This Underwear Company Wants To Change Our Idea Of The 'Perfect' Male Body

A European clothing company is pledging to no longer be a brand “just for the perfect man” and instead to become a clothing line for all types of guys.

Dressmann, based in Norway, rolled out a campaign in September called #JustTheWayYouAre to highlight different body types and “broaden the picture of what a perfect body can look like,” according to promotional materials.

“We want to overcome limiting beliefs that some bodies are better, more beautiful or more normal than others,” Knut Vidar Nilsen, marketing director at Dressmann, said in a statement. “Simply, we want to show that there is no perfect man, there are only perfect men.”

Dressmann started that effort with a new ad featuring several different men, including older guys, a skinny dude and a hairier and larger man in addition to the typical muscular male model. 

“It’s about being confident in who you are, not what the fashion industry tells us is the perfect man,” Jens Bonesmo, Dressmann’s brand director, told The Huffington Post.

Watch the Dressmann ad, “Underwear for perfect men:”

 

 

The fashion chain said in a behind-the-scenes video that it was “lost” in fashion industry standards but wants to “get back to reality.” So far, it looks like it’s working: sales went up 30 percent in September compared to the same month a year earlier, a spokesman said.

One-third of guys have negative feelings about their body, according to a survey of 2,068 men in Norway and Sweden that TNS Sifo conducted with Dressmann over the summer and shared with HuffPost. The survey also showed more men are worried about their physical appearance than their financial circumstances or social life. 

A majority blame advertising for fueling that anxiety, rather than TV, films or celebrities. 

The TNS Sifo/Dressmann survey results reinforce previous findings from Britain and the United States that show a majority of men have their own body image problems. It’s not just guys feeling fat — there are plenty of men who are self-conscious because they feel too skinny, which the campaign also seeks to address.

Even guys who many think are in great shape can feel bad about their body.

Jamie Dornan, a former Calvin Klein underwear model and star of “50 Shades Of Grey” said earlier this year he “always felt skinny and small” and still gets down about his appearance today. “Now I have the same insecurities as when I was a kid,” he told the Irish Independent.

Matt McGorry recently told Yahoo! about going from being a bodybuilder to an actor and still feeling nervous about going shirtless on screen. After his shirtless scene came out, he imagined people would think he looked imperfect, but he never actually encountered a negative reaction.

“It’s funny because from one perspective you could say, ‘Oh, he’s letting himself go,’ but from another perspective, I just don’t need that validation I once did,” said McGorry, who stars in “Orange Is The New Black.” “I still love working out, and I think it’s good for my health, and I feel good doing it. I haven’t gone more than two weeks without working out in years. But I think with mental health, allowing myself to be who I am naturally in terms of my body, I think that’s sort of practicing more self-love that way.”

Older men, too, can feel left out. An increasing number of aging males have opted to use plastic surgery in recent years to look younger, according to the AARP.

Which is one of Dressmann’s points — that it’s not just young guys who feel tubby. Fifty-six percent of men in the TNS Sifo/Dressmann survey said they strongly believed advertising should better reflect different body types and ethnicities, as well as ages. 

“We have focused this campaign to be about all kinds of men,” Bonesmo said. “And as a brand for all men, I think it was about time that someone said, relax and be perfect, just the way you are.”

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Tyler Kingkade is a senior editor and reporter for HuffPost in New York. You can contact him at [email protected], or on Twitter: @tylerkingkade.

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Related Coverage:

• I’m A Man, And I’ve Spent My Life Ashamed Of My Body
• 19 Men Go Shirtless And Share Their Body Image Struggles
• I’m A Man With Body Image Issues, And Now I Know I’m Not Alone

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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Open Question: Lgbt Jessica Is man?
Jessica is a man baby.

answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20151014085854AAprtUc

Transgender Advocate in Arkansas: “I’m Proud to be Who I Am”

Coming out, whether it is as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or allied is a deeply personal journey for each individual. For openly transgender advocate Andrea Zekis, coming out took several decades and is still a part of her everyday life.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/transgender-advocate-in-arkansas-im-proud-to-be-who-i-am?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Sometimes Hot Things Come In Size XS

Whether it’s underwear, swimwear, or your basic apparel piece, the first and most important thing is how a piece of clothing fits your body. And for guys with narrow waists, size small still doesn’t fit quite right. Enter XS men’s underwear. XS pairs may be hard to come by, since not every men’s brand goes smaller than a small. But there are a few brands that remember XS-sized men. And fortunately, they know a small waist doesn’t always translate to a small package.

You can see more of this photo shoot with model Kai Braden on The Underwear Expert.

