Friday, December 07, 2012

Weightlifters of the World Unite


Kenneth in the (602), circa 1988

While going through a cache of old photos last night I was struck at how unsightly my youthful body was, yet I have no recollection of being self-conscious about it at all. Granted, I wasn't overweight -- feeling shitty about yourself for being fat has long been in style. And America's ideal male body has certainly changed a lot in the last 25 years -- a recent survey of 1,307 teenage boys who lived in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area found that a whopping 90 percent of them said they exercised to "add muscle." But gyms and muscleheads at school have been around forever -- I was in ninth grade during Olivia Newton-John's "Physical" craze! -- yet lifting weights was never something I contemplated until at least a good decade later. (This black-and-white Smiths album cover outtake photo was taken shortly after I'd starting going out to gay bars with my new gay BFF Kurt, and I landed a really hot boyfriend later that year -- so there!) What we should take away from this I'm not exactly certain, other than the fact that there are a lot more guys with hot bodies these days. But one thing's for sure: Living steroid-free here in Chelsea today, I'm plenty self-conscious about my body now!


Read HERE.

2 comments:

Henry Holland said...

All the streets are crammed with things
Eager to be held
I know what hands are for
And I'd like to help myself
You ask me the time
But I sense something more
And I would like to give
What I think you're asking for
You handsome devil


Love your body from that era (not in to the muscle mary thing at all), love that bit of chest hair, please post more photos like that one.

Anonymous said...

have to say, that treasure trail is kinda hot.