What constitutes a sexualized male character?
Not 'sexualized' in some ridiculous way that you don't actually find attractive, (like if you don't actually think Han Solo wearing Leia's gold bikini would be hot, don't put that) but in a way that you do find attractive. You can give an example of a character, point to a picture, describe an action. Whatever you want.
Remember: not merely "desirable" but 'sexualized'--like how a chick can be hot no matter what she's wearing, but if she's in a chainmail bikini and bending at the waist for no apparent reason, that's sexualized.
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I play with a half-elf who worships the goddess of lust. He frequently finds a free room in any town we stay in. :)
One time we had a guide who turned out to be a werebear, and he had the hots for him too.
He was definitely a lover not a fighter, the healer of the group.
And you like guys, Nick?
Ass-less chaps. Black leather and laced up the sides. I loves me some man ass!
I think androgyny (and its tendency to at least *suggest* possible bisexuality) in men can be a big turn-on. I would cite Jaye Davidson as Ra in STARGATE as an example, or James Dean in REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE. Males who seem comfortable with the female (or feminized) parts of themselves. At least that's what does it for me -- I don't usually find burly "he-men" attractive.
I think Carter is on to something. I'm a bi male and think androgynous men and women are wonderful. Boys in corsets or tight breeches and knee socks... whoo hoo!
Another sexualized version of maleness I find appealing is shirtless and oiled up. No body hair (again, androgyny), and any sort of direct gaze at the camera or viewer, though not necessarily a lustful or "porny" sort of gaze, it also hot.
*is also hot.
I went through a phase of liking guys. After trying out two or three stoner nerds, an American-born Vietnamese guy, and one classical piano doctoral student, I settled on a middle-aged black guy who had a smaller cock than I thought he would, drove a really expensive car, and chainsmoked as much as I did. I liked to imagine myself being gangbanged while we fucked.
So: Far from androgynous. Wears leather. Slick fashion sense. Conventional attitude. Takes me out to restaurants.
@wolakhotakagayapi
Are you male or female?
Zak, in the interests of Science my wife is offering up Nathan Fillion's character in Firefly. Just the right combo of danger, humor and loyalty rolled up into a decent-looking package. It's not the actor, per se, but THAT role. Captain Mal could have been reciting economic statistics of Colonial-era Maine and it would have driven her nuts.
Mrs. Kinch (non-rpger, occasional LARPer) offers the following.
http://tinyurl.com/6fl2ocw
http://tinyurl.com/5uju5wn
http://tinyurl.com/5wp8gbf
http://tinyurl.com/69j6ld6
http://tinyurl.com/2w3kcq6
There's a certain part of anatomy: When a man has ripped abs or is slender enough they develop this distinct pelvic v leading downwards...well, this man V with low slung black pants. The deliberate emphasis of those particular bones are the only distinctly sexualized part of a man I can think of. Oh. and long hair.
@wolakhotakagayapi
I deleted your post because I know that artist you linked to personally and he does not make his own paintings. He is a total piece of shit born-rich fuckhead who pays art students to do his work for him and takes credit for their (very sign-paintery) work so I'm not going to give him publicity here.
However, rest assured that now we know you are a guy.
Bi male here. I more or less agree with what Carter says, but androgyny is perhaps something of a no-brainer for bi-sexuals.
I would add that particularly in the case of "sexualization" there's an element of fantasy included. Generally, a sexualized male is larger than life, if not in physical form, than in some way that is totally disconnected from reality, like a guy with an impossibily huge sword or gun who never wears a shirt. The analogy here is obvious, but I guess sexualization is never about subtlety, is it? Please let me know if you'd like to know more, like the answer to a specific question regarding the topic.
As a female who loves dudes, this is super hot to me: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5051707&l=5767e44126&id=693378633
It's not just the abs, it's everything going on around the picture. His eyes, arm pose, etc. I have found it difficult to find sexualized pictures of guys I find attractive. I prefer accessible men who are tousled and at the same time compassionate and brave.
My wife says that Gerard Butler in the 300 would be her contribution
As a gay male, I tend to think more along the lines of He-man style leather harness armor and Conan loinclothes, lots of bare skin and rippling muscle. It's basically the male equivalent of the chainmail bikini; if you want to catch my attention, fur underwear, pointless straps, and lots of blatant frontal nudity does the job very well.
