Real Bodies: ‘It was only after coming out that I started getting body confidence issues’
Will Cooper, 24, Lewisham, Political Assistant
I’ve always subscribed to the magazine and when Attitude started doing this feature I really liked it. My ex-boyfriend, who used to write for the mag, pushed me to do it. But I also wanted to do things to make me more body confident, and this was one of the ways to do that.
Height: 5’11
Weight: 13 stone
Diet: I find it really difficult to find time to cook for myself. When I finish work I either want to go to the pub or I want to lie face down on my bed. I eat a lot of takeaways, but I have tried to be a bit healthier this year.
Guilty Pleasures: Lager; a lot of lager! I don’t have a sweet tooth or anything like that, so it’s mainly lager. That being said, I had three pizzas in a row this week! (180 calories per pint)
Ideal Man: I’ve always had this thing for Kele from Bloc Party. Other than him, I like Tom Hardy. I’m not really into overlygroomed, pretty guys.
Manscaping: I get really hairy shoulders and upper arms so I try and take care of those areas. Obviously, I trim downstairs, too. I’m quite a hairy person so I would never shave anything fully; I just trim, otherwise it looks weird.
Top Body Product: I don’t really use a lot of products in terms of moisturisers or anything like that. I do use oils for my facial hair. I haven’t been clean shaven for about eight years, so the oils make sure the beard stays soft, and they also look after the skin underneath.
Clothes: I’ve always got to dress smart for work. Outside of that though, I wear what I want to wear. My body has never been an influencing factor in that I never felt the need to wear baggy clothes.
Do you think that gay men can be shallower than their straight counterparts?
Yeah, I think that’s true. I don’t have that many gay friends and where I grew up I didn’t meet another gay person until after my 18th birthday. I’ve never grown up in the community and I found it quite difficult to transition from having 99% straight friends to an environment where everyone’s gay, and that’s where I think I started getting issues with my body confidence.
Do you think that magazines like Attitude have helped shape that body ideal that so many gay men aspire to?
I have to admit that from reading things like Attitude and just the wider issue of magazines in general idealising body types, that I have become quite shallow I realise it’s hypocritical of me to say that when I’m modelling for this page, but I do find that I’m fussy in my attitudes towards the guys I date and stuff like that. I’m trying to move away from that though. Attitude has come a long way from when I started reading it as a teenager. It’s definitely more inclusive and that’s why I like this feature.
Do you think apps like Grindr and Tinder are also responsible for our emphasis on physical appearance?
I use them both but I don’t think Tinder is as much of a problem as Grindr. I’ve never really had a bad experience on Tinder, whereas with Grindr you’re bombarded with pictures of someone’s dick before either have you have even said hello, and it’s considered normal. I won’t talk to anyone where their profile photo is one of them shirtless or just of a bare chest or anything like that. People I’ve met who do have those kinds of profile photos I tend not to get along with.
You can read more from Real Bodies in the new issue of Attitude, available to download and in shops now.
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