It’s a Guy
Thing, Too
With so many gorgeous girls featured in every issue of Pageantry, it is hardly surprising it has a strong male readership. I have been surprised, however, at the increasing number of requests for information in my in-box from young men interested in a modeling career. Many of them had accompanied a sister or girlfriend to a pageant for moral support, and then had been told by an agent or scout that they could be models. Here is a typical question:
A: Basically a man should be 6 feet tall (with some exceptions), and wear a 40 Regular jacket size. Good looks, a well-toned body, great personality, and willingness to travel are also essential. To be successful in fashion work, he must really understand this part of the industry, especially the designers’ likes, dislikes and idio-syncrasies. He must also have the ability to project well. Age can range from 17 to 70 and beyond (wrinkles suit men!). There is no equality in pay, however, compared to their supermodel sisters.
On that score though, my research reveals that it is possible for an experienced male fashion model who can do runway, showroom, and fashion print work to earn between $12,000 and $50,000 a month. Sometimes a fashion model can do com-
mercial print and advertising work and make another
$20,000 to $100,000 a year. To be in this league, a guy must have a lot of personality, a great smile, pearly white teeth, and perform with great confidence in front of the most critical acting directors and clients. In this commercial category, height is not a requirement if the model is proportioned from head to waist and waist to toe.
Several trends today are driving the male modeling interest. It is very acceptable for men to be interested in what they wear and how they look in clothes, and there is a new trend for men to shop for themselves. An increased number of men’s fashion magazines and the burgeoning sales in men’s fragrance, hair, and skin-care products have contributed to very lucrative opportunities for men who model. Also, Prince
William, who epitomizes the in-look for models in the United Kingdom, and English footballer David Beckham, a fashion icon in Europe who has arrived in the
United States this year as a new member of the Los Angeles Galaxy Major League Soccer team, have drawn attention to this market.
I asked several industry experts for their input, and here is what they told me:
WELL TRAVELED: Tony Brown on assignment. He was working as a bank teller when a scout from Extraordinaire Models and Talent in Bakersfield, California, discovered him. Tony’s modeling career has taken him all over the world.
Former model and actor Joey Hunter, who helped create the Ford Agency in New York and is an international scout, told me: “Guys can work all over the world, but they have to give 110 percent. They have to make it happen.”
Asked what type of photographs a man should have, he said: “For their Sed card [which are a model’s business card], you need a good headshot, a body shot and a movement shot to show they are not stiff.”
Discussing his thoughts
“The personality when he looks at these Sed cards, he said: “I part, the attitude look for the mood and what the guy is doing
part, is 50 percent and the feeling that is of a guy’s makeup.” coming out of the pic- ture. What does it say – Joey Hunter about his personality? Then, if I like him, I have to see him, so that I can see his personality. The personality part, the attitude part, is fifty percent of a guy’s makeup.”
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