Beautiful

Mirror mirror on the wall

THOUGH NOT PERCEIVED AS IMMORAL AS THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS, VANITY DEFINITELY IS CONSIDERED TO BE A MINOR SIN. VANITY. THE EXCESSIVE BELIEF IN ONE’S OWN ABILITIES OR ATTRACTIVENESS TO OTHERS. BOASTING IN VAIN AND SELF-GLORIFICATION ARE ACTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH VANITY. OBJECTS THAT REPRESENT VANITY ARE JEWELS, GOLD AND OF COURSE THE  EVER PRESENT MIRROR. THE WINDOW IN WHICH ONE CAN ADMIRE HIMSELF. BUT IS VANITY REALLY THAT MUCH OF A SIN. IF YOU REALLY ARE AN EXAMPLE FOR OTHERS, BUT PHYSICALLY AND SPIRITUALLY, IS ONE NOT ALLOWED TO TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT ONESELF? EVERY NOW AND THEN?

For several years now the artist who operates under the name ZYX Photography has worked on a project that involves mirrors. Mirrors and beautiful men that is. One of his latest additions to this ongoing quest was no one less than Jack Mackenroth. ZYX Photography originates from Mexico and operates from Dallas, Texas.  Without revealing his true identity, his work probably already gives you an ide who we are talking about. You can check him out on Twitter. When we first laid our eyes on these portraits we couldn’t wait to share them with you. But strangely enough it actually too some convincing. Not of us and not of ZYX Photogrpahy, but of Jack himself. Because no matter how much Jack has been photographed, and how many times his photos have graced magazine pages, seeing himself posing like this in front of a mirror made him wonder. Was this not a bit too much?

Sure, vanity can be a negative thing but then again, if you’ve got it you’ve gotta flaunt it. And Jack Mackenroth has definitely got it. Jack Mackenroth became world famous when he announced on American national TV that he was HIV positive. He did this while participating in the popular reality show Project Runway. He didn’t do it because he needed to boost his participation. Jack was at that tile already one of the more successful and popular players. Jack caught a contagious infection during the height of the fourth season of Project Runway and even though it was not related to his HIV status, he made the bold decision to withdraw from the competition. A bold decision that received enormous support from the American audience. Since then Jack Mackenroth has been a shining example of living a healthy and normal live with HIV and a role model for many.

When Jack Mackenroth was just a small boy he managed to ride his little bike into a boat that happened to be parked along the road. Looking back to that now one might take that as the moment that it was clear that Jack was born to entertain. During High School he wasn’t one of the popular kids. Contrary to that, he hung out with the alternative group and focussed on a passion that would eventually become his red thread through life: fashion. What at time started with altering the clothes his parents bought him, much to his mothers irritation, would later transform in a reason to move to New York where Jack enrolled at the Parsons School of Design. After graduating he opened his own boutique on Bleeker’s Street in new York’s West Village where he offered new designers a place to showcase their work alongside upscale brands such as Gaultier, Diesel and John Richmond. A few years later Jack exchanged the boutique life for a career in design and accepted first a designers position with Tommy Hilfiger and later with Levi Strauss, before becoming Design Director at Weatherproof Active Wear.

Jack Mackenroth is a real entrepreneur and destined to make a success of every project he starts. His public HIV status gave him the opportunity to promote safe sex practise wherever he saw fit. In 2008 he did it in the form of a wedding dress, designed and entirely created with condoms. The fact Jack is allergic to latex makes this even more extra ordinary. Jack Mackenroth was diagnosed in 1990 and has since then tried to combat the stigma of HIV by living honestly and being a role model through professional and athletic achievements. "I am most proud of the fact that I was open about my positive HIV status on the show and exemplified that a person can manage HIV and live a successful life," Jack says. "Every time a person with HIV is open about his or her status it helps everyone who is living with the disease.... I am a living testament to what you can accomplish by letting go of shame and being your own advocate."

Is this all enough reason to take a look at yourself in a mirror and be satisfied with what you see. I would say yes. But Jack Mackenroth is a man of many skills and both his public status and designers career were not enough for him. Already during his school years Jack was a passionate swimmer. Something he continued doing in his adult life. In 1990 Jack won bronze during the Vancouver Gay Games. He has won at least one gold medal in every one of the international competitions since and in 2006 he set a national record in the breaststroke leg of the 4x50 meter medley relay. Jack is also a figurehead for several HIV and AIDS education campaigns, such as Living Positive by Design. And if that is not enough, he also transformed himself successfully in a male model for many international renowned magazines.  I’d say, with so many accomplishments under his belt, Jack Mackenroth has all the right to look in the mirror and like what he sees. –BM-

BeautifulMag archive for Jack Mackenroth: Jack has Stars [BT] | Jack Mackenroth Super Star | World AIDS Day 2010: A Message from Jack Mackenroth | Jack Mackenroth Calendar 2012 | Jack of all Trades, An Interview with Jack Mackenroth.