Photo Credit: Jerrad Matthew Exclusively for The Underwear Expert

Underwear Expert

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/AwE5dFmYnmI/sometimes-hot-things-come-in-size-xs-20151014

A court in central France has officially registered a person as being "gender neutral" rater than either male or female – the first ruling of its kind in France.
submitted by Libertatea
[link] [2 comments]

A court in central France has officially registered a person as being “gender neutral” rater than either male or female – the first ruling of its kind in France.
byu/Libertatea inlgbt

‘If You Could Be Straight, Would You?’ – WATCH

Have you ever wondered whether life would be easier if you were straight? Or whether, if it were possible to be straight, you would want to be straight?

This is the subject of a new video that asks 8 queer men and women (identifying across a spectrum of gay, bisexual, lesbian, and pansexual) whether they would want to be straight if they could be. While most agree that being gay is “not the easiest life,” the panel was unanimous when asked if they would be straight if it were somehow possible.

“God no,” said one respondent. Another answered, “I love being gay.” “Not being straight is awesome.” Amen.

Watch the video, below:

 

The post ‘If You Could Be Straight, Would You?’ – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Sean Mandell

‘If You Could Be Straight, Would You?’ – WATCH

WATCH: That Time Madonna Helped A Couple Get Engaged

A Canadian couple standing in the front row at Madonna’s show in Edmonton, Alberta Sunday night got the thrill of a lifetime when the Queen of Pop prompted them to get engaged, as Pink News reported.

A YouTube video captured the moment Madonna told a fan named Jan to propose to his boyfriend Chad, before the sold-out crowd of nearly 17,000 fans.  

She toyed with Jan at first, telling him “Jan” is “a girl’s name,” to which he replied, “no!” Madonna, who clearly was not out to offend, played with them some more by telling Jan, “You’re the girl,” and Chad, “You’re the boy.” She also briefly mixed-up Chad’s name, calling him, “Jack.” 

But the couple took it all in stride, as Jan turned to the mike and shouted to Chad, “I love you with all my heart, Chad. Will you marry me, please?”

Chad gladly and swiftly accepted and Madonna announced, “You may kiss the bride!” 
The tens of thousands crowded into Rexall Place cheered and applauded as they watched the newly engaged couple kiss on the arena’s Jumbotron. 

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Canada for a decade. 

But Madonna wasn’t done: “You forgot the most important part,” she said. “You need to catch the bouquet.”

And after tossing flowers to Jan and Chad, another fan handed Madonna crucifix on a chain, which she promptly put around her neck. “You get a bouquet, I get a crucifix,” said Madonna. “It all works out.”

Watch the proposal from YouTube, below:

Dawn Ennis

www.advocate.com/music/2015/10/14/watch-time-madonna-helped-couple-get-engaged

Religious Right Groups Break Out The Scare Tactics To Keep Discrimination Legal In Houston

On November 3, the city of Houston will vote on the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO), which creates city-wide nondiscrimination protections, including for the LGBT community. Opponents of HERO, organized as the so-called “Campaign For Houston,” have been escalating their rhetoric demonizing the LGBT community, and a new ad demonstrates just how far they’re willing to go to suggest that transgender women are violent sexual predators.

A new ad spot posted on YouTube Monday shows a little girl entering a restroom. “Any man at any time could enter a women’s bathroom simply by claiming to be a woman that day,” the ad falsely claims. “Even registered sex offenders could follow women or young girls into the bathroom.” As a man sneaks out of a separate stall and enters the girl’s stall, the ad ironically claims that HERO “goes too far.” Watch it:

The extreme fearmongering in the ad is in line with the other kinds of statements the Campaign for Houston has been issuing of late. Whereas in September, the campaign’s ads claimed that transgender women are “filthy, disgusting, and unsafe” and implied that HERO puts women and children “at risk” and “in harm’s way,” the group’s statements have tried to raise the stakes even more since then.

The Campaign for Houston’s new website claims that “other cities and states with these laws have seen sexual predators use them to violate and hurt women and children,” even though that’s factually untrue. A video displayed prominently on the site features a sermon from Homer Edwin Young (a.k.a. “Dr. Young”), senior pastor at Second Baptist Church Houston, in which he decries HERO as “absolutely godless,” “totally deceptive,” and “deadly.” He also claims that his wife saw a “man” walk out of a women’s restroom. Watch it:

A group of Houston’s pastors used similar high-stakes rhetoric at a rally against HERO last week, hosted by Second Baptist. One pastor, unnamed by ABC 13’s news report, condemned HERO as “deadly, decisive, and damning.” Dr. Floyd Williams Sr., of Antioch Church, said he believes “HERO is the most dangerous thing that’s ever been orchestrated in the city of Houston.”

Houston Unites, the Yes on Prop 1 campaign, is trying to counter this demonizing rhetoric by showing that people all over Houston support the LGBT protections. Richard Carlbom, who is managing the Houston Unites campaign, told ThinkProgress that the opposition’s rhetoric will have an impact, sparking fear and anxiety for voters. “Parents will see this ad — children will see this ad — and will become afraid.”

