Outrageously fun club night, Sink The Pink, have been searching high and low across the UK, looking for a new kind of man that redefines gay male beauty, in this years Stoli Guy contest 2014. Their archetypal competitions represent the sort of sexy guys we can only dream of – buff, primped and preened, they all look good but strangely generic… Then there are the fabulous men looking like they might be out of a Tom of Finland drawing – leather men in harnesses and caps. We love them too and they all pop up in one way or another within the Stoli Guy international competitions, you’ll be glad to know! But where are the fashionistas represented? The cute guys tattooed up to the hilt, dressed in lycra with eyelashes on, the bearded men with lipstick, the ones who dare to express themselves outside of the box, the guys who look like girls and the blokes who make us question “just what is male beauty in 2014?” Yeah, they’re all in the mix with this competition. Today’s gay man knows how to work a look, in bygone eras the fashion world turned toward creative gay culture for inspiration even if being gay wasn’t quite as acceptable as it is now. Think dandies and fops, mod looks of the 60s, skinheads, punks, disco divas, ravers and up to the present where attention to detail is always a preoccupation regarding personal style. Creative scenes are abundant with gay artists and designers spearheading the way forward, changing the face of mens style through the decades. What I’m trying to say is, without gay culture where would fashion be?
Stoli, a well known vodka brand (as if you didn’t know), is ahead of the game here and doesn’t exclude anyone in it’s international competitions. Here in the UK, with Sink The Pink hosting, the five finalists were selected in great style. They were Joseph from social media, Maurizio from London, Ryan from Liverpool, Casey from Cardiff and Bo from Bristol. The winner, Joseph Wilson, was crowned wearing a platinum wig and heels in a series of heats that have been both entertaining and enlightening. Like all contests there was a sense of good-nervous-energy prior to the grand finale and when I went to meet our Stoli Guys, the banter went from one extreme to another as you might expect. Glynn Famous of Sink the Pink, explains how they went about choosing their UK contestants, “We wanted a broad cross-section of men; people who have loads of personality going on, something a bit more interesting.” With that in mind and with members of the Sink The Pink family including Jonny Woo, Louie Banks and Amy Zing, they headed out into the streets and bars of the UK to find the guys who stood out from the crowd…
Credits
Text Princess Julia
Photography Louie Banks