Just a quick afterthought, too: When it comes to the sheer physicality of a male character, physique is the biggest factor. It's about having a defined, traditionally masculine form, and absolutely showcasing it. Of course, this isn't the only kind of sexiness a male character can have, but it's the most obvious.
Aragorn (scruffy, older, VERY competent/powerful, but also gentle and compassionate, honorable--or takes on lots of responsibility but is humble about it), Elrich (slender, pale, powerful, not as goodie two-shoes as Aragorn therefore is a bad-boy, vulnerable due to his sword power affliction thingy, just plain pretty from the written descriptions), Conan (oh those Frazetta paintings where he's battling an enemy and half naked and sweat drenched or that one where he's chained up and facing a giant snake and straining towards it--it's raw male power made visible), Spock (highly intellectual, repressed intense passion--pon farr, slender but powerful physique as Vulcans are much stronger than humans, again older, pale but with dark hair and eyes--a bit devilish/bad-ass looking), Data (can program himself to function for optimal physical pleasure, super strong, intelligent, and still kind of like a virgin), Worf (conan-esque and passionate, honorable, and again with the raw appetites for women and blood/battle and drink), Captain Picard (see Spock & Aragorn plus I've always liked my men older, beautiful commanding voice), Legolas (just pretty and cocky--not as attractive as others here named), Han Solo (should be obvious), Boba Fett (bad-ass, mysterious, perhaps inaccessible) and Powder (remember that movie guys? By now you should be getting the gist of my contribution to this poll so I won't list all his attractive qualities) are all examples of effectively sexualized males in fantasy.
Whether or not those characters were designed to to be that way they work on me. And I suspect that some thought WAS put into making most of 'em attractive to women.
Even Leonard Nimoy PRESENT DAY I find attractive and he's old enough to be my grandfather--I'd fuck him simply to thank him for being him and be able to overlook whatever age has diminished in him and get genuinely wound up about it--I think.
Oh and....notice how all the characters I've listed are highly competent and skilled. They're the best at what they do or are special somehow, and it means they've really got most of their shit together. A man who can handle his sword or a man who can command a starship and defend himself in battle or a man you know just not to fuck with because it's made obvious by some action in whatever depiction of the character...That's just hot.
Being a Bi Male, it depends on where my headspace (subject position) is at the moment, whether more mannish or womanish. The woman wants something Conan-esque, big and brutish, well-hung, wearing not much and having leather bits hear and there. The idea of a slightly dumb beast-like man is erotic too, perhaps because it seems like that raw power could be more easily manipulated to get it to do what I want it to do to me. Submit physically but still maintain ultimate power. Signals of bondage or good. Not having seen it for many years, I think Madonna's original video for "Express Yourself" hit this tone with it's slightly dumb-looking but buff underwear models toiling in factory, oppressed.
Feeling mannish, I suppose androgyny appeals, but the kind that blurs the boundaries between male and female while still projecting sexual and physical potency ('sissification' is a different aesthetic). Stylistically I think of some (or a lot) of Harry Clarke's male figures, e.g., in "The Eve of St. Agnes", that are elongated and finely-figured, but you still have a sense that the bodies are strong and capable of handling themselves. But they also enjoy their own sexual power.
Oh yeah! And the new Kirk from the new Star Trek movie. Genius check. Beautiful strong bone structure check. Looks good a little roughed up check. Knows what the fuck he's doing check.
Gay guy here. If you want to look at sexualized male bodies, just look at gay male culture. Pride parades, leather bars, young men in v-necks smoking on street corners. Leather, chainmail, briefs, ass-less chaps, straps, studs, whatever. Muscular men wearing mesh shirts. Smaller boys in white briefs. Fat guys in leather pants and dog collars.
I think sexualized male bodies can be divided into dominant and passive, at the very least. So there are the muscular big v-bodied guys in leather harness armor and Conan loinclothes there to fuck you and own you, and then there are the little narrow chested elf-boys who want to be used. Also, and here's a thought, sexualization kind of implies that there's someone there to consume that sexuality, like a powerful woman or a rich man or a dumb john or the like. You kind of have to question who the person/character is being sexualized for. Is it for someone who wants to be dominated but have control in how they're dominated? Is it for someone who wants to dominate another person? Do they want to worship their body/musculature/talents/cock?
