Handsome young things
Bruce Hulse on what it’s like to be another pretty face
While you might not know his name, his face is definitely familiar. Bruce Hulse’s handsome mug was the face of Calvin Klein and just about every major label you could come across in the ’80s and ’90s.
He recently wrote a book about his former career called “Sex, Love, and Fashion: A Memoir of a Male Model” (Crown, $24). He talked to us from Southern California about what it’s like to be really, really good looking.
Why the memoir? Is it a “self-help” sort of book for those who think you have it all?
I have had remarkable experiences in over 30 years in the business, as well as a degree from Cornell in Buddhist studies. The first thing Buddhism teaches is that life is old age, disease and death. [Compare that to] the modeling and fashion industry, where youth, beauty and materialism are all that matter. This was a journey where I was surrounded by so many wonderful photographers, designers and models. This was the modern era of modeling, the ’80s and ’90s. GQ’s Bruce Weber and Donald Sterzin were making young stars out of Ivy League jocks.
How long was the process of writing your memoir?
It was a long journey. It started as “How to Succeed in the Male Modeling Business” 10 years ago in Texas. I was told that you couldn’t sell a book about male modeling, so it evolved into writing a memoir. It was a trip down memory lane, but one that was very supportive.
The sex in the book clearly overshadows many of your Eastern philosophies. Why did you decide to name names?
The book is about friends, colleagues and leading ladies. These stories are over 25 years old, but I needed to paint the picture.
Your camaraderie with other male models is impressive. Was there any fierce competition?
It was a fraternity of guys in the early days. I would be ecstatic to see people throughout this vagabond lifestyle — this was pre-Internet, pre-cell phone. We were helpful to each other. It was the women [models] who were more competitive. We would always ask each other, what are you going to do when this ends? It was fun; we would just drink beer and debate our
future.