Men & Models

SAISON 1 - EPISODE 2

Are men obsessed with models? That’s the question Carrie asks her circle when Miranda starts dating a guy who’s hooked on podium-star celebrities and her friend Barclay, a painter, films in secret his sexual escapades with the planet’s most desirable girls – or more precisely, with the most desirable girls in Planet Manhattan.

Okay, back to the 90s when top models were the most coveted human beings in fashion magazines, luxury brands, and the fashion party scene ++. They commanded admiration from men willing to do anything to woo them and they influenced women all over the world.

But then why are men willing to do anything? Is it a game for them, like a sport among friends, or a personal bet to gain validation? Big’s reply to Carrie after their eleventh random encounter at Chaos, the current New York club: “Maybe there exists a majority of men who like beautiful women?” Maybe, yes, but what about the others, the non-models?

I get the sense that at that time birth karma mattered to some extent! A non-negligible importance where a bad genetic deal could lead to a life lawsuit against one’s offspring. I’m exaggerating a bit, but let’s admit that the sample of girls who were thought to represent women at that time was rather small, even slim, no pun intended. Without that miraculous hereditary passport, aka the Cindy-Crawfordian passport, it was hard to please a large part of men, but especially ourself.

So, is that still relevant? Are men and women still obsessed with models? At the start of this piece I started with a “still,” physical beauty still being highly valued. But after some research, after asking my male friends, women, and strangers questions, I feel that yesterday’s top model as such has evolved.

Gone is beauty for beauty’s sake. Today we crave special girls, those with character, a unique style, with a different aura. Today we want that IT girl with a well-thought-out mind who will steer her career, image, and social media without controversy. Gone are the Kate Moss coke scandals.

#not #sure

We see breasts, butts, thighs, imperfections, and it’s cool.

Thanks Kimkim! I may not be close with the family, but clearly her nude/bikini selfies on Instagram in 2016 helped us a lot. Influence influences, and brands follow by integrating more diversity into their communication, and when you see Emeline Hoareau at Givenchy for Sarah Burton’s SS26 show, words fail me! And looking at the men’s gaze, I tell myself the answer is simple. In 2026, men like women, period.

However, haven’t we still created a new, difficult-to-reach feminine model type? Meaning, I still have a lot of work to do!

A presto,

Rebecca