America’s Next Top Model photo shoot director Jay Manuel clawed back at catty nitpickers who criticize Tyra Banks for throwing open the fashion world doors to shorter women.

The fashion establishment’s bible, Vogue, reported recently that the move had been met with “derision from the American fashion community.”

In an interview with OK! magazine, Jay snapped back:

“Well, that’s the American fashion community’s problem!

“Typically people will look at a model on the runway and say she has to have a certain physicality, that makes her a potential top model.

“But this is also the same industry that decided to take short Kate Moss and make her a superstar.

“And in typical Tyra fashion, she finds a way to re-draw that focus to what the industry is actually doing: what they say they’re not doing, but what they actually are.

“I think it’s amazing that she does that.”