JACK MACKENROTH | BEAUTIFULMAG
ZYX PHOTOGRAPHY | BEAUTIFULMAG

Groin Gazing

MOST OF THE TIME, WHEN YOU MEET A MAN, YOU KNOW INSTANTLY IF HE IS ATTRACTIVE FOR YOU OR NOT. THE FIRST THING THAT TELLS YOU IS HIS FACE AND THE LOOK IN HIS EYES. BUT IT IS OFTEN JUST A MATTER OF SECONDS BEFORE YOU HAVE SCANNED THE REST OF HIM. BEFORE YOUR EYES MOVE UP AND DOWN, NOT SELDOM STAYING A LITTLE BIT LONGER DOWN THAN APPROPRIATE. GROIN GAZING.

We stumbled upon this set of photos – no pun intended – taken by photographer Claire Milbrath, in which she identifies the many different type of men by a snapshot of their most characteristic look. Indeed, their outfits. After all clothes make the man and are, and always have been, the best way to categorize the different type of men around us. IN the old days it was a bit easier. Their was nobility and there were worked. These days it seems all a bit more complicated. More variations. More identities. More ways to differentiate yourself from others.

Claire Milbrath recruited 4 models – Brandon, Martin, Bazhad and Alejandro – and together with them and the skillfull help of her assistant Darby Milbrath and stylist Mila Franovic, she created a series of portraits that iconize the different type of men of our time. But instead of focussing on their facial expressions and accessories, she capitalizes on the area of their body where their outfits best express their personality. That area where top meets body. Now the fact that this comes with a whole different kind of accessory is of course very nice additional detail.

Claire Milbath’s Groin Gazing is a fashion spread that basically features the male sexe cloaked in khaki and denim with just a hint of the people they are attached to. Apparently Groin Gazing is a series of fashion photographs directed at the heterosexual woman. The idea is to proof that women, like men, can objectify men as sexual objects. Thank God. After all those decennia of headless babes in glamour magazines targeted towards the horny straight men, finally women can agree that they too are able to separate love from sex. Unfortunately for certain feminist movements we can now conclude objectification is no longer the exclusive domain of masculinity.

It all seems a bit excessive though. Do we really need to analyse a very tasteful shoot like this? No. It seems sufficient to say that men and women equally just like to focus a bit more on the naughty bits than on a pretty face. And why not. You don’t buy a car without a test drive, do you now. Anyway, whether specifically created to proof a point about the behaviour pattern of the modern heterosexual woman, or just to please us, the gay men, Claire Milbath’s Groin Gazing is a delicious series of photos that would look lovely exhibited on the walls of an art gallery, larger than life please. The vague cultural identity of the owner of each well shaped groin is a nice addition to the individual portraits (can you even call them that) and adds a little mystery to the individual photos. The Boyfriend is politely dressed, obviously going to meet the parent for the first time with flowers for his love and chocolates for her mother. His khaki trousers however show that he has other things on his mind. The Tennis Player is not just a pastel-padded hard-on but feels like an invitation to the country club. Claire Milbath’s Groin Gazing is a triumph in the objectification of the man as a sex symbol. And it’s about time. Thank God. –BM-

From left to right, top to bottom: The Weightlifter. American Apparel shorts | The Tennis Player. Paul Smith shirt, Thom Browne shorts | The Cop. Vintage short, pants | The Stoner. Stussy shirt, Alexander Wang pants | The Boyfriend. Robert Geller top, vintage pants | The Basketball Player. American Appaerl shirt, Nike shorts and socks | The Artist. Stussy Deluxe jacket, Dockers pants | The Boy Next Door. Diesel underwear | The Frenchman. S.N.N Herning top, vintage pants | The Hunter. Browning top, A.P.C jeans | The Student. Engineered Garments top, Yaecca pants | The Chongo. Givenchy top, Dickies bottoms | The Skater. Wings + Horns top, Levi’s jeans.

More images of Claire Milbath’s Groin Gazing can be found on Vice.com.

CLAIR MILBRATH | BEAUTIFULMAG

The Next Big Opportunity

AS A FITNESS PHOTOGRAPHER CARL PROCTOR IS ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THE NEXT BIG OPPORTUNITY. NOT ONLY TO RECRUIT EXTRAORDINARY MODELS, BUT ALSO TO BE ABLE TO REFLECT THEIR ESSENCE AND PERSONALITY THROUGH HIS WORK. CARL PROCTOR, LIVING AND WORKING IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA, IS ACTIVE IN PHOTOGRAPHY FOR 20 YEARS ALREADY AND HAS SEEN MANY MODELS PASSING IN FRONT OF HIS CAMERA. AND SO HE KNOWS HOW RARE IT IS TO FIND SOMEONE WHO HAS THAT SPECIAL QUALITY THAT MAKES HIM OUTSTANDING.

