamilareeder1493 Wow! My story is very simular actually, I also love to make clothes and was gifted this book for that reason. How many young seamstresses were subjected to this book 💀💀💀

    • @kamilareeder1493
      @kamilareeder1493 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@haybails4876 haha 😂👌🤷‍♂️ at the time I enjoyed some parts of it tbh. There was a few moments where it was good 😭😂

  • @macieparmenter4544
    @macieparmenter4544 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    I'm studying both editing and creative writing right now and we keep having to produce passages from real-life works to improve upon for assignments. I think I have found a goldmine.

  • @TheInvisibleShadow95
    @TheInvisibleShadow95 ปีที่แล้ว +31

    For anyone who wants to read a good dystopian YA novel about a society based on physical beauty should try Uglies by Scott Westerfeld!

    • @Hyzentley
      @Hyzentley ปีที่แล้ว +10

      YES! A bit obvious from my name, but good, these are so good. Not just the critique of beauty standards and plastic surgery, but also the intensely messy, real feeling, slightly homoerotic friendship between the main character and her female best friend, the technology, the thoughts about if humanity will always just destroy itself, the villain...
      Be careful with the second and third book though, eating disorder and self harm are massive plot points, and while IMO the author does not glorify it, the characters absolutely do.
      Ah, also a movie of it comes out soon. Finally!

  • @HannahBayles
    @HannahBayles ปีที่แล้ว +6

    “Fancast: Megamind” had me rolling 😭🤣

    • @elleliteracy
      @elleliteracy  ปีที่แล้ว

      the weight... of her forehead... threatens to make her topple over.... absolute madness!!!

  • @crumpettrashgoblin
    @crumpettrashgoblin ปีที่แล้ว +35

    I participated in a series of streams Allison Pregler did of Modelland. It was a wonderful, extremely confusing, very uncomfortable ride. Truly a once in a lifetime experience.

    • @1000huzzahs
      @1000huzzahs ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I was there too!! Truly one of her most ambitious and IMO entertaining endeavors.

    • @crumpettrashgoblin
      @crumpettrashgoblin ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@1000huzzahs Aaaay I remember you!

  • @itsdivyag
    @itsdivyag ปีที่แล้ว +8

    the cover is giving au shatter me
    edit: TOOKIE DE LA CREME???

    • @elleliteracy
      @elleliteracy  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      tookie de la creme 😔 also stop shatter me is a series i never read and exclusively watched summaries on youtube about

  • @DMAnemone
    @DMAnemone ปีที่แล้ว +33

    I would love if you did more videos on books!

  • @Deadspooky-Gore
    @Deadspooky-Gore ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I guarantee tyra just held a gun to the ghost writer's head and made him type everything she said word for word.

  • @geniebysnsd_mp3
    @geniebysnsd_mp3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    I don’t know if anyone’s already said this, but when you mentioned the inexplicable lesson on albinism sensitivity I remembered there was an episode of the Tyra Show that was about people with albinism. The one thing I remember distinctly from the show was that a (white) woman with albinism expressed how much she hated the term ‘albino’ and even compared it to the n-word. So if you were wondering why she mentions this specifically in her book, that’s probably why 😅

  • @BangtanAjumma
    @BangtanAjumma ปีที่แล้ว +8

    That kissing scene...MY GOD!!!!!!!!!! I truly appreciate you taking this one for the team! Your bravery will be remembered.

  • @Danni_VA
    @Danni_VA ปีที่แล้ว +20

    I think calling them a triple 7 is because they hit the jackpot or are supper lucky to have all 8 abilities but I’m sure there wasn’t that much thought put into it

  • @leothelion6245
    @leothelion6245 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    I read this book in middle school and I ATE IT UPPP. Like i genuinely needed the next two parts of the trilogy. Didn't remember anything about it other than the body horror tbh before this video. This was so nostalgic and i love dunking on how bad my taste was

  • @kayecelestial1900
    @kayecelestial1900 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    I'm going to actually watch this tomorrow but first I need you to know that I have read modelland and it is my favorite insane thing to tell people about. also once my car got broken into and all they took was a copy of modelland

  • @milaces1323
    @milaces1323 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    You made it! Finally covered this masterpiece 😂 The names! At least they deserve some credit...?

