Courtesy of ocelot in the open thread, check out this article in New York Magazine about the nonexistence of plus-size male models in fashion. Note phrasing: not dearth, not paucity, not lack of exposure, nonexistence.
(As with so much else in life, don’t read the comments on that article. They are dismaying.)
I think we can all applaud the increase in awareness of plus-size female models, but this article makes a good point that that improvement has not translated to male models at all. I for one can’t help but speculate that this ties in with the dual role of fashion models: as clothes racks and sex symbols.
These two roles are intrinsically at odds in some cases–witness the well-worn observation that the extremely skinny physique of many female models is sexually attractive to only a small niche market of men. With the awareness both that fat people buy clothing and that there may be more than one possible “look” for an attractive woman, we’re seeing more plus-size female models, so that’s a start.
Thing is, I think the Myth of Men Not Being Hot is playing a role here, insofar as male models are clothes racks first and sex symbols second, if at all. There are no male supermodels, after all, no guys who show up on reality TV shows or celebrity panel discussions based on their ability to wear Hugo Boss or Armani and walk down a runway. Thus, the idea of “more than one kind of sexy” simply never enters the conversation when it comes to male models. Does that make sense to anyone else, or am I stretching a point too far?
Edited to remove some insensitive phrasing on my part.
Male models: I was thinking Fabio and Pejic, too.
There’s also a tendency for males to “grow out of” modelling (instead of maturing into super-models) and move into acting. Burt Reynolds, Tom Selleck spring to my (also mature) mind. Dolph Lundgren (the thinking man’s muscle) also modelled for a while.
As for the Big Fellas topic, Brett’s nailed it.
Although I qualify as big in the circumference sense I don’t qualify in as big in the two other dimensions mentioned here. I use EUR 41-42 (UK 7-8 and US 8-9 I think) which is on the lower half of the sizes most shoe stores have for men. I tend to buy shoes on sale and very often when I find a pair I like the look of in the store they are sold out. I guess that is mostly down to selection bias, but vexing when it happens nevertheless. Just another perspective. I have friends who have large feet… Read more »
Martha its a nice way of saying, “F@CK YOU!!!” to all the shoe stores that act like they have the entire shoe wearing world covered by going up to 13 sizes.
As for your brother in law. Assuming he is in the US he can try two places. king Size Direct and Casual Male XL. Their prices aren’t too bad and the clothes are decent. And Casual Male XL has brick and mortal stores as well.
@Danny: I forgot to reply to you, sorry. As for your brother in law. Assuming he is in the US he can try two places. king Size Direct and Casual Male XL. Their prices aren’t too bad and the clothes are decent. And Casual Male XL has brick and mortal stores as well. No, I’m in Norway, so I was planning on ordering online. But I find it very hard to shop clothes for other people, there is just too much stuff that can go wrong. I mean, geeky t-shirts are good fun, but I think he has quite a… Read more »
Danny 😉
I hear you. But I don’t get what your new rule actually does.
One of my coworkers suggested sports stores when I told her about my trouble finding nice shoes. And yes, that might help for workout shoes. But dress shoes, still the same shit. Did you read the link I posted about more shoes being bought online?
Back to clothes. Does anyone here know any good online stores where I can get my brother in law a nice pair of pants for christmas and be reasonably sure of the fit being good?
How is it shopping for shoes if you have large feet in the US? Murderous. As in I want to commit murder over it. But I decided that making a new rule is easier than disposing of the dead bodies. So… New Rule: If you run/own a store that specialized in shoes but don’t carry anything over a 13, you are doing it wrong. And that goes double if you have the word shoe in the name of your store. Brett: The myth of men not being hot and the myth of fat people not being hot (both bullshit!) are… Read more »
On the shoe thing, what drives me nuts is that sizing is ALMOST standardized but not quite. I’m about a 12 1/2, and nobody EVER has a 12 1/2. They’ve got a 12 or they’ve got a 13, and as Danny says, they’ve usually got fuck-all above that. So if a particular style runs large, a 12 is the right call for me, but if it runs small, it’s a 13, and sometimes it’s hard to tell which way to go. My favorite boots are a pair of Doc Martens where I made the wrong call. They’re stylish, lightweight, appropriate… Read more »
Big-mouthed opinionated feminist and gender-egalitarianist here. My partner is a big guy with a beard who has trouble finding clothes that fit and is SOL at just about any mainstream male clothing store. He’s very broad shouldered AND lifts weights AND is carrying a little more weight than he would like AND has big feet (a total bear type) and I think he’s the hottest thing EVAR! I wish there were more diversity portrayed in men’s fashion and general appreciation of male attractiveness…it sucks as it is right now.
@AB:
Schenkenberg was the other name I was searching my memory for. Thanks.
Re: shoe sizes, being a woman with above-average sized feet (women’s size 9-10, men’s 7) is kind of awesome because I have a pretty easy time finding both men’s and women’s shoes that fit me. As for the actual topic of the article, I’ve always been vaguely aware (despite not being fat myself) of the fatphobia that a lot of women deal with, since it seems to manifest itself in very vocal and disturbing ways. I hadn’t paid as much attention to how fatphobia affects men, I think, because it seems to be characterized above all by erasure. Sure, you… Read more »
@Flyingkal:
In Denmark in my childhood/youth I think it was Marcus Schenkenberg. At least, he was my boyfriend’s first suggestion of a man who ought to be in porn.
http://www.google.dk/search?hl=da&sugexp=ppwe&cp=19&gs_id=2&xhr=t&q=marcus+schenkenberg&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1350&bih=721&wrapid=tljp132189468381900&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi
Try Beiron Andersson for (what used to be?) a male model.