Carl Proctor has been shooting male and fitness models for 20 years, but only turned to digital photography about 6 years ago. His first introduction to the art came in the form of magazines. Tons of magazines. Magazines with beautiful imagery that captivated a very young Carl to the point that he just had to try to make them himself. And so he did. With camera and film. He learned and mastered the skills as he made his way through the universe of photography, and just when he thought there was nothing more to learn, he discovered the pleasures of digital photography and online editing.

His many years of experience have given Carl Proctor a great sensibility to finding the right model for the right job. But he still experiences that it is not always that easy to find that rare jewel. A model that arrives straight in the top. A model such as Nick DiCristina. Carl had seen Nick here and there online and was certain he'd be a summa cum laude graduate of the Carl Proctor Photography Studios. Carl explains: “In my 20 years photographing models, Nick would have to be in that top 1% of truly unique and gratifying experiences. From the very first contact with Nick, he was energetic, feisty, complimentary and full of self-confidence. He knew he wanted a suggestion of leather and oil, and I knew I wanted him to display as much of that fiery reddish blond hair as he could grow to spill over the top of his unzipped jeans.”

Though born and raised in the Mid West of the United States, Nick DiCristina is a delicious mix of Italian and Polish origins and takes pride in his heritage. In his younger years Nick was a fervent baseball player but during his High School years he changed to men’s volleyball. Sport and remaining active has always been a high priority for this down to earth man, and so Nick spends most of his free time dancing, working out, sculpting his physique for fitness competitions and doing photo shoots. Though not professional in modelling – Nick works for an international freight forwarding and logistics company – he loves the camera work and sees it as a welcome creative outlet. He had the chance to sign up with Crew Models International and has been working with some of the bigger names in male and fitness photography already.

Based on the feeling Carl Proctor had when meeting Nick DiCristina and his physical appearance, they both decided the brand Rufskin had to play a significant role in the shoot as well. “An eclectic mix of images was born not only featuring Rufskin and leather, but also his chiselled body, beautifully rounded ass, and his overall handsome and sexually charged appearance,” Carl continues. “It's a photographer's dream come true to work with a professional like Nick and it was an honor to be part of creating new images to delight his throngs of fans.” –BM-

Nick DiCristina is a Crew Models International model.
BeautifulMag archive for Carl Proctor: Carl Proctor's and the Art of Imagery | Carl Proctor & Benjamin Godfre: Miles Away | Talking with Quinn Jaxon.

CARL PROCTOR | BEAUTIFULMAG
NICK DICRISTINA | BEAUTIFULMAG

A Star is Born

THERE ARE MANY STARS AT THE FIRMAMENT OF PHOTOGRAPHY. SOME ARRIVE WITH A BLAST, BURN WITH A BRIGHT AND FEVERISH LIGHT BUT REDUCE TO SOFT GLOWING EMBERS AFTER A LITTLE WHILE. OTHERS SHINE SO RADIANT, SO DAZZLING, THAT THE WORK THEY CREATE OVER AND OVER AGAIN FORMS A GALAXY ALL BY ITSELF. SOLID, GROWING AND EVERY SHINING. AND THAN THERE ARE SHOOTING STARS, THOSE HEAVILY BODIES THAT SEEM TO MOVE FROM PLACE TO PLACE, ALWAYS SURPRISING. YES, IT IS CROWDED IN THE UNIVERSE OF PHOTOGRAPHY, BUT AS IT IS THE CASE WITH OUR REAL UNIVERSE, IT IS EVER EXPANDING AND THERE IS ALWAYS PLACE FOR SOME MORE LUMINOUS TALENTS.

Almost 9 years ago, when BeautifulMag first saw the light of day, we sometimes asked ourselves how long we would be able to do this. How long we would be able to fill this digital page with new photography, new male models and new talent. The fact that we are here, 9 years later, proofs we really had nothing to worry about. There is always a new face, a new talent, a new style. We love it, and apparently so do you. And so I think we can all agree, there can never be enough stars in the sky.

With modern technology scientists discover new planets and stars every day. It really is a fulltime job. We don’t have that luxury of time when it comes to discovering new talent. So we are always happy when someone points us in the right direction. In this particular case it was model and friend Armando Santos who introduced us to Alex S. Having worked with him on a few occasions, he turned to us when he needed a location for a special fashion shoot. We not only were able to help them out with that, we also got to meet Alex and learned that he is not only a nice young man, but also an exceptional talent when it comes to photography.

