Britain's Next Top Model

Musayeroh's Fairy Tale Comes to an End

Supermodel Lisa Snowdon is putting another 14 girls to the test, and it's all in the hope of becoming Britain's Next Top Model. Twenty-year-old Musayeroh Barrie was the second girl to be eliminated in the "ultra-bitchy and uber-glamorous" cycle 4 BNTM competition, but she's not hanging up her high fashion hat quite yet. Here, she explains the ugly reality of reality TV.

I don’t think the shot they picked was my best shot. When you’re on the shoot, you have a feeling about how well you did and what shot you think they’re going to pick. I was really disappointed to get into that elimination room and see that picture because I was just warming up when they took that picture. I didn’t think it was my best shot at all.

The week before, I had a really bad picture and low confidence, so I went into this shoot saying to myself, ‘I’ve got to have confidence because it’s the only way it’s going to work out.'

Gerry DeVeaux was really cool on set. He said, “Oh my God, Musayeroh, you’ve got so much confidence in this shoot and I can’t believe I almost sent you home last week.” And then in the elimination room he said I didn’t bring it! I was very disappointed, thinking I had done well because of his comments at the shoot.

It’s No Fairy Tale…

When you watch the show at home, it looks like a fairy tale or a dream. I didn’t expect it to be the way it was – maybe I was expecting it to be more like the fairy tale, but it’s hard work. You’re with cameras 24-7 and you’re always self-critical. I thought it would be a more natural process than what it actually was.

When I first got in the house, I wasn’t really bothered by being the only black girl there. I thought it gave me an advantage because my look was completely different – whether I worked hard or not on the shoot, they weren’t going to tell me that I looked the same. But the more we went through the shoots – maybe because I was getting a lot of criticism – I started thinking that what I have is not what they were looking for.

There are all different kinds of models – fat models, skinny models, hand models, face models, head models – so it really got to me when Lisa Snowdon said the judges were struggling to see my potential as a model. It made me wonder what was going to happen after the show; can I ever try and be a model again?

I think I have a model in me, I just feel it. It’s a passion. It’s not something that goes away because you got negative comments or had a bad experience. I’m still going for it and I’m looking for anyone who is willing to mentor me; someone who sees some potential in me and thinks, ‘this girl can work.’

I’m going into agencies and trying to get myself out there. That’s all I’m looking for: opportunities. I’ve been trying to model since I was 16 and I was a lot bigger then than I am now. I thought if I looked great and converged more to the typical image of a model then it would be a lot easier, but even it’s still hard.

Predictions: It’s Not Just About The Picture

Personality matters in the sense that you need to have the confidence and you have to have the strength to actually physically be in that house. You’re away from home, all your social support, and all you have is girls that you’re meeting for the first time and judges that are going to be critical about you. You’ve got to have personality in the sense that you’ve got to take criticism on the chin, don’t be too down about it, accept it and move on and I think that’s what they’re looking for in terms of personality. I don’t think they’re always looking for the loudest girl or the craziest.

I’m not too sure if I’m going to watch the rest of the show. Even watching it now brings back memories – I might watch a little bit but I don’t think I’ll watch it until the end. But if I had to pick the winner, I’d say Catherine because she was my best friend in the house.

***** Check out more stories from Britain's Next Top Model Cycle 4:

Lynzi’s Heels Were Made For Walkin’

Lauren’s Birthday Bump

Louise Holds Her Head High