Standing against a tree, a shirtless young man stands with his eyes closed, neck bared, and hands bound behind him.
This vintage photograph struck me because of how similar it looks to contemporary images of tied up men. There’s very little in the way of nudity or otherwise explicit sexuality and most of the submissiveness I see in this photograph has to do with hints of bondage—albeit more obvious than most—than a confirmed and visible restraint. In comparing vintage erotica in general with today’s pornography, it seems to me that there isn’t quite the same amount of stagnation among depictions of women as there is of depictions of men (with the notable exception of gay iconography).
Case in point, the source of this photograph cites that it is a depiction of Saint Sebastian by F. Holland Day, circa 1906, an extremely common subject for ostensibly (but not really) submissive men.
wwtt:
pootee