    • @elleliteracy
      @elleliteracy  ปีที่แล้ว +12

      definitely.. creative. definitely... unique.

  • @elibot
    @elibot 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Any section describing what happened between the main character and the love interest (I had the video playing in the background so not gonna look up the spellings of their names) had me going "Alert! Alert! Alert!" on repeat

  • @novah8906
    @novah8906 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    when i watched this vid last night i thought “i bet she came up with this in a dream and that’s what all the unnecessary details are about” and last night i had a dream about modelland

  • @Trassel242
    @Trassel242 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    I’d love to hear more of your thoughts on various books, this is the first video of yours I’ve watched and I’m subscribing immediately, I have ADHD and your engaging way of explaining/discussing along with the added jokes etc just works perfectly for me. I’m sorry if my many comments are annoying, this video just really captivated me. I hope you and whoever else is reading this comment is having a great day!

    • @elleliteracy
      @elleliteracy  ปีที่แล้ว +3

      i’m so glad!! I also have ADHD/ASD so I think the editing is a result of me trying to keep my own brain engaged too hahahahah

  • @pinkflipphone
    @pinkflipphone ปีที่แล้ว +8

    this originally being 1000 pages implies there was an editor... and also that stuff was cut...

  • @Miksei
    @Miksei ปีที่แล้ว +8

    I read this book a few years ago when a roommate and I were having a weeks-long ANTM binge-fest. I made it through on sheer determination. It haunts me to this day.

  • @kybaboober2425
    @kybaboober2425 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Now this, this is what the community needed

  • @ghostsjogging
    @ghostsjogging ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Hi! DID-Haver here. I just wanted to take a minute to say thanks for what you said! I'm not super sensitive to the topic personally because I'm so used to it being misunderstood etc., it's become one of those things I just don't share or talk about in general unless I am close to the person. But, going out of the way to specifically make those points was a huge burst of happy feelings for me, so, thank you!!

    • @elleliteracy
      @elleliteracy  ปีที่แล้ว

      thank you!! I really appreciate your feedback and I’m so glad you found it respectful 💞

  • @Maru-bi6bt
    @Maru-bi6bt ปีที่แล้ว +4

    That's real commitment to the cause! Thanks for going through all of that insanity of a story and sharing!
    Side note, the fact I immediately remembered one of the ANTM seasons referenced this marvelous work of literature has me worried about the nonsensical use of storage space in my brain.

  • @sughopemin8134
    @sughopemin8134 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Omg I’ve been recently binging all your videos since watching the Tyra one I’m so excited for an update I love all your analysis for things related to pop culture!

  • @dianadriver
    @dianadriver ปีที่แล้ว +3

    i fell asleep while watching this and had the strangest nightmares all night

  • @AGothNamedWednessday
    @AGothNamedWednessday ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Omg, ok, so I had gabi belle's video about Ancient Aliens' obsession with Big Foot "Big Foot According to Ancient Aliens" on in the background while doing dishes and my volume wasnt super high and so I could like 80% hear it, and some soapy water dropplets landed on my phone and changed the video I did not notice, ya know like ya do. So where I was in her video was tldr (spoiler alert?) She was talking about how Ancient Aliens think that Big Foot/Sasquatch/etc. are nephilim but nephilim are actually half aliens not half angels, cause fallen angels are aliens now, and they're like a giant race of half aliens, and that all giants in mythology are secretly aliens; and again my volume isnt super high, so im catching like every 3rd word; so when the video started talking about Tyra Banks, I whole ass questioned *nothing* and really thought there was a conspiracy theory that models are tall and ethereal because they're secretly half alien and are descendants of big foot. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤣
    So im going back to the video I was watching, but I will be back for this one, even though I'm slightly disappointed its not the same video

    • @AGothNamedWednessday
      @AGothNamedWednessday ปีที่แล้ว +3

      So, I'm back, and I've gotten to the point where Tyra describes Tookie, and I am fucking dead 🤣, WAS I WRONG??? WHERE IS THE LIE????? Tookie is a cannon Big Foot, confirmed

  • @makpettus
    @makpettus ปีที่แล้ว +4

    This book is what my adhd feels like.

