Hairless and bony is a thing of the past.
Until recently, the prevalent male image on catwalks and in advertising campaigns has been that of bony, hairless young men, if you can even call them men.
Designer's demand for bony and boyish looking models seems to be disappearing. If you followed the recent runway season, you might have noticed that labels like Prada and Louis Vuitton used older masculine models to show off their fall/winter collections.
The New York Times recently published an article, "From Boys to Men" , which discussed how the boyish image is being overtaken by a mature weathered look.
“Maybe it’s that as consumers are getting older, they want to see something that reflects what they look like in the mirror,” said Jason Kaner, the president of the men's division of Major Model Management, in the Oct. 15 New York Times issue.
“For a long time it was just those skinny guys, those boyish Prada types,” he said, referring to men like Cole Mohr — a model with jug ears and the body of a teenager — long a favorite at labels like Prada and Louis Vuitton.
The article argues that part of this transformation of models from boys to men has to do with the current economic situation. With the economic struggle the nation faces, many men are unemployed, which means their image as strong men vanishes.
“Men have always been defined by their jobs — always,” said Joe Levy, the editor in chief of Maxim, in the Oct. 15 New York Times issue.“Suddenly the notion of having a job or a career is in doubt, so you fall back on old notions of what it meant to be a man or to look like one.”
People wanna be reassured that strong reliable men still exist.
"In tough times, people want a strong man,” said Sam Shahid, director of Shahid & Company, in the Oct.15 New York Times issue.
He also said that this trend is not only happening in the fashion world with models, but also with actors and advertising. More designers, editors and photographers are now embracing this trend of featuring "masculine, manly men" in their work.
V man, a men's-wear magazine, had an issue titled "The Coming of Age" where its cover featured Josh Brolin, not a skinny teenage-looking model, but a 44-year-old man. The latest Vogue French men’s-wear issue, "The Prime Life", features a star model of the '80s on the cover.
The editor of the recognized magazine for men GQ says in the article that when they are casting for models, they want someone with some heft to him and a few years on him, someone who has aged a little bit and who feels like he's a man.
The recent runway season was a perfect example of how designers are adopting this new generation of handsome and mature models, but we will have to be on the lookout to see if this continues or the waxed boyish look returns.
Until recently, the prevalent male image on catwalks and in advertising campaigns has been that of bony, hairless young men, if you can even call them men.
Designer's demand for bony and boyish looking models seems to be disappearing. If you followed the recent runway season, you might have noticed that labels like Prada and Louis Vuitton used older masculine models to show off their fall/winter collections.
The New York Times recently published an article, "From Boys to Men" , which discussed how the boyish image is being overtaken by a mature weathered look.
“Maybe it’s that as consumers are getting older, they want to see something that reflects what they look like in the mirror,” said Jason Kaner, the president of the men's division of Major Model Management, in the Oct. 15 New York Times issue.
“For a long time it was just those skinny guys, those boyish Prada types,” he said, referring to men like Cole Mohr — a model with jug ears and the body of a teenager — long a favorite at labels like Prada and Louis Vuitton.
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| Cole Mohr | Courtesy of models.com |
The article argues that part of this transformation of models from boys to men has to do with the current economic situation. With the economic struggle the nation faces, many men are unemployed, which means their image as strong men vanishes.
“Men have always been defined by their jobs — always,” said Joe Levy, the editor in chief of Maxim, in the Oct. 15 New York Times issue.“Suddenly the notion of having a job or a career is in doubt, so you fall back on old notions of what it meant to be a man or to look like one.”
People wanna be reassured that strong reliable men still exist.
"In tough times, people want a strong man,” said Sam Shahid, director of Shahid & Company, in the Oct.15 New York Times issue.
He also said that this trend is not only happening in the fashion world with models, but also with actors and advertising. More designers, editors and photographers are now embracing this trend of featuring "masculine, manly men" in their work.
V man, a men's-wear magazine, had an issue titled "The Coming of Age" where its cover featured Josh Brolin, not a skinny teenage-looking model, but a 44-year-old man. The latest Vogue French men’s-wear issue, "The Prime Life", features a star model of the '80s on the cover.
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| V Man- "The Coming of Age" issue On cover: Josh Brolin www.ftape.com |
The recent runway season was a perfect example of how designers are adopting this new generation of handsome and mature models, but we will have to be on the lookout to see if this continues or the waxed boyish look returns.
I agree. Most of Hollywood young stars like Zac Efron, Taylor Lautner and many more are avoiding the bony hairless look. Men are supposed to be strong!
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