Watch Out, World: Male Models Are Getting Handsomer

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Today's Wall Street Journal runs an interview with male model agent Jason Kanner. He's the founder of Soul Artist Management, a Flatiron District modeling agency with a roster of 100 male models (as well as about 12 women.) And he's trying to convince the world that his clients are more than just an army of Zoolanders. One major trend in the male modeling industry, he tells the Journal, is the re-emergence of straight-up handsomeness:

Female models like Lara Stone need male counterparts. So it seems there is an interest in men that are more beautiful and fit....There was a trend when the guys were getting not ugly but more average. Now we're seeing a throwback to the age of Bruce Weber and Herb Ritts. They look like the quarterback.

But just because a guy is born with perfect bone structure doesn't mean he's guaranteed to be a star. Kanner says he teaches his clients about fashion photography so that they understand there's more to the business than just Abercrombie bags.
· A New Respect For Male Models [WSJ]
· Models' Rights Group Launches Just in Time for Fashion Week [Racked NY]