  • @Trassel242
    @Trassel242 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    This book seems completely unhinged, I kind of feel sorry for Tyra Banks for the trauma she’s endured as a model, but of course it doesn’t excuse the awful things she’s done. I think this could be an interesting premise if it was written better and really focused on the whole sci-fi horror aspects. The idea of a class of people whose only purpose is to be beautiful and forced to perform some kind of exaggerated rituals and performances at all times isn’t bad.
    The physical description of Tookie reminds me a little of a character in a Terry Pratchett book, who’s described as having all the traits of the ideal woman, however she’s got the beauty ideals of all different eras all at once, so the combination makes her look kind of weird.

  • @choles523
    @choles523 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    this video had me howling, the script and editing are 💯

  • @devinthomas5671
    @devinthomas5671 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    I read this as an actual child and to be honest it was a favorite of mine because I viewed it as absurdist body horror that wanted to be like something with magical absurdism like dianna wynne jones but with feminist commentary but it just missed the mark like so many young adult dystopian and fantasy books of that time did. I didn’t even know who tyra banks was when reading it. So I just treated it as the tooth rotting silliness mixed with horror that it was and forgot about it until this popped up in my recommended. Tbh I thought it was setting up to be a whole series given the cliff hanger of an ending and would follow tookie through her years in the modeling school and her attempting to break the mould but the book just stayed a single novel and I was disappointed.

  • @TheTbear103
    @TheTbear103 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    How I felt listening to the book descriptions:😂, 🤣,😭,🙄,😒,😵‍💫,🤮

  • @myssandryst81
    @myssandryst81 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    I feel like the base idea coud be good as a fantasy horror type of book
    If written well of course

  • @rachnab04
    @rachnab04 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    25:32 I’ve been diagnosed with DID and your nuanced yet casual defense of DID warms my entire soul, thank you

  • @coyoteartist
    @coyoteartist 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    I don't know why my brain insists on having actual thoughts about this, but here it is. Two points that struck me, 1. The reason that things wouldn't work correctly for Tookie despite her technically being on the list, is that she was put on it for revenge. Whatever magic that exists in this place, knows that she's not really supposed to be there. 2. Based on the reaction of the populous when Modelland is shut down would make me think that to many it's allure and control is something akin to a drug. Remove that and you get the mass hysteria that results from the withdrawls

  • @dumb_gril
    @dumb_gril 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    this is wild. reminds me of something i would write in english class in high school to piss off my teacher

  • @helen.faunway
    @helen.faunway ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Holy shit you actually read it! Not sure if my comment about Modelland back on your original video made a difference or not, but regardless: can't wait to watch your breakdown of this unhinged piece of media. If I WAS in any way responsible for this, I'm so sorry

  • @ExitDivision-xq9lp
    @ExitDivision-xq9lp ปีที่แล้ว +3

    This is so epic, I've been waiting for someone to analyze this book for years. I haven't even started the video yet but thank you for your bravery and your service. 🙏🏼Knowing your content, this is going to be awesome and I can't wait.

    • @erinhaury5773
      @erinhaury5773 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      If you are willing to sit through it, KrimsonRogue did a great (very long) video on this book. I highly recommend it.

    • @ExitDivision-xq9lp
      @ExitDivision-xq9lp ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@erinhaury5773 I'm definitely going to have to check that out! There's something almost magical about experiencing and sharing the abject horror of this book lol.

  • @cal6137
    @cal6137 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    we were rooting for you 🎉

  • @robinbirb
    @robinbirb ปีที่แล้ว +12

    I would say this novel sounds like a fever dream, but fever dreams probably have more logic to them. 😂

  • @blacktiger2154
    @blacktiger2154 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    I remember when I was single digit aged and had just finished watching Winx club and immediately went on to start writing my very own, very original, never seen before, incredibly creative and diverse „bunch of girl besties at a school for magical creatures“ story and istg it was better than this!

  • @LARKXHIN
    @LARKXHIN ปีที่แล้ว +4

    The country/language names just sent me into orbit.

  • @schenanigans
    @schenanigans ปีที่แล้ว +9

    TW ED
    The period detail…is that not…Tyra referencing how many models stop having their period due to severe ED issues?

