Saint John modelling contest removes eliminations, draws differing opinions

It’s runway day in Saint John.

Young women ranging in age from their early teens to early twenties are all vying to be Saint John’s Next Top Model.

This is the third year for the competition and Jennie Fairweather is one of the competitors. Her parents Andrea and Andrew say it’s more nerve wracking for them, than for their daughter.

“I have no background with modelling,” Andrew said. “So I’m more nervous than she is, way more nervous”.

The Fairweathers hope this will be a positive growing experience for their daughter.

“She’s going to go to Toronto and New York to see if she can get some interviews up there and maybe make this a career,” her mother Andrea said.

A twist this year will see no one eliminated from the competition. The judges feel there are more pros than cons with this method and it will help some of the competitors continue to grow.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“We have the opportunity to build those skills in them if we keep them in the competition rather than eliminating them from day one,” said judge Tracey McNally.

There are some opposing points of view on the new contest rule. 17-year-old Rachel Mallory would like to see eliminations returned.

“It teaches you about the real world and how not everything goes your way,” she said. “There’s going to be some times that you get shut down and you have to self-reflect and realize what can I do to better myself.”

17-year-old Erin Lawton doesn’t see it that way.

“There’s a lot of nos in modelling,” said Lawton. “You will honestly go through a hundred nos before you ever get a single yes. So, having them being able to take part in the whole competition, be able to learn and take part in every contest, I think will help them become better models in the end.”

Norman Hector owns NWH Modelling in Saint John. He says the competition will help girls get out of their comfort zone, empower them and help them improve in other aspects of life.

“Whether it’s stronger with themselves, looking at themselves differently, even learning about different fashion techniques and presenting yourself, they’re going to get something from this contest whether they’re the winner or not.”