Only 21 years old, Alex S started his career in photography when he was 18. Now, 3 years later he is classified as a professional photographer and his work truly shows for it. Whether its portraiture or artistic photography, Alex S. shows a maturity seldom seen for a photographer that young in his career and that young in his life. His work breathes an international allure that could easily make you believe we are dealing with a glamour and fashion veteran. In February this year he collaborated with Armando Santos in a setting that was going to be not only a fashion shoot but also a homage to a Paris as the city seen though the eyes of Georges-Eugène Haussmann. Though not at all living in Paris – Alex resides in the sunny south of France – he was able with this set to capture the Parisian spirit with finesse and elegance. And that characterizes a pro.

Sometimes, when you gaze up to the skies you are so lucky to witness the birth of a new star. And if you are really lucky it will be a star that is meant to stay. Maybe even grow and expand and become a galaxy by itself. Seeing Alex S at work we experienced that same feeling. That rare moment of witnessing greatness. Alex S is a man with a vision and a talent. An artist with eye for detail and sensibility for light and color. A photographer who is capable to capture beauty that will not leave you unmoved. His first shoot for BeautifulMag, in which he so artfully captured that Parisian spirit once created by Haussmann when he redesigned the entire French capital city to the jewel we all know today, already showed that he is capable to do the same with photography as what the architect did with the city of light. Alex S changes the world as we see it. He clearly is a new star at the firmament of photography who deserves his places among the established ones who have been enchanting us for so long already. –BM-

ALEX S | BEAUTIFULMAG

The Man Project [BM Cover Story]

SOMETIMES CONCEPTS DON’T HAVE TO BE VERY COMPLICATED TO BE INTERESTING. TO BRING THE BEST OUT OF THE SUBJECTS PARTICIPATING. ALL IT NEEDS IS A BIT OF MOTIVATION AND CREATIVITY. THE MAN PROJECT IS SUCH A CONCEPT. A PICTORIAL COLLECTION OF MEN IN SITUATIONS OR SET UPS OF WHAT MAKES THEM THINK MAKES THEM A MAN. IT CAN BE ANYTHING, REALLY. AND IT IS MOST PERSONAL. AND THAT IS WHAT CAN MAKE IT SO SURPRISING. ENOUGH EVEN TO POSSIBLY TURN IT INTO A BOOK.

Jeff Lynch is a 28 years old choreographer living in Chicago, IL. He was born and raised on the east coast, in northern New Jersey and Albany, and spent his formative years in Cincinnati, OH. Here he attended Northwestern University, where he graduated with a BA in theatre, focusing on dance and choreography. Jeff loves exploring masculinity through dance and has done so since college with concert dance and movement theatre pieces, and now mostly burlesque.

Jeff Lynch’s life revolves around the shows he produces, directs and choreographs. The largest show he directs and choreographs is called “Night of 100 Drag Queens”, a benefit for Equality Illinois at Sidetrack. Because of that show, he gets to work with drag queens year round, staging numbers for competitions and benefits, and he love every second of it. On the opposite end of the spectrum, he produces and choreographs an all-male burlesque show called “FurrLesque”, featuring men of all shapes and sizes. FurrLesque travels to pride events around Chicago, Wisconsin, and Michigan. It is the vehicle for Arcas Productions, which he started in 2011 to promote a healthy male body image through theatre and dance. This summer, Jeff will be staging his first opera, for the Bellingham Festival of Music, in Washington, and, as he was raised with opera, he hopes to stage many more after that.

Hector Rodriguez is a photographer who lives and works in Miami, Florida. It his here where he conceived his The Man Project, a project in which he places his models in front of his camera with the request to show him what they think makes them a man. Hector has been shooting for a while now and his colourful photography has not gone by unnoticed. Recently publishing house Bruno Gmünder has published a blank book with an image by Hector for the cover which definitely will get his name out there. One might think it is a prelude to a bigger work, maybe inspired by The Man Project.

In addition to promoting a healthy male body image, Jeff Lynch promotes a healthy male sexuality, and works to combat our culture’s strict censorship of the male body while diffusing the shame we as gay men are made to feel about our sex lives. Hector Rodriguez’ The Man Project is something he can relate to because of his work promoting and exploring masculinity in theatre and dance. “Too often, men are portrayed in one way only, and our concepts of masculinity and attractiveness are narrow and, ultimately, damaging,” Jeff explains. “In dance, men are too often feminized, forced to be thin and move like women. On stage, especially in the gay community, men must be hairless and have six packs and excellent definition. But not all men are built that way, and so I’m all about embracing our own genetic restrictions and bodies. No body is perfect, all bodies are beautiful!” –BM-

HECTOR RODRIGUEZ | BEAUTIFULMAG
JEFF LYNCH | BEAUTIFULMAG