The Age of Beta

Has the Indian fashion industry finally changed the rules of masculinity? With fewer alpha-masculine male models, gender fluidity and slimmer waists might just be the new look book

- Mayukh Majumdar

A decade ago, the male mod-els we worked with were the textbook definitions of men. Today's male models are mainly boys who don't have the height or body criteria that were needed earlier. The least height requirement required even a decade back was 5'11 for runways — such a thing does not exist now. I guess the most important parameter for models today is their Instagram followers.

Sunny Kamble is a model and actor who has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry. He still fondly remembers his first show at Lakme Fashion Week in 2009 where he walked for Digvijay Singh. A dream that he had cherished since he was 12 years old was becoming a reality. He also specifically remembers the moment when actors and industry stalwarts, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan, walked as showstoppers for the Varun Bahl and Karan Johar show in 2010 for Couture Week.

When Kamble talks about his peers and idols, he refers to them as "men". The male models he sees on the ramp these days are boys. And Kamble is a man among men. His mocha skin glistens under the harsh lights of the runway and you cannot look away from his striking abdominal muscles. You can almost smell the black coffee and hyper masculinity in his breath. A picture of him teasing his assumedly naked body in a bath robe finds place of prominence on his Instagram feed. "As the millennials say: 'do it for the gram'," goes the caption. Veteran fashion designer Manish Malhotra's "uffff" comment under the picture summarises what we all feel when we see the picture. But the times — they are a changing.