Woman Attempts to Reinvigorate Career by Working as Male Model

Elliott Sailors — a former Ford model — has been getting a lot of press recently, ever since she walked into a barber shop and asked for someone to cut off her long hair and give her a boy’s haircut.

In a piece for the New York Post, 31-year-old Sailors writes that she had tears in her eyes when getting her locks chopped off (how very ANTM) but really wanted to “create an opportunity to design not just my career, but my life.”

Sailors claims she cut her hair before Casey Legler — another woman who is working as a man — was signed with Ford models… But we’re just hearing about it now, apparently.

This morning on Today, Sailors said that her husband is very supportive and excited for her; although when she was asked if her stunt was working, her reply was, “Well, I’m on the Today show.” Right, but what about paying clients? It will be interesting to see if she is able to book an ad campaign or mainstream editorial shoot. Thirty-one is slightly “old” for female models, but male models do have a bit more wiggle room. While the current highest-earning male model, Sean O’Pry, is 24, but the second-highest-earning, David Gandy, is 33.

When it comes to gender-bending, Sailors has plenty of company; in addition to Legler, there’s Andrej Pejic, a man who often models women’s clothing, and transgender model Lea T. Will this willingness to think outside of the box when it comes to what’s “fashionable” eventually extend to seeing more ethnic diversity and more plus size models in fashion?