By Rebekah Keida / Staff Writer
David James, 38, has spent the past 20 years of his life working as a male model.
“So, it’s 2001 and I’m watching Zoolander with my parents, and my father, who is kind of warming up to me modeling, looks at me and says, ‘This is your life? This is what you do?’”
The tragic gasoline fight scene just occurred and Derek Zoolander is crying over losing his male model roommates in the blaze.
“I said, ‘Well, you know, part of it is true, Dad. They do have model apartments with bunk beds, but we don’t fight with gasoline. And I am not a merman, you know?’”
In 1992, James entered the world of modeling at 18, beginning his sophomore year at Boston College.
“My sister suggested it. I did some pictures and I got with an agency. It was very part-time for me.”
After four years of a top-tier education, James decided to move to Europe to model full-time.
“I wanted to travel and I wanted the flexibility of lifestyle.”
James booked campaigns and walked the runway for Etro, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, and so on. He had the opportunity to fly to Paris, Milan, and London for photo shoots.
His parents were not as thrilled as you may suspect.
“[Modeling] was a sore point. My dad wanted me to become a lawyer like he was.”
James is happy to say that after 20 years of modeling, his family finally “gets it.” He says it helps to be successful. For instance, he just landed a Screen Actors Guild Home Depot commercial that will run for the next two years in North and South America. But booking a big job doesn’t happen everyday.
“People think you make so much money as a model and, yeah, if you are working, then you make money, but no one ever factors in all of those hours that you are on castings that are not paid. I equate it to being a door-to-door salesman, who only gets paid when they sell the product. You walk around to 20 houses and then, finally, you sell a vacuum cleaner and you get paid, but no one cares that you walked to 20 houses for two days, you know?”
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the average pay for models—for men and women— was $18,750 per year in 2012. That boils down to an average of $9.02 per hour, not much more than minimum wage.
The modeling industry is one of the most competitive industries—and the number of models is continuing to grow. The workforce is supposed to increase by 15 percent by 2022. That means more hopefuls, but less job opportunities.
“There are not as many gigs for men as there are women. Just look at it from a retailer’s perspective. Men buy less than women,” says Jared Sugarman, owner of Model Machine, an agency that has been booking male and female models since 2008.
A study by IBISWorld in 2013 cites reduced advertising expenditure as the effect of the 2009 recession.
“I am not sure I would become a male model unless I was a really famous one. Even then. Only maybe,” ponders Sugarman.
The average modeling career only lasts two to three years. Yet there is a sweet spot for men in their 30s and 40s. Statistical breakdowns of request castings for national print advertisements in New York City found that 39-year-olds are the most coveted for jobs.
This is great news for James who has no plans to stop modeling anytime soon.
“I made my choice and I’m doing well. I have a good life.”
About Post Author