I used to read a lot of fantasy, and a really common gay trope in fantasy that I was fond of as a kid is the close romantic friend/courtesan to the prince/king/young sorcerer, who's sensitive and supportive and probably has a really good ass and just worships his prince/employer/whatever, and they have sex in woods and dungeons and castle ruins, and though I've never seen pictures of these men, I bet they all wear really fantastic jackets that accentuate their jaw-line and waists.
Here are a few examples that don't have a lot to do with what I just talked about, because the guys are hot.
http://tinyurl.com/6z9tl2r
http://tinyurl.com/4voxdog
http://tinyurl.com/4f5kzf3
http://tinyurl.com/4e44k4u
Also obviously look at the male I find the most attractive: Zak. Bad boy(punk-radical left politics)-genius-artist, great style and slender but wiry, dark eyed, a deserved "don't fuck with me" attitude, hyper educated, insightful, and competent. Huge cock--knows how to use it. ;)
Maverynthia did not want to comment here for some reason which I am at a loss to explain, and I am not sure if she considers these 'sexualized' in a good way. But she said...
What I consider (slightly) sexualized?
http://www.square-enix.co.jp/saga3sol/download/1024x768_Polnareff.jpg <-- this guy
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7iU99cSPQIg/TTgUi9stvQI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/dbNosts-1AI/s912/ffxivgame%202011-01-20%2005-30-48-90.jpg <-- Definitely this guy
And "Live at Pompeii"-era David Gilmour: big shoulders, nice hair, beautiful voice, emotive space guitar, technically geeky, making positive art.
And of course "The Song Remains the Same"-era Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. A lot power, a lot of sex, a lot of style and a lot of art.
As a gay guy, I prefer my men to look like men. This includes things like facial scruff, body hair, sweat (of the glistening variety), and deep voices. Muscles are not required.
Also for the "bending at the waist" example: flexing, showing off their power, showing off their sense of humor, or confidence. Making a fool of themselves for you. A man in power humbling himself for you.
@zeebrat
so if showing off their confidence, power, sense of humor, or making a fool of themselves all count as sexualizing is there anything the requisite beardo could do that wouldn't be sexy?
fucked if i know. i agree with Mandy about being highly competent and skilled. Some physical wellness is required, not weak and flabby, not overly muscled, just visibly strong enough to lift me (which is admittedly not very hard). It's difficult to find guys sexualized, i was thinking maybe i find it hard because of my limited experience with men, but i have about the same with girls and finding girls hot is not difficult. A muscly, oiled-up man is just a muscly, oiled-up man. Han Solo is hot and so is Indiana Jones but Harrison Ford is not. It's really all attitude, character and context.
[it took ages to get together these few coherent sentences, this is a difficult issue]
oh, i'm a bi girl i guess
Lisa (Mrs Chris) mentions James Purefoy* in "Rome" ("I'm not rising from this bed until I have fucked something!"), and the entire Spartan army in "300" as sexualised men in cinema. Overt body worship, glistening sculpted muscle, etc...
Also, the male vampires in "True Blood": one big vortex of arousal/blood/domination vampire imagery.
* JP is also my one 'It wouldn't be gay gay with...' choice.
Female, heteroflexible (mainly hetero with a hint of bi).
Sexualized men are all about balance, too me. Rough, but not too rough. Barbaric, but not too much. Smooth and clever, but not too much. Flirty, but not easy. Handsome, but not unobtainable.
Women like the diamond in the rough, we like to see (or at least imagine) room for improvement. That's why the "bad boy" thing works time and time again: Because every woman believes that SHE will be the one to obtain his trust, to get beneath his hard shell and turn him into a good guy.
Aragorn has been mentioned already, he's a great example of all the traits I've listed above.
The Bond character in the new Casino Royale is another good example. Much commented upon in the media, as he rises from the water in a way where you'd normally expect to see a woman.
I'd like to but Brad Pit in Troy as another example of a sexualized male. Especially in the lovemaking scene.
Zak: What's all this FOR, anyway?
@ebcas
Nothing specific, really.
It's just with people going on about sexualized women in RPG art I thought it would be useful for everyone involved to have a reference point for what might constitute a sexualized man in RPG art.
I have no plans to use this data for anything, nor do I expect it to support any specific point of view.
I like the question.
