This magazine is 47 years old this month. Each issue was comprised of photo submissions from a variety of photographers who provided samples of their work in exchange for ads in the magazine. Wikipedia says,
In the 1960s, the pretense of being about exercise and fitness was dropped as controls on pornography were reduced. By the end of the decade, however, gay pornography became legal, and the market for beefcake magazines collapsed.
Young Physique magazine was a prime example of this genre. It had a centerfold with a young model wearing a posing strap (g-string) with creative sets designed by the well-known gay photographer James Bidgood. Showing total nudity was illegal before 1962, so all models had to wear posing straps.[1] Since Young Physique was widely available in drugstores and magazine stores all over the United States, even in smaller cities and small towns, buying a copy of the magazine is the way most young homophiles in the 1960s made their first contact with the gay world.
This particular issue had muscle guys, pretty boys, fashion models and artsy scenes with matadors and dancers. Whew, covers a lot of ground, but being samples submitted from other photographers, they naturally put their best foot forward.
See all 58 images from The Young Physique February 1965 in the VIP Room.
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Tags: 1960's, Bodybuilder, Gay History, Muscle, Smooth Chest, Younger
