Is male modelling inclusive? Not according to the models themselves

By Alexandra Flores

Modelling has long been an industry that excluded people of different body types and sizes. But in the recent years we saw progress in more female body types represented on runways worldwide. For men, however, the beauty standards seem more rigid.

According to the Model Builders, the UK’s leading model support service, male models that fashion clients are looking to hire need to be over 6ft tall and be of athletic or muscular build. Indeed, leading modelling agencies like Elite London have clear criteria on the webpages meant for new model applications, which usually specify a male model height of at least six feet.

While agencies like IMM Models specify that they have ‘no restrictions on measurements, including height and clothing size’, they are still in minority.

“All agencies are looking to represent women of all sizes. But it is not the same thing for men. Men shorter than six feet tall are unusual in fashion modelling, mostly because of the size of the samples or how tall they will appear next to the female models,” says Jody Furlong, the casting director and co-founder of the Eye Casting modelling agency.

This is because there is much more demand for female models, and diversity in female body types sells, he adds.

“The fashion industry is a giant business. There are so many more things that women can sell in big masses opposed to men,” says Furlong. Among his agency’s clients are Louis Vuitton, Primark, JD Sports and others. 

Elizabeth Harrington, a fashion reporter for The Photo Studio, says that short male models are by far ignored in the fashion industry while in the acting industry this is not an important factor (for example, Daniel Radcliffe is 5’4″ and Kevin Hart is 5’2″). 

And while shorter female models aren’t a rarity (Kate Moss, for example, is 5’7″), there are hardly any petite male models.

‘’Agencies look for 6ft tall men, even if they don’t have experience […] It doesn’t matter if they are plus size. It is all about the height to be honest,’’ says Tim Robinson, 56, a full time male model, who struggles to find work modelling for high-end brands. He’s 5’6″, which is approximately three inches shorter than the average UK male, according to the ONS.

As a result, shorter men also struggle to understand what the clothes they buy will look like when they wear them. “It is not really about inclusion, this is the reality of the world we live in,” Furlong summarises.