The pictures continued to change over time.
The stigma of homosexuality and prostitution may have influenced men’s choice of whether to include photographs that would identify them. In the past 20 years, changes in politics, law, and culture have changed people’s attitudes about coming out and being identified as gay (Weeks, 2007). In England, for example, laws banning the “promotion of homosexuality” have been overturned, military service and the age of consent have been equalized, civil partnership has been introduced, and equality in marriage law is being introduced. Being gay carries fewer restrictions than in the past, and magazines like Boyz and QX have become a regular part of the coming-out experience for many men as they enter the gay scene in large cities like London. Moreover, the magazine advertisements for escorts have normalized the practice and visibility of men advertising sex to men to some extent.
FIGURE 4.3
Number of Boyz Ads with Pictures and without Pictures
FIGURE 4.4
Percentages of Boyz Ads with Pictures and without Pictures
FIGURE 4.5
Advertisement for “American Style Massage,” in Boyz , January 6, 1996.
As more advertisers included facial photographs, competition increased and fueled the need to reveal ever more to potential clients. An easing of legal restrictions in the UK on showing erect penises was followed by a rise in sexually explicit ad content. As social-sexual-networking sites like Gaydar, Manhunt, and Grindr normalized the public profile and the inclusion of all types of photographs, a new way of thinking developed about gay spaces as private. And so the discussion returns to understanding the advertisement as not only a promotion but also a place.
What M$M Advertise
Sex and sexual experiences may be advertised explicitly or implicitly. Explicit mention of sex is less common, as neither advertisers nor publications refer to sex work or prostitution. An exception is Rentboy.com , which takes its name from the colloquial term for a young male sex worker. More common is the term “escort,” which a knowing audience reads as synonymous with sex work but to the uninitiated may suggest a companion. Advertisers who want to position themselves as high class often list social activities they attend with clients: “Good looking, educated, well-travelled and very discreet guy, working as a part-time escort. Very good companion, for dinners, meetings, travel and overnights. Very discreet clients only.” While companionship may be a part of an escort’s role, informants report that most jobs they take involve being paid for sex. In places where selling sex is illegal, as in most of the United States, advertisers often include the disclaimer that clients are only paying for their time.
An ad for massage can imply different things, which may be confusing to potential customers. Indeed, some masseurs I interviewed expressed concern about being mistaken for sex workers, even though many used sexual imagery in their ads or even offered sexualized services. Advertisers may offer traditional massage, which is not intentionally sexual, although clients may become aroused; sensual massage, which is intended to stimulate the client sexually; or “metomassage,” which implies a sexual service. In meto-massage, what is sought and offered is some form of sex, although the masseur does not participate in the sexual arousal and the distinction is not necessarily obvious from the advertisements.
Escort Agency Advertising
How did I start? I started by thinking I wanted to do it so I looked at QX magazine and there were advertisements placed in the back of those magazines by escort agencies—not by escorts, by escort agencies—and I phoned one of them that I liked the look of and they asked me to come in for an interview, which I did and then I went onto their books. (Matthew, 38)
Boyz sometimes also features advertisements for escort agencies.
The stigma of homosexuality and prostitution may have influenced men’s choice of whether to include photographs that would identify them. In the past 20 years, changes in politics, law, and culture have changed people’s attitudes about coming out and being identified as gay (Weeks, 2007). In England, for example, laws banning the “promotion of homosexuality” have been overturned, military service and the age of consent have been equalized, civil partnership has been introduced, and equality in marriage law is being introduced. Being gay carries fewer restrictions than in the past, and magazines like Boyz and QX have become a regular part of the coming-out experience for many men as they enter the gay scene in large cities like London. Moreover, the magazine advertisements for escorts have normalized the practice and visibility of men advertising sex to men to some extent.
FIGURE 4.3
Number of Boyz Ads with Pictures and without Pictures
FIGURE 4.4
Percentages of Boyz Ads with Pictures and without Pictures
FIGURE 4.5
Advertisement for “American Style Massage,” in Boyz , January 6, 1996.
As more advertisers included facial photographs, competition increased and fueled the need to reveal ever more to potential clients. An easing of legal restrictions in the UK on showing erect penises was followed by a rise in sexually explicit ad content. As social-sexual-networking sites like Gaydar, Manhunt, and Grindr normalized the public profile and the inclusion of all types of photographs, a new way of thinking developed about gay spaces as private. And so the discussion returns to understanding the advertisement as not only a promotion but also a place.
What M$M Advertise
Sex and sexual experiences may be advertised explicitly or implicitly. Explicit mention of sex is less common, as neither advertisers nor publications refer to sex work or prostitution. An exception is Rentboy.com , which takes its name from the colloquial term for a young male sex worker. More common is the term “escort,” which a knowing audience reads as synonymous with sex work but to the uninitiated may suggest a companion. Advertisers who want to position themselves as high class often list social activities they attend with clients: “Good looking, educated, well-travelled and very discreet guy, working as a part-time escort. Very good companion, for dinners, meetings, travel and overnights. Very discreet clients only.” While companionship may be a part of an escort’s role, informants report that most jobs they take involve being paid for sex. In places where selling sex is illegal, as in most of the United States, advertisers often include the disclaimer that clients are only paying for their time.
An ad for massage can imply different things, which may be confusing to potential customers. Indeed, some masseurs I interviewed expressed concern about being mistaken for sex workers, even though many used sexual imagery in their ads or even offered sexualized services. Advertisers may offer traditional massage, which is not intentionally sexual, although clients may become aroused; sensual massage, which is intended to stimulate the client sexually; or “metomassage,” which implies a sexual service. In meto-massage, what is sought and offered is some form of sex, although the masseur does not participate in the sexual arousal and the distinction is not necessarily obvious from the advertisements.
Escort Agency Advertising
How did I start? I started by thinking I wanted to do it so I looked at QX magazine and there were advertisements placed in the back of those magazines by escort agencies—not by escorts, by escort agencies—and I phoned one of them that I liked the look of and they asked me to come in for an interview, which I did and then I went onto their books. (Matthew, 38)
Boyz sometimes also features advertisements for escort agencies.
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