Modeling is not nearly as glamorous or lucrative for men as for women. The boys make less money, so they often don't have the luxury of, say, a black car to ferry them between shows and fittings. Also, male models can be filthy, filthy creatures. Russian-born
Matvey Lykov ranks in the top 25 male models working today (he recently landed the spring
Jil Sander campaign). He tells the L.A. Times he prefers not to live in agency male-model housing:
"Before my first show in Milan, we were staying in this apartment that belonged to a male model," Lykov recalls. "I was staying with these Canadians; they were like animals. They destroyed all the furniture, they were throwing chairs and beer bottles out of the window from the fourth floor onto cars — one guy [relieved himself] in the oven." He said he took his suitcase and checked into a hotel that night ... "Male models are messy — it's not sexy at all."
The financial compensation hardly makes up for the pain and suffering. Lykov walked 34 shows in Milan, Paris, and New York. The eleven shows he walked in New York this season paid him in clothing rather than cash — something that's called a "trade" and not allowed in Europe. So if he makes around $1,000 a show, he netted about $16,400 this show season, after a 20 percent agency fee and couple grand for travel expenses. In a year, doubling that figure and adding in a few one-off shows and an exclusive job, he makes around $40,000. Before taxes. Including human excrement in the kitchen. (It is, however, considerably better than a starting salary at Condé Nast.) Lykov is hoping for some fall campaign bookings, where the real money is. In the meantime you might find him in the Williamsburg apartment he shares with four roommates, none of them models.
To add to the list of reasons it's basically impossible to make money as a model, male or female: Condé Nast pays new models $150 a day. After a year, that rate increases to $250 for the day, according to Models.com managing editor and former agent Betty Sze. "That means if you are Gisele [Bündchen] and work for American Vogue 2 days in a row, you would make $500. Many editorials pay nothing," she says. These rates have not been affected by the economic crisis, as magazines like Vogue, Allure, and Lucky's ad pages for the month of April
are all down around 30 to 40 percent each. With Condé's titles reportedly looking for additional ways to cut back even after the downsizing of Men's Vogue and the closure of numerous titles, model rates would seemingly be a logical place to start. "Condé Nast doesn't have to pay anything, I don't even know why they do," Sze adds. "Girls don't do editorial for money! Getting editorials and covers of French Vogue for example, drives up your rate for everything else and gets you noticed by the huge money clients like Lancôme and Estée Lauder. Simple. Editorials and covers are the path towards the real money."
Except getting noticed by Estée Lauder isn't exactly "simple," since there's one of them for every hundred billion models in the world. And they might hire celebrities people actually recognize instead of 17-year-olds known only within the industry. So you're more likely to make a better living waiting tables, bartending, working retail, programming computers, even blogging. Not to mention you can consume carbs, booze, and full-fat cheese to your heart's content.
The above are two articles from two different sources, thanks to many of our "home boys", we already knew most of that. Except the fact that models are shamelessly reporting their private matters to the new york "I am so bored I have pretty boys" magazine and news papers. Things have always been like this, everyone knows about this, and kids got warned out once they signed the deal, now they are complaining? Big Deal. No serious, who cares. So you think you are not gettng paid fairly, so does everyone, you think editors and doormen get paid fairly? What do you think Tom Ford leaving Gucci and Hedi Slimane Leaving Dior at the first place? No body gets paid fairly, models are more noticeable, because most of the models are kids that dreamed about being rich and famous, and they dont get any of that once hang off the on set lightening. They are the bodies of dreaming format, they are suppose to know that. Now they are confused. Apparently they think , as beautiful people they should be rich and famous, except they are nothing but beautiful. You really think Gisele Buchen is rich because she is the hottest? Have you met her? The woman has a pinion about almost everything, she speaks several languages, she does business with investment, she is handling her life with a brain. She left VS contract and she is still the most recognizable, who, which one in these kids could do that? Without a major campaign, they are nothing. NOTHING. You heard from Nick Sinder again? Tell me about it.
Once Mathias Lauridsen or Boyd Holbrook or Jamie Dornan starts complaining, we will start supporting.
