Exploring Unconventional Beauty Embodied by Men

http://vi.sualize.us/tag/brick%20wall/

There are times when I am ignorantly unaware of a prejudice I  have until I am up against the proverbial wall of narrow thinking.  Being pinned to a mental wall by my own subjectivity brings my awareness around to recognizing my chemically set beliefs that feel like unyielding bricks. Bricks in my own thinking that I have strewn about my minds narrow path. Wow! I love facing myself. I love pushing myself. I love spanking myself for being stuck in a mental imagery rut and I love pulling my proverbial arse out of that rut!

Rut? What rut? Well, my rut discovery mechanism is a creative writing challenge. Lisa Wiffledust, the creator of http://wiffledust.ning.com/at,  challenged me to present and write about 10 images of the OPPOSITE sex that are unconventional in beauty. Here is where the prejudice comes in: my concrete matter of fact thinking left brain boss accepted the challenge using a pathetic definition to define beauty. What made my definition of beauty pathetic is the gender and form assignment I relegated to the word beauty. Beauty, in my rut,  pertained to describing forms found naturally in nature and or to the female form of the human species. My concrete brain cell would not put the word man and the word beauty together, never mind adding in the word unconventional. I had to get my thinking off that rigid mental wall or fail my challenge. Getting out of my rut meant looking at how I viewed and judged the male form.   "Holy Moly!",  I thought to myself, "Am I that self limiting in my thinking?".  I did not feel my limitations until I began my search for those elusive images of beautiful, unconventional men, or unconventional beauty in men or, oh it's like just banging my head against a mental brick wall! My internal, mental monkey minded chatter and grumbling consisted of the mantra, "If I were a man this hunt for unconventional beauty in the opposite sex would be easy!" Call me silly but I am calling out myself, and with an accusatory pointing finger yelling, "I have beauty prejudice!"

Amazing how a little creative writing challenge provoked so much inside me. I needed to breathe and explore an external dictionary to refresh my dusty internal dictionary. First up, the word conventional and second the word unconventional.  External dictionary's print states conventional is conforming or adhering to accepted standards, as of conduct or taste and behavior. Conventional can be ordinary and from this point on you get the drift ... run of the mill "stuff" and perhaps what a person would experience in one's everyday interaction with life. This is where my prejudice showed itself... I view(ed) men in my world in a very conventional way. I don't and haven't graced the male form (before now) with the word beauty.  In my mind one of my conventional bricks had engraved on it that beauty describes the feminine and another conventional brick deeply engraved with the word handsome dictated manly images. Having the word conventional refreshed in my mind I took on the word unconventional. Me being me, I assumed the "un" preceding the word conventional would mean I would be digesting boring type about undoing the conventional; Duh. Oh my head hurt from over thinking! So, an on-line dictionary defines unconventional as "not bound by or conforming to convention, rule, or precedent; free from conventionality: an unconventional artist" ... blah blah blah. Did finding and refreshing my data base about conventional and unconventional make the imagery and writing challenge easier? NO! Not until I saw some synonyms for unconventional which are: eccentric, individualistic, idiosyncratic, atypical! YES! The synonyms for unconventional become my rut busting words! Words with a non-stick surface letting me slide right out of my rut! Unstuck and with a big shift in perception I glide from Ms Bossy Left Brain over to Ms Receptive Right Brain and welcome the quest for unconventional beauty of men. Oh, I love living in both worlds of my brain and love it when I discover the bridge between the two is wide not narrow!

