Jordan Barrett explains equality in model's pay gap and unisex fashion

Jordan Barrett is definitely a new name in our radars. The 21-year-old model with a chiseled jawline (I even noted that he’s a Fabio-like romance book cover in person) started modeling as a teen and in 2016, Models.com named him “Model of the Year.” He also received recognitions from Vogue and GQ Australia.

To be honest, one of the first things I found out about Jordan is that he defended Emily Ratajkowski after a reporter called her “rude.” He was also painted as a “disheveled party boy” after that controversy played out. It’s not the ideal introduction, but further digging showed that he’s definitely a supporter of women and equality.

Jordan once said that female models should be paid more because they have different, more expensive lifestyles than their male counterparts. When I asked him about being outspoken on the topic, he clarified that he was simply expressing his observation in the fashion industry. “I was saying it’s a woman’s industry. You buy cosmetics, lingerie—and men are kinda more simple in a way,” he tells us. “I encourage everyone’s personal style, that’s it. [I believe that] women shop more than men do. I may be wrong!”

Huffington Post reported that, indeed, there’s a pay disparity between male and female models. Gisele Bundchen, for example, can rake in up to $42 million a year. There are also other factors that go into how much a model makes—popularity, if they’re born into a celebrity family, all those things.

For Jordan, he emphasized that there should be equal pay “in every level and in every industry. 100 percent!” That’s in an ideal world, of course. At least he doesn’t seem to be complaining about not having the “male advantage.”

In the short time I chatted with Jordan, there’s this part of me that hopes he doesn’t change his views on equality. He’s already doing a great job promoting this mindset in all his fashion collaborations, which he said are all unisex because he wants every gender to be comfortable. “Why can’t everyone wear the same things and just tie [pieces] around, and make it work?” he enthusiastically said. Yup, you just know that he’s on the right track and we might just see him join feminist marches with his good pal Emily Ratajkowski in the future.

Photos by Renz Mart Reyes and Jacque De Borja

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