But maybe he was just famous around here?
http://www.google.se/search?q=beiron+andersson&hl=sv&prmd=imvnso&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=0XfKTuTXJoLl4QT31aAk&sqi=2&ved=0CCIQsAQ&biw=1159&bih=819
The weird thing to me is, Hugh seems to think that feminists all prefer one type of man. Feminists have different tastes, because they are a non-homogeneous subset of “people.” Seriously, the only thing we ALL have in common is that we want people to be treated fairly and equally regardless of sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
Also: Long hair on men is not considered feminine. It’s considered the province of women, maybe, but it sure isn’t something that say, gay men have more than straight men.
Usually if someone is against a man’s long hair, they want him to show subservience and obedience. The misogyny is assuming that women will show subservience and obedience by default. The misanthropy is wanting faceless, brainless robots and being threatened by individuality.
@Hugh Tipping: The heck is this supposed to mean? “Honestly, every time I see somebody on a feminist website who’s attracted to men make an as-an-aside comment about male attractiveness that just happens to note that they -personally- prefer skinny men, or men with long hair, or men who aren’t super buff* or RAWR MEN IN SKIRTS, or something like that, I’m always tempted to say “Of course that’s what you prefer, you’re on a feminist website, it can be assumed unless stated otherwise”” Because it sounds like you’re falling into the trap of feminists/yaoi fans/bishonen fans/feminine male fans are… Read more »
Some shops will shorten pants for you, at little or no extra cost. But it’s a good thing to know how to do.
Sirgabe: I guess that is because it’s easier to shorten a pair of pants than too make them longer. I’ve dealt with it by learning myself how to make an invisible seam by hand (for dress pants) and how to use a sewing machine for jeans or other pants which requires an invisible seam. I believe you can get sewing machines capable of making invisble seams, but they at least here are too expensive considering how often I buy dress pants so by hand it is.
I’m a short (5’6″/170cm), small-footed (UK 6 or 7, EU 39 or 40) fat British guy, so this post really speaks to me. Firstly, the Myth of Men Not Being Hot, I think, definitely factors into the non-existence of fat male models, and secondly, the idea that musclebound=”good” and “healthy” is a big part of the problem. This erasure of fat men from the “mainstream” affects me often. It’s hard to find trousers that will go over my hips for sure! Curiously, it’s possible to get shirts in up to 3XL in most shops in my area, but I haven’t… Read more »
Derp. Numberpad fail. JE is right.
6’4″ is 193 cm.
Count me up as another person who can’t usually find large enough shoes (size 46.5)
Martha Joy: How is it shopping for shoes if you have large feet in the US? My brother in law has huge feet, but they’re proportional to his height (approximately 2 meters). It’s really hard for him to find shoes. He is a little overweight, so clothes are hard too. But his feet would be large no matter his weight. Speaking as a bigfooted UK resident (but soon to be US permanent resident!) who has tried shopping in meatspace shops for shoes in both countries, I don’t even try anymore. I wear a UK13/US14, and it’s just impossible to find… Read more »
It’s weird, though. One should think that any industry would want more customers, not fewer. I’m glad to hear that clothes are a little more accessible for you now. I did a little googling, and of course it turns out I’m not the only one. 67% of all size nines sold, are bought online as apposed to in store. That should be a wake-up-call for shops, shouldn’t it? A well-worded lady speaks about shoes. I’m going to do something about this here in Norway. Petition and letters should work. But it will have to be after Christmas, too much going… Read more »
@ Improbable Joe; your comment made me kind of sad, because trust me, plenty of men who think they aren’t hot are, or are at least decidedly cute. In a culture that obsesses with female beauty and tends to ignore male beauty, a lot of straight men end up feeling like they are not attractive simply because they are men and not women. This is what Noah Brand means by The Myth That Men Are Not Hot. Trust me, its not true, and not even just for the Johnny Depps and the Jake Gyllenhaals. I find plenty of regular looking… Read more »
@Martha Joy: It’s just as annoying on the other end of the spectrum. A womens’ size 5 US is insanely hard to find anything decent in, unless you go on the Internet. I have to order all my shoes and hope they are the right size when they arrive.
Huh, I didn’t know. My cousin has 36-37 and she has no trouble at all. Maybe size 5 is even smaller than that? Shoes I haven’t tried on is not an option. It’s also something of a principle. I live in Norway’s largest city, there should be options. Also, I should not be made to feel as a freak, I’m 175 cm tall and that is not uncommon at all. Maybe a Facebook campaign group is in order soon 😉 Re: Musicals. I thought Andrew Lloyd Webber made quite a few of those? I guess it isn’t easy finding shoes… Read more »
How is it shopping for shoes if you have large feet in the US? My brother in law has huge feet, but they’re proportional to his height (approximately 2 meters). It’s really hard for him to find shoes. He is a little overweight, so clothes are hard too. But his feet would be large no matter his weight. As a tall woman, I have the same problem, even though my feet are ostensibly just the largest in the normal range (41 EU size). The shops get ONE fucking pair in my size, and idk, 15 in the smaller sizes? I… Read more »
> And conventionally attractive female comedians are practically non existent Well, there is Sarah Silverman. And if we’re willing to include ones that aren’t super famous, I can assert that Liz Miele is also good looking. (I once read someone who claimed that very good looking women who try to become comedians often end up with reputations for being “not funny” because their good looks get them thrust into the spotlight before they’re experienced enough to handle it.) Somewhat more on topic: I once came across a site whose author argues that the reason female high fashion models look the… Read more »
You make very good points Noah. I have nothing to add, except maybe to say “THIS!” in it’s usual internet connotation. 🙂
I can’t think of any british musicals well known enough to be parodied in something like this
Well, at least not from after 1900.