While these outstanding specimens from various parts of the country were showing off their heavenly bodies, attracting countless eyeballs, two trends were evident to the minds of some commentators - there are now more and more male models and male garment brands, and today's women are more open to an appreciation of male beauty.

Profitable profession

The first trend would result directly from the growth of the whole fashion and model business - there are more male models and there will be yet more.

This trend is not novelty to business insiders.

Chen Juanhong, once a world-renowned model and now manager of Galaxy Fashion Promotion Co Ltd, a famous model management company in China, said: "Over the past three years, a sharp increase in the number of male models has occurred, moreover, more and more companies regard this as a promising sector."

The statistics of Galaxy also indicate such a trend. Five years ago, there were only about four male models in the company. By 2002 male models made up more than a third of Galaxy's 130 model population.

Yu Qian, a manager at Galaxy and among the first batch of model agents, believes the surge in the numbers of male models is also attributable to the advance of the male fashion business.

"In the late 80s, model agencies were just taking off, when insiders referred to models, they meant female models. Among the whole model population there were only two male models as decorative appendices to their female colleagues. This was due to the lack of famous Chinese male brands and less disposable income among Chinese men," he added.

Even in the 1990s, male-oriented brands made in China only amounted to 10 or even less.

"In sharp contrast, today we can easily speak of more than a dozen male-oriented fashion brands immediately. If those foreign brands introduced into the country are included, we will probably still be talking until daybreak tomorrow," Yu said.

Shakir Seljajdin, a Turkish agent from Toredi International Model, a globally-noted model agency, said: "The increasing number of male models is a world trend. In fact, now our company has more male models than female ones and male models have more job opportunities in Europe at present."

Apart from fashion shows, male models also find working in TV commercials a good opportunity to earn money.

Though Yu refused to reveal how much money the company spent to promote a male model, he disclosed that the income for a male model may vary from 30,000 yuan (US$3,600) to 500,000 yuan (US$60,000) for a three-year contract in this specific business.

In retrospect

The second trend, for many, is more hidden and led by more complicated social factors - Women are more open to expressing their appreciation of male beauty based on changing attitudes and gender relations.

In fact, the box office take for the final competition of the international male models competition has proved the existence of this trend.

Sources from the Shanghai Grand Theatre revealed that over 60 per cent of the tickets had been sold one week before the final competition held on December 14, a majority of those buying the tickets were young females.

Ye Jun, a researcher at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, pointed out that Chinese women's willingness to spend on appreciating male beauty is not new.

"As early as the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), such a consumption trend has been recorded," she noted.

In contrast, Ye believes this openness among Chinese women to showing their appreciation and desire for attractive men has never been seen in history before, saying "This, however, is unprecedented."

The change is grounded on the dwindling gap in economic status and educational background between men and women, the sociologist holds.

Ye added: "That the whole society pays a lot of attention to male beauty also indicated that society is very stable and peace has lasted for a long time."

Ye reminded people to distinguish male beauty from masculinity, saying, "There is a world of difference between the two."

In wartime, masculinity is the major trait for a man to win over his lover, exhibiting his strength and capability to protect his spouse from danger.

However, in peaceful times, delicate and fine male features are gaining more popularity, especially among the rich and leisured class.

Ye said: "In the Middle Ages in the French court, such an appreciation prevailed in the palace."

Ye also expressed her grave concern about this trend, since "this also showed the whole male population is becoming feminized, both psychologically and physically, due to the blurring of social division in the work and lifestyle of men and women."

Ye thought this conclusion might be supported by statistics on the overall decrease of male hormones and the increasing consumption of male cosmetics.

"For now such a trend is only occurring in the big cities, however, with more time, the trend will spread to the rural areas," Ye said.

Social progress

Sun Zhongxin, associate professor in the Sociology Department of Fudan University, holds the view that the openness of women to appreciating male beauty is a process of women's emancipation, a thing worthy of celebration.

"In the past, when speaking of beauty competitions, there was agreement that beauty could only stand for 'female beauty', and women have always been regarded as objects for their husbands."

Sun took one instance to illustrate the way female beauty has been consumed as an object, saying: "On almost all the covers of fashion magazines, only beautiful female faces and figures appeared."

The whole society was led to an assumption that women look on love and marriage as the most important things, rather than sex appeal.

On the other hand, men can openly express their desire for mere sex.

Therefore, for a long time, women suppressed their need for sex and deceived themselves that sexual desire was not important or believed that speaking of sexual desire was an impertinent topic and even a serious social error, Sun said.

"Thanks to the worldwide emancipation movement starting in the 1960's, women come to realize their needs and no long feel shy about speaking of them," she said.

Even in the university, selections of women as "image envoys" have a long tradition.

Sun said: "Not long ago, even postgraduate women were invited to attend the pageant show. Why not hold a demeanor competition for male professors?"

Nevertheless, Sun also believes that beauty competitions, no matter whether for men or for women, manifest a regard for human beings as objects, resulting from overwhelming commercialization.

(Shanghai Star December 14, 2002)