I had a similar discussion with a friend about posses. He likes to draw and said how easy is to draw a sexualized girl, just put her on knees or bend her over and how hard is to come up with a universal pose for a guy..
back to your question.. as only an intrigued guy I got hard on boys/men on few occasions and they were like:
Longer hair with a style, pretty faced, tattoos (possibly going from belly button running bellow waist line), looking a bit devious with a smirk, cigarettes (probably best accessory on a guy), body shaved, necklaces or a choker is hot too, slender fingers with a bit longer nails, silver rings, and some cool boots.
Too put it in a rpg world> what I described + good choice of weaponry (daggers, scimitar, bastard sword),tight dark leather armor and some flashy minor spell around him
Assuming the male is in good shape, then going shirtless helps a lot. Sweaty, or at least shinny helps as well. That said, I honestly have trouble pointing to any specific example.
I think I'll just echo what ebcas says about balance. Confidence and vulnerability without (too much) arrogance or self-pity. I guess it's strange that given there are so few images of sexualised men we (appreciators of) are so picky about what they should be. It's easy to describe a woman as sexualised, from the way she dresses to the way she poses. If I could choose pose I would say sexualised for a man would be leaning or lying back with one or both legs bent, as if from exhaustion - the recumbent post-battle warrior. Not necessarily shirtless and beaded with sweat and streaked with blood, but it would help.
A pretty universally sexualised pose for men is the bent-over, looking back at you, 'fuck me I'm ready lookit this ass' pose. Maybe he has his hands on a wall and is looking back. Maybe he is on his back and his legs are spread. Very similar to the typical sexualized female pose. This person is probably surrounded by sultan's pillows, or maybe they are in a sex dungeon with lots of chains and dripping water, or a drab motel room with bright lighting. The man's shape, health, size, and general attractiveness doesn't really matter when he's in this pose because it's so clearly sexual.
I think this happens in fantasy imagery of women a lot. The women are in clothes and poses that say, 'I am ready to have sex right now right this moment!!' but there is no partner present, they are in a fantasy environment, and holding weapons/casting a spell/fighting a monster/whatever. That's why that imagery is so *surreal*, and also why it's hard to apply it to men - men aren't usually posed that way and it's uncomfortable to see when they are.
I thought about this for a long time, and was sort of stunned that there was not a good answer. I think me and whatever degree of queer I am, someone like Strider and Han aren't of interest, because they are strait. And I don't want to fuck strait boys, because I don't want to fuck anyone who doesn't want to fuck me. So their hot, sure, but in a meaningless way.
Then I remembered Leather Jacket. It was a card for the vampire sabbat card game. I never played but the image really struck me. The image is of a man with a shaved head standing with his back to you in a biker jacket with the Swans filth cover painted on it (the teeth) but a hint of fangs added, and an inverted cross. I wanted to fuck that guy, or look like him, either was fine. I also started listening to the Swans, which I'm still all about.
Here is the image, best I could find. I think it was in publication elsewhere, but I can only find the card image.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?VISuperSize&item=250742040344
Marc Antony getting oil scraped off him in a courtyard in Rome.
Any time Remy is in a shower, thinking about how he can't fuck Rogue. (Also, those two need to fucking discover latex already.)
Every picture of Jean-Claude in the Anita Blake comics. They did *such* a good job of making a 100% sexual and sexualized man.
Men in chains, looking up at you, frustrated.
That cover where Logan is kiss-fucking Jean, holding her up against some invisible wall, hands digging into her ass and claws popped. It's the claws.
Men looking at you from behind a veil- their hair, the shadows, that cigarette they're hiding behind.
Men lounging on the couch, in that pose you know means they're masturbating in the (missing) next panel.
Men eating things slowly. Licking fingers, smelling it. Extra hotness if he's alone.
Putting on cufflinks and meeting your eyes in the mirror.
The half-parted lip thing, letting you know they just exhaled.
Naked, hard boys in the moonlight, handing you tissues you lose in your white dress while you cry.
Cocks. For all the skin-tight male costumes in super-hero comics, you don't see nearly enough cock bulges. They have to use dance belts, so why does Superman have a smaller package than the Nutcracker? Balls of steel? Dance belts are the push-up bra of the cock world.
Heh. This was genuinely fun to reply to.
excellent. fun is what we do here
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