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When it comes to stories of inequality in the earnings of the male and the female gender, many would tell of how a great percentage of women earn a lot less than men. In fact, when you perform an online query about this topic, the search engine will yield more than 760,000 results. However, when you add a few more key words to your query and you try to search for stories about the fashion and modeling world, you will be surprised at the results you will get.

This May be a Man’s World, But Not in Terms of Fashion and Modeling

In the world of haute and chic couture, the tables are turned. A beautiful and photogenic face can be worth thousands of dollars, but it can also be the recipient of millions. This is true for the females working in the fashion and modeling industry. Unfortunately, this is not the same for their male counterparts. A lot of men in this industry struggle not only to obtain their desired recognition and fame, but also to get the right pay. In fact, the salaries of many of today’s male fashion models are 50 percent less than even the lowest earning female model, Liya Kebede, who was able to reach the million dollar mark. In 2008, Kebede earned only around $1.5 million. While this may not be that bad, it is for her male model counterparts.

Fashion and Modeling – The Only Industry where Women make More than Men

The fashion and modeling industry is said to be the only place where the female gender makes a lot more money compared to their male counterparts. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has found that female models who were working full time earned 80 percent more of what male models did.

There are a lot of factors that are associated with this occurrence. One of this is the amount of work being done by female models compared to the males of the same industry. A great percentage of the time, the most established and popular female models obtain their work from being able to secure multi-million dollar contracts. Such contracts include lingerie, cosmetics, perfume, and clothing lines. On the other hand, male models get a majority of their work from posing for high-end photo shoots and contracts for catalogues. The men of the industry take home around $8,000 to about $15,000 a day.

The Popularity of Female Models Greatly Exceed that of Male Models

It is also extremely surprising that most of today’s working male models are not that popular. This is quite a contrast to the internationally acclaimed female models including Kate Moss, Alessandra Ambrosio, Adriania Lima, and Gisele Bundchen. All of these female faces have already become the recognizable faces of many different products and commodities.

There are many things that have boosted these female models to reach their status today. Runway modeling, company contracts, TV Shows, and print ads are just some of them. Many of them, such as Heidi Klum, have even remained significantly bankable despite of the fact that their career in the fashion and modeling industry are already over.

For example, German beauty Heidi Klum markets and advertises her very own perfume line, the products of which are often seen on the covers of many different magazines. She also runs her own TV show that is being played on the Lifetime Channel, entitled Project Runway.

Only a few male models have been able to reach the million-dollar mark on their modeling careers. Tyrese Gibson, who is also an actor as well as a rap and R & B artist, and Ashton Kutcher, who is another actor and comedian and also a former model for Calvin Klein, are two examples of such men. The rest of the men who are working in the fashion and model industry are hard to identify. All in all, there is no denying the fact that the popularity of female models greatly exceed that of their male co-workers.

When it comes to being the most popular male model, Sean Opry gets the top rank. He represents some of today’s hottest brands in the market, including Versace, Hugo Boss, Armani, and Calvin Klein. However, the male gender know that taking into consideration the rigorous standards of the industry, it is very difficult to stay on top of the game and that the turnovers in rankings can happen just as quickly. Simon Nessman is the second most popular male figure in the industry, despite having no contract with a major brand. He gets most of his work from campaigns, runway work, and editorial projects –things that a lot of male models also have to do so that they can make money.

The Current Financial Crisis – Making it Even Harder for Male Models

It is safe to say that the ‘superstar’ modeling age is already on the verge (if it has not already) of disappearing. The days of glam and glitz are gone, which have been epitomized by the names Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Tyra Banks. These female models have been the recipient of attention worthy of Hollywood starlets. With the current financial problems that the country is facing, the modeling scene has even become more ominous for the male gender.

While Sean Opry remains to be on the top of the list of the most popular male models, seeing that he appears on the ads and campaigns of the hottest brands of today, his co-workers are having a much harder time getting work, what with all the financial challenges that the country is facing. Opportunities for fashion and modeling career are slim, so male models can expect not to be able to rake in a lot of work.

Final Thoughts

In a nutshell, female models make more than their male colleagues. While it is true that the top male models can get about $500,000 a year, comparing this to the annual $25 million that top female model Gisele Bundchen makes is definitely something that make a lot of people cringe. Aside from this, the men of the industry also need to compete with the ever growing pop celebrity culture, which also results in their work becoming slimmer and more difficult.

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