Attitude readers get naked and talk body confidence (NSFW)
By Will Stroude
Let’s talk about our bodies.
Big ones, small ones, tall ones. There are all sort of body shapes and sizes and they can all be gorgeous and desirable.
For our recent Body Issue, we brought together a selection of guys to pose nude and talk about their bodies. From body shaming to self-esteem, they addressed many of the issues we face when talking about our bodies.
Elsewhere in the issue, Tom Daley discussed his own fitness regime, as well as the complicated relationship between gay men and body image which often holds the young sporting superstar as the physical ideal.
Martin Hutson, actor
How do you feel about your body?
It changes all the time. For the first 15 years of my career I ignored it really. Then, about five or six years ago, I did a play in Australia and I had the lines: “This is a six-pack and these are called biceps.” And I didn’t have either of those features! So, I went to a personal trainer for five weeks and I hit the gym.
Le Gateau Chocolat, performer
How important is your body to your work?
I started in clubs in Brighton in 2008. At the time I was much bigger than I am now, and there was no hiding it. Most of my outfits were skin-tight Lycra, which was a conscious decision on my part to embrace and say: “this is what I’ve got to work with”.
I think part of engaging with that denial and depression was largely putting Gateau on the stage. I was using my body as a tool and the things I was saying on stage fed into my life, and my courage to embrace my body on stage enforced the idea of who I was in my life as well.
Ray Noir, artist
Were you nervous about this shoot?
I’m not too comfortable being naked. Not around people. Is anybody happy with their body? I’m not one of those people who take off their clothes and show off. I guess something like this might help to improve my self-esteem.
Myles Brown, dancer and actor
As a dancer, your body is central to what you do, having to look good and staying healthy. Is there a pressure to look a certain way as a gay man that goes against what you do as dancer?
Yeah, 100 per cent. Because I wanted to look a certain way as part of the gay scene, or what I thought the boys wanted, as a Muscle Mary, bigger type. I started to work towards that for a few years, but it wasn’t until I came out of that obsession that I saw that. There are worse things to be addicted to, but you also have the added pressure with Instagram, that constant goal or desire to aspire to, which is not easy to achieve.
Jonny Wrynne, architect
Why did you say yes to this shoot?
Having been involved in Red Hot, this tackles a lot of very similar issues, such as how we view our bodies, and looks at whether we have insecurities about our sexuality or anything else. I know it sounds cheesy, but we’re all beautiful no matter what shape, size or colour we are. It’s sending out a very similar message. For me, being involved with Red Hot changed how I view myself.
Michael Perry AKA Mr Plant Geek, gardening entrepreneur
Is it more important for you to feel good, than to look good?
I would say so, but it’s nice to look good as well. I’m aware I’m a brand but I also want to be realistic, not just to myself, because when a guy looks completely perfect it’s a little bit of a turn off. Also, to actually look that way is really bloody difficult and I don’t want a life that’s really regimented.
Paul Davies, Mr Gay Wales
Do you get tired of talking about the fact that you have only one hand? I mean it’s just “life” for you, isn’t it?
It’s normal life for me, but for other people that I meet, if I can educate them, then it’s great. It’s no different to you talking about being gay to a straight person.
Ben Smith, marathon runner
You famously ran 401 marathons but did you have a day off at all?
I had 10 days off because I broke my back. Then I had to make up the distance, so some days I’d run 35 miles. I have a condition called spondylolisthesis — a weakness in my spine — which created a fracture in my back.
Chris Kang, 1st XV centre Kings Cross Steelers RFC
What does “masculine” mean to you?
There was a time when how you spoke, dressed or looked defined the sort of man you might be. But that notion has become so outdated now, particularly when I think about the diverse men who play for the Steelers. Just because you can bench press loads of weight and walk around saying “bro” doesn’t make you masculine — just as it doesn’t for me by playing rugby. Confidence to be yourself and having a sense of responsibility, I think, is what takes balls. That is what is most interesting and sexy.
Steve White, personal trainer
What judgments do people make about you based on your physical appearance?
Being 6ft 3in tall and 107kg and covered in tatts makes me quite noticeable; sometimes people find me intimidating — but I’m a big softie, really. People often think that I can’t possibly hold an intelligent conversation but only talk about the gym. Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Mark Ames, owner and founder of nightclub XXL
When did you start XXL?
September, 2000. It was inspired by the fact that there was a lack of facilities for people either large or over the age of 35. The scene was very fragmented. People didn’t really mix. Going to clubs such as Trade and DTPM, as you got older, felt strange. Going to Europe and New York, I discovered places that catered for older people.
Roy Inc, singer/songwriter
How important is your body to what you do?
It’s relevant. We can’t make it not relevant because of what’s forced down our throat on a daily basis by the media, TV and film. Body building was something you aspired to as niche in the Seventies and Eighties. Now there’s an industry for men’s health and cosmetics.
It’s important for me to look how I want to look. I didn’t think much of my body until I saw an image of Tom of Finland, that’s what made me change my aesthetic. I had big nipples as a kid. I remember clearly going into the shower and one of the kids turned around and laughed at me. I never showered again with anyone until I was at university.
Attitude’s Body Issue is still available to download. Available internationally from newsstand.co.uk/attitude.
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