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We usually only hear about women struggling with their appearance or being comfortable in their own skin.
Thanks to models like Tess Holiday and Ashley Graham, there’s been an incredible drive towards the body positive movement on social media, where woman are learning to love their bodies – with all their lumps, bumps and rolls.
But what about men? In the male modelling industry, ripped six packs and bulging biceps still seem to be the order of the day.
Well, Dexter Mayfield wants to change that.
He made his catwalk debut in 2015 at LA Fashion Week and his mission was simple – to change our perception of male beauty.
And what an entrance to the fashion world he made! According to Buzzfeed, he “completely DESTROYED” Marco Marco's fashion show with his “complete and utter ferociousness”.
And there’s been no stopping him since.
According to MIC, Dexter and models like Zach Miko and Kelvin Davis have ushered in an era of male body positivity, with more plus-size men gracing the catwalks and major fashion campaigns.
In an interview with MIC’s Rachel Lubitz, Derek said he wants to show everyone that there is no one definition of male beauty.
“I think it’s so important to have this conversation with young men. No matter how far I’ve come in the industry, I’ve been told, ‘You still need to lose weight’,” he told MIC.
“When it comes to presenting an image of male beauty, we need to expand that.”
According to Viral Thread, Dexter isn’t just a plus-size model. He’s a dancer too, but when he first began to chase his dreams eight years ago, he wasn’t taken seriously because of his size.
But after his catwalk debut in 2015, he has taken the modelling industry by storm – and is changing the face of male beauty.
Although Dexter now boasts a huge social media following and graces numerous runways, he feels he is not getting as much attention in his quest as female body-positivity ambassadors are.
But he is not giving up the fight.
“We need to be out there on billboards,” he told MIC. “Once we expand that spectrum of what male beauty is, I think that to continue to have that visibility is crucial.”
Sources: Viral Thread, MIC, Buzzfeed,
