We’ve published countless articles about the undignified crap that models endure on a regular basis– from being asked to eat tissues to being sexualized at a very young age– so it’s always a surprise when someone posts a thinkpiece that addresses a rarely-blogged-about part of the fashion industry. We have to thank Racked for their incredibly interesting new article, “Do Male Models Get No Respect?“… but we also have to call out on a few glaring issues with it.

Basically, Racked points out the fact that male models historically make much less money than their female counterparts, which they chock up to gender inequality. While Kate Moss and Gisele are household names, there aren’t any dude supermodels. They quote culture blogger Matthew Rettenmund, who makes an interesting point:

I don’t think there is any question that female models are seen more positively and treated more glamorously by our society. This is probably colored by homophobia. Even though many male models are, of course, straight, I think our society still frowns on peacocking males and thinks male models are gay and therefore not as praise-worthy as men in other professions, whereas women who are models are fitting into a role that society thinks is okay for that gender.

Yeah, okay. Men are often ridiculed for pursuing traditionally feminine careers, which is 1) patriarchal bullshit, and 2) indicative of how much our culture clings to the idea that femininity is inferior and something to be ashamed of. It’s unacceptable that men can’t pursue modeling without getting GAY stamped on their foreheads, and it’s unacceptable that being perceived as gay is something to be afraid of– something that warrants getting paid less. Yes.

But, um, Rettenmund (and the author of the article, Chavie Lieber) manage to really miss the point in their discussion of gender inequality. Let’s break down the injustices that they use as examples:

1. “The men’s fashion industry [is] growing twice as fast as womenswear,” and yet there still aren’t any hugely famous male models. We love men’s fashion, and we’re seriously pumped that it’s starting to be taken more seriously– but even with a lot of growth, women’s fashion is still a much bigger industry. We know the names of more female models in exactly the same was as we know the names of more male basketball players. It would be awesome to see more equality in both of those arenas, of course. But the fashion industry doesn’t stick out at all for being gender-biased.

2. “Forbes noted that 2013′s top-earning model, Sean O’Pry, had an annual salary of an estimated $1.5 million, while the world’s top-earning female model, Gisele Bundchen, pulls in some $42 million annually.” We sincerely hope that the industry starts to shift and that more high-profile modeling jobs become available for men. In the meantime, though, it’s silly to ignore the fact that women are making much more money because they’re doing much more work.

3. According to model David Gandy, “While the top female models fly first class or business class, the guys fly economy.” Yeah… I’m not sure that’s an injustice so much as it is an unfortunate consequence of being part of an industry that commodifies women’s bodies so much that they’ve found a way to gain power from it?

4. According to model Sam Barraclough, “I just came in from a casting, where the girls were sitting in a special room and I had to sit in the middle of an office.” This quote is so frustrating. We genuinely want men’s fashion to advance, but it’s hard to support an underdog whose biggest complaints include having to sit in offices.

5. Rettenmund points out that male models often “aren’t even paid for shoots when they start out, but are supposed to feel grateful for the exposure. Including posing nude or nearly nude.” That’s so, so shitty. And, unfortunately, an even huger problem for female models. We don’t want that to happen to anyone, but it’s not accurate to call it a male problem.

6. According to model Henrik Lundqvist, “A man’s value isn’t perceived based on his appearance, his worth is based on his career.” Yiiiiikes. It’s really, really hard to respond to that with a level head.

7. “O’Pry has 15,200 Twitter followers compared with Bundchen, who boasts 1.67 million followers on Twitter.” I’m sorry, but when did “having a lot of social media fans” become a human right? Justin Bieber has more followers than God. Twitter isn’t an accurate measurement of how seriously a person is taken.

8. Rettenmund adds, “I find pressure for sexual favors more annoying to hear about than pay inequalities, but that is an issue that plaques both male and female models equally.” Uh… not exactly sure where that statistic is coming from? We are by no means belittling any sexual abuse endured by male models, and we’re striving to build a better culture that doesn’t shame men away from reporting sexual assaults against them. But, by all accounts, women models face sexual pressure at alarming rates– and it’s pretty dismissive to act like that’s not in any way a gendered problem.

We truly hope that male models will get the chance in the coming years to build careers comparable to their female counterparts. But, at the same time, the woman-biased gender inequalities “exposed” in this Racked article are really just products of the patriarchy. Nobody is actually benefitting from them.