Muscle Boys: Gay Gym Culture
£31.60
What was once a lifestyle for a small number of gay men in big cities has become a way of life for many, and the gay gym is now a culture on its own. Muscle Boys: Gay Gym Culture explores the evolution and current structure of this gay subculture that surfaced in San Francisco, West Hollywood, and New York during the 1970s.
Covering ancient Greek gymnasium culture, modern bodybuilding practices, and homoerotic muscle-bound media, Muscles Boys examines the origins of the male athletic ideal. A sociological investigation on masculinity, fitness, HIV, steroids, and sex in the locker room, Muscle Boys dissects the gay gym experience, and celebrates gay body culture and its role in modern gay life.
Author Erick Alvarez offers a candid study of the gay gym from his perspective as a physical trainer in the San Francisco Bay area, and from his interviews and online surveys of nearly 6,000 gay men. Muscle Boys: Gay Gym Culture is an enlightening read for anyone interested in gay body culture, and a valuable resource for academics working in GLBT studies, human sexuality, psychology, or athletics.
Read more
Additional information
| Publisher | 1st edition (26 May 2010), Routledge |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 7436 KB |
| Simultaneous device usage | Up to 4 simultaneous devices, per publisher limits |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Not Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 334 pages |
| Page numbers source ISBN | 1560234040 |
by muscleguy62
As a student of history, I was impressed by care the author took to underline how gay history is inextricably tied up with Western culture. Despite being academically orientated, this book is nevertheless a racey read at times!
by Seps
Reading it as we speak for my dissertation. An interesting insight to how gay culture has had a great impact on men regardless of their sexuality.
by Hi
I came across this book in the process of researching an essay I’m writing for university on the relationship between fashion and identity contextualised in the gay Jock.
Im turning 20 in a week and started training 6 months ago having never touched a barbell before. It was so refreshing to see all of the things that I have been learning about myself since beginning to train articulated so clearly in writing.
Alvarez’s perspective is one that is so hard to find in academic writing about queer history and he does it in such an accessible way.