Real Bodies | ‘My body hair can disgust or arouse – but I love that it has that power’
By Will Stroude
Aria Alagha, 31, Social Media Strategist Height: 5ft 9in Weight: 14st 10lb What made you want to do this shoot? Diversity is important. It’s important for people who look like me to be represented in the gay media as we are, rather than fetishised. Would you be put off by a partner who had a better body than you? I think I used to be afraid of that but as I’m getting older I find younger guys are attracted to me in the same way I was attracted to older guys at that age. So as long as we have chemistry, anything could happen. Are you happy with how you look and would you change anything about your appearance? I’m happy. There are days I wish I was a bit slimmer or my teeth were nicer, and to be fair these are things that I could get changed without compromising who I am, but sometimes it feels as if I’m making changes to make others feel more comfortable. 
Do you think the gay community puts pressure on gay guys to “look good”? Yes. But I think anyone looks good when they’re enjoying themselves and living their best life. And that has so little to do with how thin you are or how big your muscles are. What advice would you give to people about loving their body? It’s OK to not love your body every day. It’s perfectly OK to want to change the things that you don’t like. But don’t let other people’s superficialness and insecurities determine how you look. Who’s your ideal man and why? The ideal man is someone with passion, a great sense of empathy, and just the right balance of self-confidence and vulnerability. You can read more from Real Bodies in Attitude’s April issue. Buy in print print, subscribe or download. 
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