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Article: Out of the closet and into the gym: gay men and body image in Melbourne, Australia.(Case study)
- Article from:
- The Journal of Men's Studies
- Article date:
- September 22, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Men's Studies Press. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The suggestion that gay culture and gay male communities place emphasis on physical appearance and body shape is hard to dismiss if one spends any amount of time within the zone of influence of "the scene." (1) In Australia, gay news media, pornography, advertising, and even community events frequently celebrate and privilege a particular muscular, fat-free, hairless, Caucasian standard of gay male beauty. This representation of Australian gay identity is perhaps best reflected internationally in the images and iconography that surround the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, an event with a central position in Australian popular culture, and global gay and lesbian cultures ...