Australian TV star Alex Perry, 61, left followers stunned on Tuesday when he shared a pumped-up gym selfie showcasing his bulging biceps on Instagram. The fashion designer and former Australia's Next Top Model judge wore a black tank top and pouted for the camera, hiding his face behind mirrored sunglasses and a low cap. He captioned the image: 'Starting the year off right,' tagging his personal trainer Simon in Sydney.
The selfie comes after Gen Z TikTok users were shocked by resurfaced footage of Australia's Next Top Model, the Australian spin-off of Tyra Banks' infamous ANTM. In the viral montage, Perry makes controversial comments, including asking about a model's feet: 'What are those feet? Gorilla feet? Transgendered feet?' He also tells models to 'just stop chowing down' and 'get on the treadmill,' and asks another judge if a model needs to 'drop some K-Gs.'
One Gen Z TikToker compared the show to a Chris Lilley skit, while others commented: 'Alex Perry is living his karma' and 'Alex Perry they could never make me like you.' The show, which aired on subscription TV, featured young girls competing for a modelling career, with a panel of judges including Perry, Jennifer Hawkins, and rotating guests like Linda Evangelista and Tyra Banks.
Other clips show the show's style director Jonathan Pearce confiscating a coffee during a swimwear shoot, and a model screaming: 'She's a f***ing ugly dero mole. She's fat. She's a size 16.' The judging panel also asked models who they thought was 'the fattest' of their competitors. Perry once said a model looked like 'she's been at Arq, rolled out, and just dragged something through her hair,' and compared another to JonBenét Ramsey.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia in December under condition of anonymity, one former Top Model said the show was a product of its time, though not an excuse.
