"Who Needs a Boyfriend?" Chinese Women Flock to Male Model Couple Photoshoots Costing Up to 5.6 Million Won

Studios Offering Couple Photos with Male Models in China Grow in Popularity
Prices Range from 600,000 Won to as Much as 5.66 Million Won

If you want to take couple photos but don’t have a partner, a new service in China that rents “male models for couple photos” is attracting attention among women without boyfriends.

On October 1 (local time), the Hong Kong-based media outlet South China Morning Post (SCMP) focused on this couple photo service that has recently become popular among young women in China. The main feature of this service is renting male models solely for photoshoots; for example, a one-hour photoshoot where you can try various couple poses can cost up to 8,000 yuan (approximately KRW 1.61 million).

A Chinese female customer posing a couple photo with a male model. Photo captured from SCMP

Back in July, a well-known Chinese blogger called Xueding’er booked a 30-minute shoot with two male models for a romantic-themed photoshoot, spending 4,520 yuan (about KRW 910,000). During the shoot, the photographer had Xueding’er pose boldly with the male models, such as touching faces or foreheads together. Some poses even included hugging a shirtless, muscular male model.

Another customer, Yuan Zhi from Chengdu in southwestern China, also paid 3,000 yuan (approximately KRW 600,000) for a couple photoshoot. Despite the high cost, Yuan told the media that she felt no discomfort about using such a service. She explained, “The male model is simply a tool for creating beautiful images. I just paid for a scene that makes my heart flutter.”

However, reactions among local online users to this trend were divided.

Some netizens defended it, saying, “This is real joy,” and “This service can fulfill the fantasy of anyone without a boyfriend.” On the other hand, some criticized it, commenting, “I can’t understand spending so much money to take photos with a stranger.”

Meanwhile, it is reported that China’s male model rental service began at Wu Zhao Studio in Nanjing, in eastern China. Wu Zhao Studio is still operating today, charging 7,200 yuan (about KRW 1.45 million) for nine retouched photos and as much as 28,000 yuan (about KRW 5.66 million) for a “couple experience” package with 120 photos.

The studio’s founder, Wu Zhao, told the media, “The poses are designed within appropriate boundaries. Even if some clients develop feelings toward the models, there is never any exchange of contact information between clients and models. Women should have the courage to spend money unapologetically on things that make them happy.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.