Male models hoping to launch a successful career in fashion face more pressure and scrutiny than their female counterparts, according to long serving fashion stylist Aly May.
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The Perth fashion scene has catapulted the careers of some of the most successful female models including Nicole Trunfio and Pania Rose, but unfortunately for local boys it is not as easy.
"For the girls, as long as you're a size eight you're fine," the stylist with a CV spanning 30 years said.
"Obviously for swimwear I'm going to have to look for a body shape but for the rest of it most of the designers are just looking for a size eight for their sample sizes."
May is also creative director for the long running WA AIDS Council fashion fundraising event, STYLEAID.
This year's event will feature a strong menswear showcase of international and local looks including Vivienne Westwood, Haider Ackermann, Zsadar and ae'men by Alvin Fernandez.
"Boys don't get a lot of work in WA, it is very limited. If you consider most advertising campaigns are done on a national basis there isn't that avenue here so it's good to get them on the catwalk whenever possible," she said yesterday at the casting for the July 29 show.
According to May, androgynous genes are an advantage. A number of stars-in-the-making are the younger brothers of successful Perth models. Stirling Caiulo, whose sister Holly has been the face of Cue and Sportsgirl and Patrick Fell and who learned the tricks of the trade from his London-based sister Hannah, were standouts for the casting panel yesterday.
"It's difficult with Australia being such a lifestyle country, it's not so fashion-oriented, so not many males are really fashion conscious."
"We've moved away from the very broad buff look and into a very dandy almost androgynous feel. That dandy look and feel is huge, which is what we're going to try and get across for STYLEAID."
She added that for now and for upcoming seasons there will not be a lot of room in the fashion world for bulging biceps and washboard abs.
"Unless you've got swimwear or underwear shows there's no need to have really broad shoulders and a buff body.
"You've got have a toned body but it's not necessary to have six-packs and big shoulders and that sort of thing.
"With high fashion they need to be like the female models, they need to have that very elongated body, flat chest and very long legs," she added.
Local designer Shane Newton, whose label Zsadar will be showcased at STYLEAID and the Perth Fashion Festival in September, has had to rely on models with international experience to front his upcoming campaign.
"My label follows a more avant-garde European aesthetic, so it's been difficult to find Perth male models that fit the look because it's not something that is usually used here," he said.
This trend for pan-gender fashion models continues internationally thanks to Australian model Andrej Pejic, who last week featured in both menswear and womenswear catwalk shows at Sao Paulo Fashion Week.
Pejic, who has appeared in high-profile shows for Givenchy and Jean Paul Gaultier, was discovered two years ago while working at McDonalds. He said that he is comfortable to model both men's and women's fashion but one day hopes to pose for Playboy.
"Sometimes I feel like more of a woman, other times I feel male. I'm sure most people think of me as a woman. It doesn't bother me anymore and I feel fine about it. I don't consider my looks unusual," he said.
