THE HOT SKINNY
To prepare for his nude scenes in Basic Instinct, Michael Douglas, 47, whittled off 25 lbs., so that he could wriggle into a pair of 29-inch-waist jeans. Traditional country singer Dwight Yoakam, 35, weighs in with an even skinnier middle: a slim 28 inches. Thelma & Louise bad boy Brad Pitt, 28, also measures in at 28 inches, as do miniature megastar Michael J. Fox, 30, and In Living Color comedian Tommy Davidson, 28. Teen idol Luke Perry, 27, has a 29-inch waist, an inch smaller than that of his 22-year-old Beverly Hills, 90210 costar, Jason Priestley.
Holy rice cakes! The meat is coming off the hunks. (Somebody call Oprah. Adult Male Celebrities with 30-Inch-and-Under Waistlines Talk!) "Men are much more body-conscious these days," explains Jason Kanner, an agent at Manhattan's Boss Models, Inc., defining the sought-after shape as an inverted triangle. "Models are keeping their upper bodies pumped up at 40 to 42 inches but going for 28-to 30-inch waistlines. Models used to measure 32 to 34 inches around the waist, but now we get specific requests for guys with 28-inch or 29-inch waistlines."
How do they do it? Listen to 27-year-old model Troy Hixson (height: 6'; chest: 49 inches; waist: 28 inches—6 inches less than it was in high school), who models for Giorgio Armani and Calvin Klein. "I drink lots of fresh carrot juice and plenty of water. I eat no beef, and I work out at the gym at least five times a week." Though Hixson's waist is 4 inches smaller than most manufacturers' sample sizes, he is in demand to show off the new, form-fitting men's ski pants, leggings, even bodysuits (yes, shirts or sweaters attached to underwear)—by designers such as Donna Karan and Michael Kors.
"Women have been obsessed with their bodies for so many years, and they're finally getting over it," says Kors, "but men are getting obsessed for the first time. Part of it is because women don't want to go out with potbellied men anymore." See you at the juice bar, guys.
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