W hy are we so critical of men showing their bodies? When some Towie participants recently wore half-thong mankini hybrids on a beach, the media responded with outrage at the audacity of their outfits, vilifying them for daring to be exhibitionist. Ironically, by openly condemning any expression of male sexiness, the end result would certainly end up being negative. What's more revealing, pun intended, is that the journalist's own prejudices are clear: they state they are "scarred for life" looking at the photos, as if images of semi-nude men could actually make their eyes bleed. Similarly, the Metro apologised , almost with embarrassment, for publishing the images, saying they were "disturbing" and "could give you nightmares". Men's bodies: creepy enough to stop you sleeping. The Daily Mirror's ampp3d blog, which generally deals with correcting data errors in politics, helpfully offered an infographic on the half-thong , placing it on the lowest position on the "acceptability" axis and adding "Not this swimwear please for the love of god".

Warning: This post contains full-frontal male nudity and may be inappropriate for work environments. Sure, depicting a naked body can lead to objectification and sexualization as women can surely attest. But a powerful nude representation also has the power to be empowering, liberating, and, of course, beautiful. In , photographer Abigail Ekue embarked on a mission to photograph the unclothed male body in a truthful, expressive and direct manner, a style Ekue saw was lacking in the larger cultural lexicon. Her project is open to all men over 21, including trans men, regardless of race, body type, tattoos, piercings, or whatever else.

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