Becoming a star model is undoubtedly the dream of many young people. That said, with this kind of career comes a lot of challenges that we tend to forget when we see these handsome men walking down the runway of a competition. What are the most sought-after body features for new male models in the fashion and editorial business? Do you think you got what it takes to become a male model? We gathered all the information you’ll need to know about this intense career path.
What are the typical types of male models?
First and foremost, there are 4 different paths you can choose from at the beginning of your career. Some male models even switch sometimes from one to another. Here’s a rundown of each of those paths:
- Fashion and Editorial Male Model
A few popular names we could mention in this industry are David Gandy, Sean O’pry, and Tyson Beckford. These male models often appear in fashion magazines such as Men’s Vogue, Details, GQ, and Numero. Their main goal is to expose the beauty and freshness of new fashion trends in clothes and accessories. - Runway Male Model
Also referred to as a catwalk model, the runway male model is the one you will see in fashion shows and beauty competitions. Even though requirements in the height and waist have greatly loosened up through the last few years, this type of modeling often requires precise measurements. One of the biggest difficulties in becoming a runway male model is to go through several castings in a row without getting paid. That’s right, until you get booked, you won’t get 1 cent. - Commercial Male Model
Those are almost like actors, as they are mostly appearing in ads for clothes, perfumes, spirits, new shavers, etc. These gigs can become very lucrative as if you get to work on a major ad campaign during the Super Bowl, for example, then you just hit the jackpot. - Fitness Male Model
Finally, fitness male models are often appearing as influencers on social media platforms, Instagram, and YouTube. The best to make money as a fitness male model is to get a sponsor, or in other words, a product that you are going to showcase in your posts and videos. Another way to get money is to have a subscription plan system to offer to your fans.
How tall does a male model have to be?
If we talk about a runway and catwalk show male model, the minimum height is normally between 72 inches tall and 75 inches tall. On the other hand, the size of the jacket a male model usually wears is between 40 and 42. And finally, for the size of the waist, the most sought-after size is 32-inch wide.
Do you need a lot of muscles to become a male model?
It depends if you want to orient your career in the fitness realm or not. But usually, for runway male models, it is recommended to not overdo it on the muscle mass. Runway models generally have a slim and toned physique. Getting more mass would change their appearance and look too much. All that being said, it is important for male models to stay in shape, but, they can’t have an excess of mass in the butt, hips, midsection, and thighs if they want to get as many fashion gigs as possible.
What are the most important features for male models?
In order to get booked as a male model, it is no secret that there are specific features that scouts will be looking for when auditioning models for an agency. Here’s a list of the main features a male model needs to have the best chances of getting booked by an agency:
- Tall
Scouts will mostly look for tall men between 5’10″ and 6’4” in height. - Small Waist
On top of being tall, the ideal male model should have a small waist not bigger than 32 inches. - Chest
Fashion agency scouts are always looking for that ‘V’ shape, so the chest of the ideal male model should be a bit bigger than the waist shape. In general, anything between 39 and 41 inches is very good for the male model’s chest size. - Small Muscle Mass
On the contrary to what a lot of people may think, you don’t need to have big muscles to become a model, but you do need to be in shape and healthy. This requires a lot of discipline as you can’t eat everything you want. - Charming Personality
The perfect male model doesn’t exist, but if you have a very charming personality, it’s going to play in your favor during the audition. A lot of newer male models are stressed at the beginning and not comfortable in front of a camera. If you are cute, funny, and confident, this is a big plus even if your body shape is not perfect. - Unique Look
As a final requirement, a unique look or unique facial feature will go a long way during auditions for fashion runway gigs and commercials.
What’s the best diet for a male model?
Of course, it is very important to keep a strict diet to become a male model. A good trick is to drink lots of smoothies containing fruits such as bananas, coconut water, berries, apples, peaches, oranges, and plums.
On the protein side of things, we recommend eating whole grains, quinoa, brown rice, oats, and couscous. Furthermore, you can add nuts to your diets such as pistachios, cashews, almonds, and macadamia nuts.
For the meals, it is recommended to have 3 balanced meals a day. For breakfast, you can have 2 or 3 eggs, for lunch, at least 220g of lean protein (like fish for example), with a bit of steamed basmati rice, and lots of steamed vegetables. For dinner, you can eat something similar but with a lot more basmati rice to complete the day.
Vegetables and fruits are always your friends so you can eat a lot of them if you’re still hungry. Hopefully, this was helpful and that you understand better what it takes to become a male model.
