![A man in a leather jacket and jeans lifts the hem of his shirt far enough above his torso to reveal a tattoo of four Chinese ideographs.
This photograph was suggested by Miss Jaye (aka BBW Switch), and though she admits that “there is nothing blantantly submissive about this photograph,” I liked it well enough because her interpretation of the photo grew on me. Miss Jaye writes:
[W]hen I look at it I see a male, who is completely dressed, submitting to a request to show the tattoo under his shirt. I mean, why else would a fully clothed male lift only the corner of his shirt unless it was being requested? His lifting his shirt seems to be an intimate gesture and the look on his face a question for approval, there seems to be a shyness in his actions. Did he also get the tattoo at someone’s request? Is this the first time it has been seen by that someone?
I can see what Miss Jaye is talking about here (only, I’d have called him “a fully grown man,” not “a fully grown male”). This picture certainly allows some degree of interpretation, which is one of the hallmarks of a good photograph.
I also think it’s unsurprising that this image comes from a site featuring male modeling. As I’ve repeatedly discussed, it’s frustratingly unusual in most photography—including pornographic and erotic content—for men to be the object of a sexualized gaze, or even to merely feel as though they can be if they so desired. Although apparently this is still a little surprising to some, as I learned the other day when I made a guest appearance on Episode 8 of This Week In Kink, in at least many parts of modern Western culture, there’s certainly a taboo against showing too much sexuality in men’s bodies.
-maymay](https://web.archive.org/web/20091221114515im_/http://15.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kqs1bsOlNK1qzs83zo1_500.jpg)
A man in a leather jacket and jeans lifts the hem of his shirt far enough above his torso to reveal a tattoo of four Chinese ideographs.
This photograph was suggested by Miss Jaye (aka BBW Switch), and though she admits that “there is nothing blantantly submissive about this photograph,” I liked it well enough because her interpretation of the photo grew on me. Miss Jaye writes:
[W]hen I look at it I see a male, who is completely dressed, submitting to a request to show the tattoo under his shirt. I mean, why else would a fully clothed male lift only the corner of his shirt unless it was being requested? His lifting his shirt seems to be an intimate gesture and the look on his face a question for approval, there seems to be a shyness in his actions. Did he also get the tattoo at someone’s request? Is this the first time it has been seen by that someone?
I can see what Miss Jaye is talking about here (only, I’d have called him “a fully grown man,” not “a fully grown male”). This picture certainly allows some degree of interpretation, which is one of the hallmarks of a good photograph.
I also think it’s unsurprising that this image comes from a site featuring male modeling. As I’ve repeatedly discussed, it’s frustratingly unusual in most photography—including pornographic and erotic content—for men to be the object of a sexualized gaze, or even to merely feel as though they can be if they so desired. Although apparently this is still a little surprising to some, as I learned the other day when I made a guest appearance on Episode 8 of This Week In Kink, in at least many parts of modern Western culture, there’s certainly a taboo against showing too much sexuality in men’s bodies.