Men 9 Tom 17 Mr. Curtis 29 Logan Reed 43 Tony: Smokin' 53 Billy 65 Steve Sparks 75 Owen Fiction
24 Dirty Trick
36 11:30
58 Take It Off Features
5 Editor's Note
6 Mandata
16 Man Mail
72 Book Nook
86 Man Video
92 Gay Trials
Editorial Note
HAIR TODAY
You know when you're in the middle of giving the perfect blowjob, nosing around
in his bush and thinking how great it smells, and just as you've got your rhythm
down you get a hair caught in your throat? You find yourself wishing away his
damn pubic hair even though you were loving it a moment before. And then each
time you think you've picked it out—and go back to doing the guy—there
it is again tickling your tonsils? Well that's kind of how I feel about this ongoing
shaved-vs.-natural pube & body-hair debate. Just when I'm convinced that the
final verdict is in and that dick-hair is definitely back in style—in rolls
a batch of pro-shaving letters, and I have to stop and chew the whole damn thing
over (so to speak) once again. To tell you the truth, my first reaction to this
hairless back-lash was that these letters were coming from guys who were just
exhibiting a conditioned response. By that I mean horny consumers who have become
so conditioned by a diet of shaved pecs and exfoliated dicks that they subconsciously
trained their porno taste-buds to favor bald balls and beardless skin-flutes.
But in discussing this pube-situation with other guys in the business (writers,
editors, videographers), I soon realized the appetite for topiaried man-fleece
is more established than I'd realized (case in point: this year's "Probies"—male
video awards—even featured a popular category titled "Best Bushwhacking"
to allow judges to select the most perfect pube-trim. This year's winner was Chad
Knight, by the way). Many models now opt to trim things back a bit, but not to
shave completely. A good example of this is this month's coverman Logan Reed,
who has perfected a look of keeping his hair trimmed back—but just enough
to achieve an irrestibly touchable Teddy-bear look. I think most of us will agree
that minor adjustments are OK, even desire-able in bringing a model's best to
the camera. (I mean, if you were getting your picture taken you would pick that
piece of spinach out of your teeth, right?) And a bit of a trim can definitely
underline a guy's charms, as long as it's done within reason. (Confidentially,
I can tell you that I've been taking matters in my own hands—that is, I've
been keeping a close eye on the shoots. But some models are so used to eliminating
body hair, that catching them in time to keep them halfway natural is proving
to be extremely difficult. Many feel that their dicks in particular look more
attractive—i.e. bigger—with the short and curlies tamed and coiffed.
So I not only have to attend all the shoots—I have to get there early to
make sure the models and photographers don't go too wild with the clippers.) So
I guess all you can definitely say on the subject is this: It seems that body
hair is on everyone's lips—I mean minds. While I do know that there are
plenty of you who are sick and tired of every model being shaved, there is also
a sizable contingent jacking-off on the other side of the big gay fence. So I
think the answer lies in finding some kind of middle ground, in between hairy
and bare (while making room for superior examples of both extremes), to ensure
that whether you like your studs hairy, smooth or something in between, you'll
find the best of all worlds each month right here in Mandate. And believe me,
I'll be working my fingers to the bone to make sure that 's just what you get.
Stay dirty.
