In this modern culture, even in 2021, they hold room for the romantics and the promiscuous semi-annoying people are more tolerated those with trauma - current or past - can be accommodated better and even find grace.
The bears in these photos get most of it right. Those attempts to build a more inclusive, kinder, more nurturing environment was intentional and the result of organizers who worked hard, expanded slowly, set a tone and fought pressures to mimic things happening at mainstream events. And why shouldn’t aggregated micro acts of kindness form whatever one calls the compelling opposite of a hostile environment? Why wouldn’t all the little ways we can find more things beautiful or sexy in more ways aggregate into more and better connections? Why wouldn’t every minor act of inclusion aggregate into more connections and healthy relationships? And it’s likely that past a tipping point it snowballs. These micro acts of kindness are effectively the opposite of micro-aggressions.
As always, better things come from just doing whatever it is.Īnd that’s the spirit in these pictures from Bear Weeks between 20. Specht’s example is the positive vibe created by an unexpected “Hey great shirt,” from across the street Someone who just says, “You look great.” It’s good vibes without the demanding of them by the young and performative “good vibes only” legions. He calls that space “a sanctuary,”that has brought his group back for 12 years. His description is a space where much happens with the best intentions. And no judgement,” which is not a given almost anywhere else. He says they simply always, “feel so at ease. (Intro by Michael Goff, Editor) Paul Specht has been to many Bear Weeks in Provincetown with his inner circle of friends which includes a number of bigger guys. It's about time that men had a taste of the way that women have been portrayed in tattooing for well over a century-we are well overdue for some male eye candy with which to modify our bodies.Next –> Gay Bear Photo Portfolio by Paul Specht O’Connell addresses stereotypical pin-up imagery head on with provocative male pin-ups that are sure to make you blush. That’s right, let me introduce you to a handful of the seductive and cheeky male pin-ups included in O’Connell’s tattoo book. In his second tattoo flash portfolio, Mitch O’Connell Tattoos Volume 2, O’Connell has included a handful of male pin-ups alongside classic female designs. Illustrator and tattoo flash designer Mitch O’Connell plans to change this perception. Despite the variations in technique, however, one thing remains the same: pin-ups are almost exclusively portrayed as women.
Today we continue to see pin-ups represented in tattooing, both within traditional tattooing and throughout other tattoo styles. They were personalized to fit the wearer, taking on different roles such as hula girls, nurses, geishas, and soldiers. Many sailors began to get pin-up tattoos to represent the women that they had left stateside ever since then people have paid tribute to the style of American Traditional through pin-up tattoos.Īt the time, most pin-ups tended to be illustrated in the same style, often drawn with hyper-feminized features and posed in seductive positions or situations. Much of the common imagery of American Traditional that we continue to see today comes from early 20th century references, such as pin-ups, swallows, anchors, mermaids, and clipper ships, these were developed by sailors, who learned about tattoo techniques upon traveling to Japan and Hawaii during WWII, to represent their experiences at sea. American Traditional was the first tattoo style to be developed using a modern tattoo machine and helped to build a culture around tattooing in the Western world that was centered around the masculinity identity. Typically, tattoo flash is done in the classic American Traditional style, which can be characterized by its bold black outlines and a limited color palette.