Aussie celebrity male crisis: Come back Thorpie

AUSTRALIA may well be on the brink of an unreported fashion crisis following department store David Jones’s decision, last week, to recruit the little brother of actor Margot Robbie as a model for its forthcoming autumn/winter collections.

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AUSTRALIA may well be on the brink of an unreported fashion crisis following department store David Jones’s decision, last week, to recruit the little brother of actor Margot Robbie as a model for its forthcoming autumn/winter collections.

Cameron Robbie, 23, spent the night telling media — and anyone who’d listen — he didn’t want to be a model.

Cameron Robbie on the catwalk at the David Jones autumn/winter collection show at MONA’s The Void. Picture: David Caird

What he really wants to do is act.

So why model?

Possibly to stir up interest with local and international film and television directors concerning his acting ambitions. Possibly because the one-off gig paid well.

His appearance highlighted the fact Australia is in the grip of a celebrity male model depression.

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DJs’ main competitor Myer was, for years, rumoured to have been winding up its association with Dannii Minogue’s ex, Brit Kris Smith.

Kate Waterhouse with Robbie in Hobart. Picture: Mark Nolan/Getty Images

In the end, Myer may have been frustrated by attempts to replace him with a recognisable and handsome Australian sports (Michael Klim?), film (Simon Baker?), music (Daniel Johns?) or media (Hamish Blake?) star — one with a necessary flourishing social media (Robbie has 60,000) who was also willing to give up beer for a couple of months and work out in order to pull on the slim-fitting threads popular with mens’ designers.

We’d have thought there’d be a Hemsworth perfectly engineered for the role. Apparently not.

With wild child model Jordan Barrett now out of favour, and the Stenmark brothers overexposed,
it seems DJs’ best hopes for 2020 may lie with the likes of disgraced senator Sam Dastyari unless some fine Aussie talent is quickly discovered and nurtured.

Or we could just give Thorpie a second crack? It might be past time.

Originally published as Aussie celebrity male crisis: Come back Thorpie