By: Andrea Yan
Who is your male celebrity crush? People’s answers to that question today would encompass a more diverse group of males than the answers of people a few decades ago.
In the past, icons fit into the classic blonde hair blue eyes mold. Classic examples of this are movie stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt. However, the idea of what a perfect man looks like is evolving as the world welcomes more diversity and stereotypes are changing.
One example of this is the rise of the K-Pop band, BTS. This shows a shift to a more feminine ideal. Their beauty does not fit into traditional standards, but is now desired and highly influential.
There used to be a clear disparity between female and male models which is now shrinking. Plus-sized female stars such as Lizzo and Ashley Graham have been greatly acknowledged, while their male counterparts have not been recognized. Now, plus-size male models are gaining more recognition and being celebrated, and people are realizing the physique of models in the past is hardly attainable. Ben James, a British model, body-positive activist, and TikTok star, is trying to change that. He has done work with clothing brands involving other diverse models. James told BBC Culture advocacy “gives comfort and confidence to boys and men alike, it tells them that they are wanted and they are worthy.”
Male supermodels have also been experiencing increased success to match their female equivalents. Tyson Beckford being the face of the brand Ralph Lauren illustrates this change. Additionally, Sean O’Pry has had a career lasting over 15 years, making him the top earning male model. His breakthrough act was as the role of Taylor Swift’s love interest in her Black Space music video. This shows that male models are becoming increasingly popular and as well-paid as their female supermodel counterparts.
Older models have also risen in popularity, while teens and twenties models have been popular in the past. Male model Orlando Hobechi says that’s because “people want to see people who look like themselves represented.”
The fact that people want to see representation is the basis for all these changes in beauty standards. Representation is such an important part of society today that it is likely that more and more global brands will include more diverse models in the future. Next time you read a magazine, look at the models. You will be sure to find more diversity than if you went through the same magazine 10 years earlier. You will start to see more representation everywhere, which reflects the changing values of today’s society
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