A Model Grandpa: Cross-Dressing Not Just For Youngsters Anymore

Like many little girls, I wanted to be a model when I grew up. I would put on beautiful clothes from my mum’s closet and pose in front of a mirror, feeling glamorous and imagining myself hanging out with top designers and movie stars. Reality, however, is cruel. After years of watching America’s Next Top Model, I realized that not everyone has what it takes to be a model. I also came to the conclusion that to be successful, a model must be tall and slender. You don't have to be conventionally beautiful, but you must be distinctive.

The hottest model on Taobao these days, named Liu Qianping, is undoubtedly leggy and lithe. He’s also a 72-year-old grandfather.

Liu models womenswear for a Taobao shop called Yecoo, which just happens to be owned by his granddaughter. A few weeks ago, when Lü Ting was complaining about the difficulty of finding a suitable model for her new collection, her grandpa tried on one of the jackets for fun. They both laughed at how well it fit him. "Then I thought to myself, why not invite grandpa to be the model?" said Lü. The resulting photo shoot went viral; pictures popped up on every Chinese social network, and the notoriety translated into sales. Yecoo's daily sales peaked during the Singles Day promotion on Taobao a few weeks ago. Lü has since renamed the collection "Grandpa Style" (外公 style) to praise the lovable old man.

Inspired by Yecoo’s huge success, other Taobao shops began using male models to show off women’s clothes. Let’s check out some of the copycats:

But not all men who model women’s outfits are doing it for laughs. Case in point: Andrej Pejić, the controversial male model who models female clothes in the high fashion world.

Getting back to Liu Qianping, the model grandfather: Though the vast majority of netizen comments about him have been supportive, some Weibo users have expressed discomfort when they look at Liu’s photos, and they claim that they will never buy clothes from Yecoo. Some young ladies are jealous of his beautiful legs, accusing him of stealing jobs from professional models. Is that fair? Sure, Grandpa Liu is breaking age and gender barriers, but is his rail-thin figure really challenging the standards of beauty?

Readers, what do you think?

Photos: Taobao.com, Baidu.com