But We all know that making a career in the fashion industry is tough, especially for models. Modelling agencies are dead set when it comes to the type of people they wish to recruit. They publish ads for jobs with some really specific requirements that only a few people will be able to meet. Something as little as the wrong colour eyes or the shape of an applicant's nose can be the deciding factor between getting hired or not.

 

It seems really ridiculous, especially when the final photos are taken and photoshopped beyond belief anyway. Little things like the colour of persons eyes can easily rectified by the click of a button.

 

Opposed to common assumptions that being a model is all about the looks, one of the most important things for most modelling agencies is actually the height of their models. This is a big problem for many, especially for men who cannot wear elevator shoes that will increase their height to the same extent a high heel can for a woman.

 

Because of this most agencies that hire male models have a certain range of heights that all of their male models must fit, which is usually between 5’10” and 6’2”. Some agencies offer a little leeway of an inch above or below but most are extremely strict. If you do not fit between within this range then getting a job as a male model is going to be very difficult. There have been numerous instances when aspiring male models have been rejected on the basis of being too short or too tall.

 

But should this be the case? It all just seems like unnecessary nit picking. This article will discuss why height should not matter for male models.

 

You Cannot Tell How Tall A Person Is From A Photograph

 

I do accept the fact that being tall is highly important if you wish to be a runway model. If all the other models are tall then having one or two shorter models would look out of place. Also fashion designers want the clothes to be the focus of attention not the model, as the models are sort of viewed as ‘coat hangers’ for the clothes range. The taller the ‘coat hanger’, the better.

However for models that don’t take part in runway shows, there is no reason why height should matter. This is due to the fact that determining someone's height from a photograph is hard. Unless they are standing next to something that indicates their height it would be extremely difficult to guess their height.

It’s all about the photograph and how it is taken. A good photographer will be able to take a picture that doesn’t draw attention to the height of the model. Also for billboards and other similar projects the whole body of a male model is not always on show. In many cases it is only their top half that is displayed, so height should not matter at all as no one would be able to tell their height.

 

Height Can Easily Be ‘Solved’

 

Okay, so this applies more for the shorter models for whom not being tall enough is the issue. Although as was mentioned earlier men cannot wear shoes that increase their height as much as high heels there are still shoes that can make you taller just enough to be within the common range that agencies seek.

 

Unless the shoot requires the model not to wear shoes these types of shoes would be a perfect solution. So you’re probably thinking “wow, male models get to wear platform shoes, that’s a great solution” But I never said they were platforms.

 

There are many shoes that are widely available that are designed to look like normal shoes but increase your height at the same time. There is no indication that they are made to make people taller. Unless you tell someone that you are wearing these shoes there is no way that they could tell you were wearing them.

 

There Have Been Short Models

 

This is a really big reason to why height shouldn’t matter for male models. The reason for this is - if there have been short male models why to agencies persist to state height as a requirement. It just seems a little silly to be honest.

 

Mark Wahlberg is 5’8” and yet he modelled for Calvin Klein for a number of campaigns. Another example is the Swedish football player Frederik Ljunberg who also modelled for Calvin Klein despite only being a couple of centimetres taller than Wallberg. If there have are well known instances of short male models then it makes no sense for modelling agencies to still be so rigid when it comes to height.

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