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Daniel by Unlimited Male
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Thursday, August 15, 2013
R.I.P Laurie Forman
Lisa Robin Kelly's addiction issues are well documented, but it was still sad to hear she died yesterday at just 43 years old. I loved watching her chase after Kelso on That 70's Show and hope she finally has found some peace.
Simpatico: Daniel by Unlimited Male
'Don't be yourself - be someone a little nicer.'
~Mignon McLaughlin
As human beings, it is shocking to me how often we forget the human part. We look at other parts of the world and judge how much better we are. So many Americans are currently 'outraged' but what is going on in Russia even though there were political candidates in our own country spouting similar hate filled views in the only a few short years ago. For decades, the ability to have power and control over others were personality traits many sought. Being kind and pleasant, and caring about others, were considered traits of the weak.
The truth is, regardless of who is charge politically, it is up to the individual to decided that treating others kindly, with respect and without judgement, is an important way to live one's life. It is choice really, and not always easy in a world that challenges and taught people to be hurtful on a regular basis. Because of how I grew up, the experiences I went through and the pain I witness, I made a conscious decision, somewhere around the age of 17 or 18, that there would be no room for cruelty in my adult life.
It is not easy, friends, co-workers, family and Internet make it hard at times. Slashing others down has become the norm in many places especially forums and message boards which seem to almost cheer and reward those that can make the cruelest and catties comments. I have written before that one of the reasons I began FH was as an alternative to sites and blogs whose primary focus was trash, slash, out, cut down and spit out the subjects they were writing about. Kindness therefore, has become a trait that I not only admire, but one I find incredibly attractive in others.
So why, on FH am I lecturing on the importance of kindness? Well, because kindness in humanity are not really themes commonly seen in the capturing of the male form. It doesn't seem that many photographers, nor the audience for their work, see it as a trait that worthy of documenting. When capturing the male nude, many seem to try to remove any sign of emotion or humanity with models often looking a little robotic. So often the desired look is either one of power or submission. With submission, the face is often blank or vapid; with power, it emotes full of snarls with eyes expression their desire to dominate. These images can be great, but the stereotypical facial expressions don't come close to capturing all of the emotions that are involved with being a man.
When I first profiled the work of photographer Jay from Unlimited Male, I wrote that my favorite images were the ones that capture the essence of the man in front of the lens, not the ones who attempt to hide or cover it. In that post (Grin), I was initially and instantly drawn to the images because of the model's incredibly grin. Jay so naturally captures his models, bringing out their personalities and the essence at their core that makes them special. Jay also manages to but his models at ease, capturing lighter moments that many others seem to ignore when shooting. With these images of Daniel, I believe one of his sexiest features is his humanity, a sweet kindness which literally seems to shine from every one of his images.
'Modeling isn't a job, it's a gift sent from God and I am going to enjoy every moment that I am blessed with. You will not find a model that is more easygoing, energetic or passionate as myself. I love what life has given me and don't hold anything back because life is not guaranteed tomorrow. Live life to it's fullest and great things will come your way.'
I was instantly drawn to Daniel's face and smile. Confident, but not cocky, welcoming and real. This made the rest of the package even more adorable and hot. Through Jay's images, Daniel seems so naturally comfortable and at ease in front of the camera, happy to share his joy, and his incredible body, with those that enjoy viewing. Most impressive, is how he does this with little to no ego. This naturalness, beautifully captured by Jay, is incredibly sexy, not to mention extremely rare. Jay says although he still feels he has a lot to learn, he is grateful for all the models he has worked with who help him to gain experience, improving with each shoot. I think Jay may already have found his niche. His natural ability to capture his models relaxed and not afraid to smile and show joy is already setting him apart.
'Danny is definitely one of the nicest, most easygoing models that I have had the priviledge to work with. Very down to earth, no ego at all and I hope to work with him again in the future.'
Unlimited Male on ModelMayhem
Daniel on ModelMayhem
Stop Believing?
Up until last year, I would have considered Glee my favorite how. This makes my 64th post about the show since the pilot and it is the only scripted show that I have a side label for on the blog. I lost my love for Glee midway through last season and the last 9 episodes sit unwatched, soon to be deleted, on my DVR.
Last season it felt like the writers and producers gave a big fuck you to promises it made from the first scene of the first show. In the beginning, Glee was about finding your tribe, outcasts, misfits finding a place to belong and be accepted. It introduced us to characters not seen widely on television. The students at McKinley High were made up of teens who were black, white, Asian, Hispanic, overweight, handicapped, gay and transgendered and a faculty just as diverse and quirky. Viewers connected to these students and watching Glee was like connecting with others like them.
Not anymore. Most of the diversity has been moved to the sidelines. The Asians continue to be underwritten, the wheelchair bound Artie remains generally in the background, the freakishly talented Mercedes shipped away and barely seen. The overweight Lauren rarely seen and the wonderful Coach Beiste only sporadically thrown in.
Last season, Glee abandoned the outcasts and put it's spotlight on the popular crowd. The Glee Club, once a wonderful group of diversity, now looks like a room about to cast for the next Abercrombie and Fitch catalog. Except for the ironically named Unique, the written off Glee cast members have all been replaced by less talented, although hot, but generic looking models. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Blake, Jacob, Chad and Dean (in NYC) but their rise to leads spotlights a blatant dishonesty in what the producers once claimed the core of the show was.
The four graduates the show chose to focus on in NYC were the popular, thin and all but one white. Their popularity brought them more storyline, more airtime and more success. Exactly, what Mr. Schuester told them all the last three season would NOT happen. The loss of Cory Monteith only cements my feelings about the show. Although I will watch the how the show handles his departure, Monteith was one of the characters that remained true to who he was when we first met him. Good looking, but not too good looking, talented but not crazy talented, popular but not without his struggles. The ending of high school was not easy for Finn and out of the four the show gave attention to, his journey was the most interesting to watch. Rachael and Kurt to me are wonderful characters when a part of an ensemble cast, but as leads they often verge on obnoxious. We were told not to stop believing, yet somewhere between seasons 3 and 4, the show certainly did.
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