Answering a Reader Question #936
In the last photo, male models on a runway, they all look very young and skinny, almost anorexic. Do some male fashion models have longer hair like Fabio, do any older male models make it to fashion?
Steve N.
Hey, Steve!
There are male models who have longer hair. Each fashion show has its own look and feel that is determined by the designer. For some shows they want the models to all look the same so that the focus is more on the clothes, while others don't have that requirement and feature runway models of various looks, including hair lengths.
When it comes to fashion work, male models have the advantage of being in demand the older they get. However, there is a limit to that age range. Most male fashion models book work well into their late 20s and even 30s. That is in relation to mainstream modeling work.
Commercial/print male models tend to lead longer careers because that is a category that looks for all age ranges, including 40s and older, depending on the product/brand/company that is being represented.
In the fashion world, however, age still matters and even though the men tend to fare better than their female counterparts when it comes to fashion shows and shoots, agencies and clients don't typically consider men older than their early to mid 30s for industry standard runway and fashion work.
Hi Dania,
ReplyDeleteSince writing my question nearly 3 years ago, I have walked in several fashion shows, all recently, and am much older than 30s or even 40s, what exactly do you mean "industry standard runway and fashion work."
Thank you,
Steve N.
Hi, Steve!
Delete"Industry standard runway and fashion work" refers to the demographic of models who are in the active peak of their careers. They meet the age, height and size requirements and are usually signed to large agencies in major markets like New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and--of course--international markets.
Older male models typically are not included in this demographic, which isn't a bad thing, it's just the life cycle of the average mainstream male fashion/runway model.
Being able to walk in fashion shows locally and in other markets is much more open to age ranges, heights and sizes but in the "mainstream," that is reserved for the models who meet the strict requirements to walk in big name designer shows nationally and in other countries.