Vulnerability or masculinity: Examining “Aesthetic Labor” from male fashion models’ perspective

‘Masculinity’ is changing globally. We investigate the adjustments made by Chinese male models as they work in a domain that had previously belonged primarily to women. Using a liminal lens to view the models’ adjustments, the study discovered that they perceive themselves to be subordinated to other participants in the advertising industry: designers, makeup artists, directors, clients, and even female models. While the changing nature of ‘masculinity’ globally has created many more opportunities for male models, we found that the norms of the advertising industry require a major reinvention of the models’ self-perceptions of masculinity.