One ad they’re running to counter these claims features moms from across the city explaining how they’ll benefit from HERO’s pregnancy nondiscrimination protections, noting that the law “protects women from discrimination, victimization, and harassment.” They correct the myths put out by opponents, explaining, “Indecent exposure, harassment, and assault in bathrooms is already illegal. Proposition 1 won’t change that. It won’t allow men to enter women’s restrooms and it won’t allow someone to escape prosecution for criminal behavior.”

Houston Unites has been working with the Houston Area Women’s Center in mythbusting what HERO’s opponents have been saying about sexual violence. “When the opposition puts commercials on air like this,” Carlbom explained, “it really does distract and confuse people in terms of where sexual predators actually operate.” Unlike the scary portrayal in the latest ad, sexual predators are generally not stalking the bathrooms; most perpetrators actually know their victims. “What this does is shift the focus away to something that is just not true, and they’re doing it for political purposes.”

Houston Unites’ latest ad features Ed Gonzalez, a retired police officer and father of four girls. “In cities in Texas with similar laws,” he explains, “there’s been no uptick in public safety incidents.” Another ad features some of Houston’s religious leaders who do support HERO, countering opponents’ narrative that the law would allow “reverse discrimination for people who believe in God.”

One of the most poignant ads supporting the passage of HERO so far introduces Dylan, a contractor who identifies as a transgender man. His coworker Steven explains that when Dylan came out as transgender, he was uncomfortable at first, “but over time, we got past it.” Watch it:

Opponents of HERO, who insist that people use the restroom that matches the gender they were assigned at birth, would ironically require Dylan, a man, to use the women’s restroom. In other words, the Campaign for Houston’s rhetoric not only demonizes transgender women as sexual predators and murderers; it’s also backwards. HERO’s LGBT protections would ensure that transgender men like Dylan can safely use the men’s room.

The post Religious Right Groups Break Out The Scare Tactics To Keep Discrimination Legal In Houston appeared first on ThinkProgress.

Zack Ford

thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2015/10/14/3712002/houston-lgbt-sexual-predator-ads/

Concert Pianist Simon Ghraichy Gears Up For Carnegie Hall Debut

More than anything, Simon Ghraichy is proud to be a citizen of the world. 

The 29-year-old concert pianist, who was born in Lebanon to a Lebanese father and a Mexican mother and resides in Paris, sees his Oct. 15 performance at New York’s Carnegie Hall as the fulfillment of a lifelong dream because, more than any other venue, it represents his own unique background. 

“Every culture is welcome here,” he told The Huffington Post in an interview. “We have a special appreciation for that in Europe because you don’t find it there. I have a mixed background, and that’s something that’s unusual in Europe. Here, I feel at home.”

Ghraichy, who is openly gay, is currently in support of his forthcoming album, “Duels,” which is slated for release this fall. His Carnegie debut is the first stop in a “Liszt and the Americas” tour that will also take him to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The program will feature “Piano Sonata in B Minor” by Franz Liszt, whom Ghraichy calls a personal inspiration, along with works by Lecuona, Ponce, Godowsky and Villa-Lobos — representing the performer’s diverse talent and tastes. 

Ghraichy took time out from his busy rehearsal schedule to speak to The Huffington Post, discussing his renewed outlook as he gears up for his New York debut. Here’s what he had to say. 

What are your thoughts about performing in Carnegie Hall?

I can’t express enough how blessed I feel and how happy I am, especially because it’s my first concert in New York City. Carnegie is every boy’s dream. From childhood on, you hear about Carnegie Hall. You watch videos of superstars – not only classical superstars, but also pop superstars – all playing Carnegie Hall. It’s a very mythical place, and to be part of that is really something.

Carnegie is a reflection of the American culture, a culture where everything is still possible. Every culture is welcome here. 

How would you describe your musical approach, and how is it unique?

I think that the main characteristic in my work is curiosity. I’m very curious to discover new works.

I think it’s very important to take advantage of one’s background, not only in art, but in anything. It should just be a way of life. I’m very close to my roots, and…to be close to Mexican roots, to my Lebanese roots, to my Jewish roots…and to live as a modern Parisian, a modern Frenchman.

 As an out artist, do you feel it is a responsibility to support gay causes?

Gay causes are like any kind of minority causes. They deserve to be supported. The arts are a very close way and very honorable way to support them.

I haven’t got the chance to offer a concert for gay causes… but I would love to, if I had the opportunity. It’s not a matter of sexuality; it’s a matter of humanity.

You’ve accomplished a lot in the classical music world. What areas are you hoping to pursue next?

I think I still have a lot to learn and accomplish. It’s such a vast science. I just let myself be guided by the music. 

Now I’ve had many experiences, many stage experiences, many human encounters that [changed] my life. Friendships, people who surrounded me in my career, friends, family, teachers. It’s very important as an artist to have the right surroundings in your daily life in order to focus to give the best of yourself on the stage and in your art. 

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length. 

Simon Ghraichy will perform “Liszt and the Americas” at New York’s Carnegie Hall on Oct. 15. For more information, head here. 

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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