a beautiful picture. Even though it won't get me wearing designer white brief pants. Let me explain. I don't spend too much money on things like underwear and I imagine Armani won't come cheap. Briefs are uncomfortable. I feel all sweaty and achy after an hour or two stiched into them. Also, white is just not practical.
Culturally this is quite an intersting image. Not so much in itself- it is just a bloke in well fitted underwear. But that it made the front page of The Sun, with the headline SwollenBalls. This is the first time in my memory that a semi naked man has been on the front cover of a tabloid, as far as I remember. Admittedly though I am not a regular reader of the tabloids so I could well be wrong. It all goes to show the increase in the cult of male beauty.
A little bit on the semanology (or should that be semenology) of white underwear too. White makes us look pure and divine at the same time. So basically it makes you gives off a classical virginal aura, which works against the carnal temptation of the flesh. A saucy juxtaposition. But this kind of unbridled encouragement of male lust is quite a new thing in dominant popular culture. It is usually pushed back in an effort to repress homosexuality, and keep women in their place. Heterosexuality is widely applauded though, and jeered on with photos of nude women at all angles. And as feminists have been saying for years it encourages the objectification and commodification of the body. As this trend develops expect more young men to have surgery and take steroids.
I'm not going to pontificate further on this. As I don't really care. Also because, as I read somewhere else, media analysis is the most pointless passtime in the world, save knitting.
Meanwhile, thanks to throughball for this, buy some of Beckham's half eaten food. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Antiques-collectables/Food-drink/Other/auction-130249060.htm
2 comments:
Are gay men basically just women in terms of how their images are consumed? Beckham looks like Helena Christiansen in her little white panties, rolling in the surf with Cris Isaak in the Wicked Game video.
I suppose the funny thing is, as you say, he is marketing something practically unwearable, I don't think there's any man with an average-sized appendage or larger who would find briefs more comfortable than boxer shorts, particularly the models with the lycra that grip everything so well.
there could a a great study in desire about the differences between female straight desire and gay male desire- and how this is manifested/manufactured in images.
The study could be called Objects of Fascination- Looking Towards The Cock...
If you look at ideas of beauty, from medeval times on, their is a massive degree of androgeny in 'beautiful' people. Looking like not quite one thing or the other. But, weirdly, intersexed characters- hermaphrodites, people who could be most definitely seen as both men or women, are seen as vile. I think this is a religous thing- sexlessness equalling good. Apply this to Boy George. when he was sexless androgene who liked nothing more than a cup of tea- the nation loved him- when he became drugfistsmokecock hermaphrodite looking fiend he was seen as a FREAK. And became a little bit more of cult taste.
so the rules are- androgenous good. Hermaphrodite bad. Hairless Beckham in white pants- good- hairless beckham in white pants and a bra- would be bad. Maybe bad in a good way- but bad. Like it wouldn't the front page of the sun.
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