Say "Cheese!" Why Male Models Shouldn't Be Afraid to Smile

Male models are known for being gorgeous, hunky and rugged, with their "come hither" bedroom eyes and sly smile, any woman (and guys, too!) could easily fall for them.

But when it comes to modeling, the fellas aren't always required to smile slyly or not at all. In fact, male models who aren't afraid to show off a megawatt smile could actually be doing a lot for their own careers.

All too often male models think that being serious and sexy is the way to go. And in a sense, they are right. This is especially true for those in high fashion, editorial and runway work. However, these aren't the only categories of modeling for men to get into.

In the world of commercial/print, there are both female and male models who stay actively in demand and appear in all types of publications (i.e. billboards, magazine advertisements, catalogs, product packaging, fliers, etc., etc.). Many fashion height male models transition over into print work from time to time and those hoping to master this category of modeling will find it very much to their benefit if they aren't afraid to smile.

You'd be surprised by how many male models I've worked with or met, who were so used to sporting serious facial expressions that it almost seemed foreign to them to smile for the camera. Smiling is one of a model's greatest assets, male or female.

Regardless of what type of model you are (or the type of modeling you're hoping to get into), fellas, I gotta say that learning how to be comfortable with smiling and showing various expressions in photos will only add to your marketability.

Here are some ways that smiling can greatly help a male model's career:

• It Shows Versatility. When clients are looking through a male model's portfolio, nothing jumps out at them better (or more effectively) than seeing a mixture of smiling and non-smiling photos. Browsing through pictures where the model has the same hard and serious look will get boring after a while and could end up making the photos start to look the same. But adding in a couple of pictures where the male model is showing different ways of smiling (i.e. close mouth smile, full on smile with teeth, candid laughing type of smile) gives off the impression that the model is comfortable doing all types of work/themes/concepts.

• It Shows Confidence. It's one thing to be cool and calm but the most confident male models are those who are perfectly comfortable with smiling, being playful and appearing anything but "suave" in front of the camera.

• It Usually Means They're Easy to Work With. I've noticed that male models who are quick to smile for the camera are also typically great to work with. Male models who aren't used to smiling sometimes come across as aloof or totally rigid when booked for a gig that requires them to portray a variety of different expressions, including smiling and laughing. Sometimes that means they need a bit of warming up to get comfortable with smiling genuinely but a lot of times the smiles they end up giving look very forced and fake. This could make a shoot that should have been simple and straightforward a bit more of a challenge and may not necessarily reflect very well on the model.

•  Clients Love Personality. It is important to impress clients (obviously). Nothing accomplishes this better for male models than knowing how to cheese in front of the camera. Remember, clients not only look at models' pictures when casting for projects, they also end up meeting them in person for an interview to find out if their personality is as good as their physical appearance. Like I mentioned above, male models who have no problem showing off a megawatt smile tend to have the outgoing personality to go with it. This comes across amazingly well in interviews or other meetings where they have to interact with the client. Bringing a smile to such a meeting is one of the best ways to show clients that, if hired, you'd be ideal to work with instead of a pain in the butt. Showcase a smile in photos and in person and your chances of getting booked increases dramatically.

Male models who would rather stick to their high fashion, runway and editorial roots, that's perfectly fine. But if you're a male fashion model who wants to also get into print work or if you're an aspiring male model who isn't tall enough for fashion or runway and instead wants to break into the commercial/print niche, I'm tellin' ya, the smile should be your secret weapon that actually shouldn't be kept a secret at all!