I’ve been thinking about models. Like, seriously. Kate has a net worth of 70 million dollars. Tyra’s and Cindy’s are near the 100 million mark; Gisele’s passed the quarter billion. You can imagine – or Google – the bank accounts of Naomi, Claudia, Cara.
On the other hand, David’s is nearing $10 million; Sean’s is at $6.5.
I know, I know: Who the hell are David and Sean, right? They’d be David Gandy, the male modelling world’s highest-profile socialite, and Sean O’Pry, Forbes’ top male model in 2009 and still models.com’s #1 male model four years later (which, mind you, is the equivalent of three decades in modelling years). Their faces may be everywhere, but their names aren’t.
But forget net worth; I’m sure neither David nor Sean is feeling the Empty Pocket Blues. It is interesting to note modelling is one of very few industries that strongly favour women in terms of salary, but the paycheck does not the supermodel make.
Supermodel, n. a successful fashion model who has reached the status of a celebrity.
Recognition, that’s what. Though even the most casual fashion followers are on first-name basis with Kate Moss and Tyra Banks, two legitimate cultural icons, most cannot name a single male model. This can’t be due to a shortage in quality or quantity; there are plenty of talented and interesting male models working. But where are the male supermodels?
My guess? They’ll start popping up, but only when men want them to.
You see, though no man ever rolled his eyes at the sight of Cindy Crawford, she and her illustrious peers rose to fame due to the attention and admiration of women, for whom their work as muses and trendsetters is actually relevant. (Let’s be real, they’re pretty interchangeable to most men. Except maybe Kate Upton.) Similarly, though I’m sure women would warmly welcome a male supermodel on the pages of People, he’s going to have to earn the male seal of approval first.
That might prove to be a challenge.
It’s no secret the women’s fashion industry was already booming when its masculine counterpart was still a foetus, giving it a mighty fine head start in supermodel creation. But the times are a-changin’ and men’s fashion is catching up: Paris, London and Milan have launched a Fashion Week dedicated exclusively to menswear in 2012, magazines such as GQ have taken on Vogue’s near-biblical appeal to many and specialty websites are popping up left and right for the bolder niches.
So more and more men are giving serious attention to their wardrobe and grooming. The rising number of male fashion bloggers suggests that men are now electing their style icons as opposed to letting Vanity Fair’s female columnists decide that we should be taking our cues from Tom Ford and David Beckham. Higher involvement with the fashion industry logically leads to higher involvement with its creators – good news for aspiring supermodels, surely.
But beyond clothes, modeling is about beauty. Defined cheekbones, pillowy lips, toned arms – you know, that kind of stuff. And that’s not exactly what Western culture teaches men to celebrate each other for. That’s not a killer rock album, it’s not a touchdown nor a Stanley Cup, it’s not a Bruce Willis movie. For better or for worse, men have not traditionally been celebrated for their beauty; for better or for worse, women have. And that’s probably the main obstacle between a male model and celebrity.
Despite this, it is only a matter of time before one emerges at least as a minor star or an online personality. And since fashion is far from a consensus on male beauty — a good thing, no doubt — what the male supermodel archetype will be is anybody’s guess.
Will it be David Gandy, a hypermasculine, hyper-ripped man who looks like a harlequin novel come to life and leads a tabloid-friendly personal life?
Ash Stymest, a leather-wearing, tattoo-adorned twentysomething who models like a rock star?
Or maybe Matt Ardell, a skinny, quirky teen whose tweets read “in a room full of male models but plot twist they’re all reading books” or “every selfie could be your last”? (That’s @mattardell if I sold you on him.)
Anybody’s guess. So guys, let’s start complimenting each other’s eyebrows and shit ‘cause I wanna find out.
I’ve been thinking about models. Like, seriously. Kate has a net worth of 70 million dollars. Tyra’s and Cindy’s are near the 100 million mark; Gisele’s passed the quarter billion. You can imagine – or Google – the bank accounts of Naomi, Claudia, Cara.
On the other hand, David’s is nearing $10 million; Sean’s is at $6.5.
I know, I know: Who the hell are David and Sean, right? They’d be David Gandy, the male modelling world’s highest-profile socialite, and Sean O’Pry, Forbes’ top male model in 2009 and still models.com’s #1 male model four years later (which, mind you, is the equivalent of three decades in modelling years). Their faces may be everywhere, but their names aren’t.
But forget net worth; I’m sure neither David nor Sean is feeling the Empty Pocket Blues. It is interesting to note modelling is one of very few industries that strongly favour women in terms of salary, but the paycheck does not the supermodel make.
Supermodel, n. a successful fashion model who has reached the status of a celebrity.
Recognition, that’s what. Though even the most casual fashion followers are on first-name basis with Kate Moss and Tyra Banks, two legitimate cultural icons, most cannot name a single male model. This can’t be due to a shortage in quality or quantity; there are plenty of talented and interesting male models working. But where are the male supermodels?
My guess? They’ll start popping up, but only when men want them to.
You see, though no man ever rolled his eyes at the sight of Cindy Crawford, she and her illustrious peers rose to fame due to the attention and admiration of women, for whom their work as muses and trendsetters is actually relevant. (Let’s be real, they’re pretty interchangeable to most men. Except maybe Kate Upton.) Similarly, though I’m sure women would warmly welcome a male supermodel on the pages of People, he’s going to have to earn the male seal of approval first.
That might prove to be a challenge.
It’s no secret the women’s fashion industry was already booming when its masculine counterpart was still a foetus, giving it a mighty fine head start in supermodel creation. But the times are a-changin’ and men’s fashion is catching up: Paris, London and Milan have launched a Fashion Week dedicated exclusively to menswear in 2012, magazines such as GQ have taken on Vogue’s near-biblical appeal to many and specialty websites are popping up left and right for the bolder niches.
So more and more men are giving serious attention to their wardrobe and grooming. The rising number of male fashion bloggers suggests that men are now electing their style icons as opposed to letting Vanity Fair’s female columnists decide that we should be taking our cues from Tom Ford and David Beckham. Higher involvement with the fashion industry logically leads to higher involvement with its creators – good news for aspiring supermodels, surely.
But beyond clothes, modeling is about beauty. Defined cheekbones, pillowy lips, toned arms – you know, that kind of stuff. And that’s not exactly what Western culture teaches men to celebrate each other for. That’s not a killer rock album, it’s not a touchdown nor a Stanley Cup, it’s not a Bruce Willis movie. For better or for worse, men have not traditionally been celebrated for their beauty; for better or for worse, women have. And that’s probably the main obstacle between a male model and celebrity.
Despite this, it is only a matter of time before one emerges at least as a minor star or an online personality. And since fashion is far from a consensus on male beauty -- a good thing, no doubt -- what the male supermodel archetype will be is anybody’s guess.
Will it be David Gandy, a hypermasculine, hyper-ripped man who looks like a harlequin novel come to life and leads a tabloid-friendly personal life?
Ash Stymest, a leather-wearing, tattoo-adorned twentysomething who models like a rock star?
Or maybe Matt Ardell, a skinny, quirky teen whose tweets read “in a room full of male models but plot twist they’re all reading books” or “every selfie could be your last”? (That’s @mattardell if I sold you on him.)
Anybody’s guess. So guys, let’s start complimenting each other’s eyebrows and shit ‘cause I wanna find out.