Life magazine archives

[D_Bob_Crotchitch]

Too bad virtually no heterosexual men would ever do that in this day and age.

If society had not turned it into some perverted thing, men would still do it. I remember Ron Guidry of the Yankees told he and a friend had been branded as gay. When they were younger, they hung out together, shared a place, and were close friends.
It is a sick sick world in which we live. I have seen women start the rumors nonstop. I guess they feel threatened by their men having close friends.

 

[B_frednethel]

Another of good ol Pat where I see a bit of peen :smile:

I'd hit it.

Pat Boone: Pat Boone (Close-Up) - Hosted by Google

[snip]

 

[223790]

I remember seeing pics from Life magazine of boys in school taking a shower together in a large open shower, and swimming naked together. Yes, this was LIFE magazine! Nobody gave it a second thought because that was the norm back then. Could you imagine the reaction to that today? The police would be contacted, charges would be laid, and trauma counsellors would be called in. It's a messed up way of thinking. It's no wonder so many young men have issues with casual, same gender non-sexual nudity nowadays.

 

[dbd1830]

Yale swimmers massaged

 

[dbd1830]

Air Force Academy friendship

 

[Frodo46888]

I remember seeing pics from Life magazine of boys in school taking a shower together in a large open shower, and swimming naked together. Yes, this was LIFE magazine! Nobody gave it a second thought because that was the norm back then. Could you imagine the reaction to that today? The police would be contacted, charges would be laid, and trauma counsellors would be called in. It's a messed up way of thinking. It's no wonder so many young men have issues with casual, same gender non-sexual nudity nowadays.

When two men spend a lot of time (or live) together, too many people make two assumptions: (1) that they are gay, and (2) that being gay is a terrible thing. It's a messed up way of thinking.

 

[dbd1830]

Coach and player

 

[dbd1830]

U of Michigan Swimming 1938

 

[dbd1830]

Navy football postgame

 

[seanseattle]

I agree, for those of us who are older these pictures show the norm when we were younger. I think the prudishness has come about in the last 20 years or so, during the feminist and gay movements. I continue to hope we can turn this around and return to the openess of my youth.

I totally agree. These pictures show what the norm should be.

 

[matticus201]

You know, I also wonder how our views on penis size would change if there were more nudity like this. It's obvious that these men are the norm. There's no huge packages in any of these pictures. Maybe our perception of size would change too.

 

[B_henry miller]

all i know is tha tthese men are beautiful

 

[SirConcis]

You know, I also wonder how our views on penis size would change if there were more nudity like this. It's obvious that these men are the norm. There's no huge packages in any of these pictures. Maybe our perception of size would change too.

This is why nudity in locker rooms is so important. Otehrwise, all men would see are porn stars who are never photographed with totally flaccid penis and it makes all men feel they are very small.

Seeing normal males in normal locker room without them fluffing up their penis for 2 hours to make sure that when they drop the underwear, they are already half hard is very healthy to fill the need to compare one's self against others to see if you are normal or not.

 

[henryontims]

The WWII video on the first page is very cool. I love that you see guys of all shapes and sizes hanging out together in a non-sexual context.

Not to be morbid, but it is also a powerful comment on the passage of time. Here are these young men -- happy and healthy. And so many of these men are now gone.

 

[dad4you]

also interesting is that these were published in LIFE magazine and no one thought of them as porn. I am presuming that all of American citizens had access to pictures in LIFE magazine.

 

[alextiger]

Were these pictures ever Published? My understanding is that these are photos from their archives and include photos that weren't published in the magazine.

 

[sykray]

It's already been noted here but I'll repeat it. Culturally, in the western world, men were not necessarily seen as sexy - at least by other men. Most people believed that less than 1% of the population of men were gay or bisexual. Naked men were just that - men who were naked. They were not sex objects in the way that naked or semi-naked women would be.

AMG, Health&Efficiency and other muscle magazines were accepted as men wanting to admire or envy or emulate the muscle development of other men. Few considered that gay or bi men would be wanking over the photos.

That's why so many were shocked and surprised by the Kinsey report. The emergence of the gay rights movement, the feminist movement and greater information about sexuality has made t possible for the general public to class naked men as erotic. Then with the ensuing prudity and erotophobia, especially in the States, general publication of naked men was reduced or absent and publications that show naked men are now classed as porn.

 

[MrGoodDate]

I wonder if the size of families when we had 3 brothers and 2 sisters and one bathroom, have anything to do with our former lack of prudishness. I grew up seeing my older 2 brothers naked and seeing their dicks. Those days boys thought nothing of swimming in the river naked. No fuss.
Do smaller families with more bathrooms take away from this part of family living. We now are deprived.

 

[ohioriver]

It's already been noted here but I'll repeat it. Culturally, in the western world, men were not necessarily seen as sexy - at least by other men. Most people believed that less than 1% of the population of men were gay or bisexual. Naked men were just that - men who were naked. They were not sex objects in the way that naked or semi-naked women would be.

AMG, Health&Efficiency and other muscle magazines were accepted as men wanting to admire or envy or emulate the muscle development of other men. Few considered that gay or bi men would be wanking over the photos.

That's why so many were shocked and surprised by the Kinsey report. The emergence of the gay rights movement, the feminist movement and greater information about sexuality has made t possible for the general public to class naked men as erotic. Then with the ensuing prudity and erotophobia, especially in the States, general publication of naked men was reduced or absent and publications that show naked men are now classed as porn.

Thank you for this thoughtful post. It really makes good sense because nudity in itself seems silly sense everyone knows what the body parts look like, but when it becomes connected with sexuality... then I can see where people would become prudish, and others would turn nudity into something erotic, so in much of today's western world nudity has become both prudish and erotic.... when nudity is nudity, and the simple act of being naked, and really nudity in itself something that's very natural...

 

[SirConcis]

I had once read an interesting article. It said that in a sporting environment, men feel secure about their masculinity because playing sports makes them man enough that they don't fear being labeled "homosexual" if naked in locker room or even kissing a team mate when they score a goal.

I think this aspect may have gone away and young men now fear being seen as homosexual if they are seen naked in locker room because there is no longer that "you are immune from being labeled gay in a sporting environment" aspect which existed before.