How to Pose Like a Male Model

Last Updated: August 13, 2022 References Approved

If you want to look your best for a photoshoot or a formal event, learn to pose like a male model to exude confidence and strength. Your overall body posture, your hand positions, and your facial expression are three key elements of your pose. Keep your body upright and squared. Strolling and leaning against a wall are two common poses. Men usually want to do something with their hands, so use them to vary your pose. Use facial expressions to enhance the pose.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Posing Your Body

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Keep your shoulders squared to the camera. One of the primary rules is that generally you want to look broad and large as a male model. If your shoulders are angled away from the camera, it slims your profile. Keep your shoulders relaxed and facing forward.^{[1]
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- To enhance the look of your shoulders, lean forward about an inch or two (2.5 cm to 5 cm), bringing your shoulders closer to the camera.
- There are times when you’ll be photographed from the side or that you’ll want angled shoulders, but most of the time squared shoulders are best.
2
Tighten your core. If you have any amount of gut, you’ll want to pull it in slightly by tightening your abdominal muscles. Make your stomach as flat as possible without sucking it in too much. This will slim your waist and also push your chest out a little. It also helps to straighten your posture, which lengthens your core muscles.^{[2]
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3
Work on the strolling pose. Walking is a common “pose” for the male model. Practice walking with your body straight and your head held high.The pose requires one leg extended forward with the toes about one inch (2.5 cm) off of the ground. The back foot should be up on the ball of your foot. One arm is extended slightly forward while the other is slightly back.^{[3]
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- Lengthen your stride slightly beyond how you'd normally walk. This helps emphasize the pose, especially if you tend to take small steps.
4
Lean against a wall. You have many options for how to lean, which are variations of leaning with your back to the wall or with one of your shoulders to the wall. If you lean with your back to the wall, bend one knee and raise your foot against the wall. Leaning on a shoulder, cross the foot that is closer to the wall over the other foot.^{[4]
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- If you lean with your back to the wall, you don’t have to raise one leg, but don’t keep both legs completely straight. Bend one leg and have one forward and one back a little bit.
- When you are leaning, stay almost straight up and down. You don’t want your feet so far from the wall that you are at a significant angle.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Positioning Your Hands

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Put your hands in your pockets. This is a classic pose of confidence and calm.^{[5]
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Expert Source

Traci Halvorson
Modeling Agent
Expert Interview. 28 May 2021.} You have two options: either put your whole hand into your pocket, or put about half of your hand into the pocket leaving the thumb out. Hook your thumbs around your belt loops for a variation.^{[6]
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- Another option is to only put one hand in the pocket. With this hand position, it's good to place your other hand on the opposite shoulder or run it through your hair.
- You could put your hand in your back pocket, or you could do the front pocket.^{[7]
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  Traci Halvorson
  Modeling Agent
  Expert Interview. 28 May 2021.}
2
Touch your face. If you want to show relaxation or thought, place your hand somewhere on your face. You have many options with this. Put your forefinger and thumb around your chin or curl your fingers and place them against your chin.^{[8]
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- Your hand on your face gives you a lot of looks to work with. Test out different hand positions to see which seems to convey what you are looking for.
3
Use one hand to adjust your tie. If you are wearing a full suit and tie, putting one hand to your tie is a classic and classy pose. Place your thumb and forefinger so that one is on each side of the knot of the tie. You don’t have to actually move the tie at all. Placing your hand there will give the appearance of movement.^{[9]
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- A slight variation to this pose is to put your second hand about halfway down the tie. If you were going to tighten it, this is how you’d look, but this pose is distinctly different from the one hand look.
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Cross your arms. For a serious or commanding pose, cross your arms as you normally would. To adjust the pose for modeling, place both of your hands on the opposite arm, rather than tucking one of the hands under. Keeping both of your hands visible looks better.^{[10]
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- A variation on this look is to leave one arm hanging straight down and grabbing around the elbow with the other hand. It’s a way to cover part of the torso but gives a different impression than both arms crossed.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Using Facial Expressions

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Narrow your eyes with a bit of a squint. Wide eyes are not generally right for male models. Raise your bottom eyelids slightly in a squint. This gives you a look of deep thought or careful consideration. It evokes confidence and poise as opposed to fear or confusion.^{[11]
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2
Extend your chin forward and down. If your chin is resting, you’ll often show extra skin under it. Push your head forward so that your neck extends. Don’t raise your chin revealing your nostrils, but angle it downward about 10% lower than normal. This removes the double chin and it also hides a portion of your neck.^{[12]
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- If pushing your chin forward does not give you the right look, think about pushing your ears forward. This will move your whole head in the way it needs to go.
3
Show some teeth with you smile. A winning smile for a male model must reveal some of your teeth. Don’t smile so big that your mouth is spread wide, but don’t keep your lips pressed together. Open your lips just enough to reveal your teeth.^{[13]
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4
Look past the camera. Unless the photo specifically calls for direct eye contact with the camera, choose a point above and beyond the camera. Look at an angle toward the left or the right of the camera or look at a point just below the camera.
- These give the impression that you are thinking deeply. It also gives you a bit more of a natural look than if you are looking directly at the camera.

Community Q&A

Question

My body is pretty average looking, however, I'm just over 6 feet tall and have bright red hair, blue eyes, and freckles on my body. What type of modelling might be the best fit for me?

Community Answer

If you're slim and lanky, runway may be a good option for you. Work on toning your body and find yourself an agent.
Question

Can I be a model if I'm slim and dark skinned?

Community Answer

Yes. Your modelling career could be helped by those features. Work on toning your body and find yourself an agent.