    • @elleliteracy
      @elleliteracy  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      you'd think so but it's just a magical detail?? there's no mention of how body weight/health impacts your menstruation it's weird

  • @conniesbimbo1979
    @conniesbimbo1979 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    I never thought I’d see the day where Tyra Banks would write a YA fantasy novel. What is happening?!

    • @llewelynshingler2173
      @llewelynshingler2173 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      She couldn't get her theme park off the ground, see

  • @theabnormalsquid
    @theabnormalsquid ปีที่แล้ว +4

    So I just finished listening to a fave podcaster of mine read this book in her patreon, which is the only way I would have interacted with this book. I’m so glad you posted this because I’ve been at a loss for how to talk about this book with people who haven’t read/listened to it 😅 I gotta give Tyra props for creativity at the very least. That said, I don’t know how many times I said “WHAT” or “oh my god” out loud as I listened to this trip of a book (especially regarding the SH content super suddenly). I’m only halfway through your video but I’m so impressed you kept this to the length you did; I would not have been able to make one under ten hours and it still would be incoherent 😂

  • @SapphireChristella
    @SapphireChristella ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I honestly remember reading this is middle school and loving it so watching this whole thing that makes sense. I was very much under her spell and groom by ANTM

  • @yeet-lj3dr
    @yeet-lj3dr ปีที่แล้ว +6

    the STRENGTH it must have taken to make this video LOL it's taken me 3 days to watch it bc I keep needing breaks from Tyra's writing 😭

  • @thesunflowerlegacy
    @thesunflowerlegacy ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I remember this book my mom brought it for me when I was 10/11 years old and I barely remember it. I don’t think it kept my interest mind you I use to read books heavily like I would stay up just to finish a book. I would read it and got bored and would try to restart it. So hearing you talking about it it’s definitely a throwback from my childhood.

    • @elleliteracy
      @elleliteracy  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      hilarious that it couldn't hold your attention!! i have no idea how my tween brain would have processed it

  • @sixgilled
    @sixgilled ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Tyra: a crack fic pioneer

  • @SunnyMorningPancakes
    @SunnyMorningPancakes ปีที่แล้ว +3

    "the structure of this video is a reflection of the structure of Modelland ... Non-existent"

  • @Trassel242
    @Trassel242 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I’ve forgotten what the book is called, but there’s a science fiction book where everyone has a camera drone with them that constantly films them and livestreams it. The protagonist loses his drone, and there’s this whole thing about like “if you don’t broadcast/post it online, did it really happen?” so it’s like he doesn’t exist anymore since he no longer has a livestream of his own.
    I dunno, Modelland seems like a fount of inspiration just like 50 Shades of Grey was for me, suddenly I’m thinking about all these science fiction/horror ideas and concepts you could use instead of the toxic waste pile that Modelland is.
    Another idea: a dystopian society where certain people are literally bred for ornamental purposes and a bit like the medieval court jesters in that they’re just there to do one thing 24/7, but being beautiful instead of being “funny”. Maybe the people who keep these “models” choose a child/baby, and then mold them to fit their personal ideals (adding more horror aspects: it’s done by sometimes painful medical procedures just to make them look like whatever their owner thinks is cool). Maybe the rich nobles justify this practice as either a way to help the poor “models” by “giving them a purpose and food and shelter”, or that it’s to protect them from themselves or something. On second thought, maybe not, I just remembered the Human Pet Guy exists and I bet he’d think this story is a great idea as well as an instruction manual.

    • @joannamarieart
      @joannamarieart ปีที่แล้ว

      Your story idea here actually is somewhat similar to Tuck Me In by Teshelle Combs!

    • @Trassel242
      @Trassel242 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@joannamarieart oh, thank you, I’ll look it up!

  • @vleriii
    @vleriii ปีที่แล้ว +20

    the names of the chapters remind me of when we had a program about dr*gs at school and my group had to rewrite the little red riding hood as an educational story about weed and let me tell you, it was something....so honestly, slay
    edit: so okay, the whole book has that essence

  • @itsnotrounditsapyramid
    @itsnotrounditsapyramid 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Thank you for curing my copious curiosity about this confabulation 😅