Kelvin Davis is not your typical model, author, or public figure—and that’s exactly the point.
A former middle school teacher from Columbia, South Carolina, Davis first made waves in 2011 with his blog Notoriously Dapper, a platform that blended men’s style with candid reflections on body image, confidence, and emotional growth.
By 2017, the blog had gained national attention, propelling him from the classroom to the fashion world, where he quickly became one of the most visible advocates for body positivity and a more inclusive standard of masculinity.
Since then, Davis has signed with Bridge Models, walked runways, starred in campaigns for Target, GAP, and Lululemon, and authored the NAACP Image Award-nominated book Notoriously Dapper: How to Be a Modern Gentleman.
His new book, Be a Good Man, Not a Nice Guy, slated for release this year, offers a bold take on what it means to be a man in today’s world—urging readers to move beyond performative “niceness” toward a life of integrity, emotional maturity, and purpose.
His reach spans fashion, wellness, and self-development—but for Davis, the common thread is authenticity.
“Vulnerability is my superpower,” Davis said. “That really came to light around 2017. I was at this crossroads: do I keep teaching, or take a leap and pursue this dream? One of my students told me, ‘Mr. Davis, you tell us all the time to go after our dreams—why wouldn’t we encourage you to do the same?’ That really stuck with me.”
Davis’s journey is filled with personal pivots. In 2021, following a separation from his wife, he found himself living alone and reexamining who he was outside of his roles as a husband, father, and public figure.
“I had a lot of time with myself to understand who I was as a man,” Davis said. “What I realized is that I had been a ‘nice guy’—a people pleaser, doing things that went against my values. Being a good man means doing what’s right, even if it’s not always nice.”
That philosophy extends beyond emotional health. Diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2021, Davis committed to reversing the condition through diet and lifestyle changes—ultimately lowering his A1C from 13 to 5 without medication.
“Everything in life is mental before it becomes physical,” Davis said. “It didn’t happen overnight. It took daily commitment and perseverance.”
Whether he’s modeling, writing, or mentoring men through his work, Davis is on a mission to challenge outdated norms and offer a new vision of manhood—one rooted in self-awareness, self-respect, and personal responsibility.
“I want to be the representation I didn’t have as a kid,” Davis said. “Because anyone can be a model. Anyone can be healthy. Anyone can heal. But no one is going to save you—you have to do the work.”