 

(Website for this imageProject: Left Brain Right Brain Client: Mercedes Benz Agency: Shalmor Avnon ...stealingstyle.com)

(and now)

Exploring Unconventional Beauty Embodied by Men

 I love dance. I love watching the human figure engaged in the expressive art form of dance. I would argue that most of us, when we close our eyes, see women leaping gracefully about as we mentally visualize "dance". I imagine if a person is encouraged to see in their mind's eye a male figure dancing their brain will serve up an image of Rudolf Nureyev or maybe even Jose Greco. Yep, I would argue that point, and maybe the visualization of men and women dancing around one's head may not bring to mind the artist I mention but most likely the mental imagery would be very similar. When I examine my men dancing in my head the word unconventional does not come to the forefront. Rudolf Nureyev and Jose Greco leap about and click their heels in a conventional way. I pushed the lid of my thinking cap and dove into the internet on a quest and I struck gold! I discovered a man whose moniker is Zorba and upon seeing Zorba I knew immediately that I was witnessing beauty in male form. I was taken in by the expression of pure joy and maybe even ecstasy on Zorba's face as he brings his form of dance to life. I can see his passion. I am drawn into his world. In Zorba's world my eyes drink in imagery of a MAN expressing and living his unconventional beauty. Thank you Zorba for being you! It is because of Zorba that my mind opened even more and softened even more and I let Zorba be my companion in my search for more images of unconventional male beauty.

Zorba ~ The Veiled Male Belly Dancer ~ http://www.doubleveil.net/

Once I saw the beauty of expression on Zorba's face in the image above, I just had to keep looking at male belly dancers! I so enjoy stretching my small neuropathways! I discovered the image below of Rachid Alexander and admit he most certainly is a beautiful specimen of a man being unconventional in his expression of self. I love this photo of Rachid.  Richid exudes beauty and my eyes follow his energy flowing from finger tip to finger tip over and over and I pause mid torso taking in the colors and texture of his costume.  This image of Rachid Alexander is for me a beautiful experience.

 (Google image of Rachid Alexander http://www.rachidraqs.nl/)

I certainly would like to think that my discovery of this new form of beauty does not get me in trouble. Trouble because I now am wanting to find a nightclub where there are male belly dancers that I can witness in person. I mean ... seriously, just look at the image below! Can we all say: Unconventional beauty? Why yes, I think we can ... oh, and it is artistic too!

(Arish lam 16.jpg, originally uploaded by Jeremy Shane.)

I Pause. The quest for unconventional male beauty is exhausting. Mentally exhausting because I am not wanting to take a break and because of pushing myself  I am not thinking clearly. Case in point is the next photo below. I happened upon and saved a picture that I cannot rediscover the link to give the originator of the photo credit. I simply used my finger pad and slid the image off to the side and .... oops! Even in searching my computer's history I am stumped for I cannot find the website! Maybe that is a good thing? Maybe being stumped helps me remember my quest? Ms Left Brain is trying to take over. I will glide back to the right brain and enthusiastically share my next discovery of unconventional beauty in manly form. My eyes screamed STOP as my clicks through pictures delivered this amazingly beautiful older man.

(google image)

I am riveted to his eyes. I am held by the glimmer of wisdom, the twinkle of knowing, the fading blueness, and his smile speaks of just how unconventional he is in my world. I find him exceptionally beautiful, exceedingly alluring, extraordinarily interesting and would love to sit next to him and share worlds between his eyes of blue and mine of brown.  I believe in many cultures the turban has religious significance of which I confess my ignorance. Observing the pattern of his head wrap I feel it is unique and perhaps the plaid turban is only a scarf he wrapped around his head for environmental reasons, not religious. What ever the reason for this beautiful soul to have his head wrapped in a plaid turban his choice of accessories for his head only adds to the imagery. Beautiful, plaid turban, blue eyed older man adds to my collection of unconventional beauty in male expression. I want to touch his face.

Coffee break!  Go get yourself a cup of whatever  and Remember to return for more beauty!

 

(https://www.google.com/search?q=coffee+you+can+sleep+when+you+are+dead+image&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=6VmjT-nQNIX28wTo7K1j&biw=1140&bih=538&sei=FlqjT4mUMIzs8gTg3ogv)

Break time over, now back to reading!

I have a weak spot for men who don't project gender roles onto parenting. I adore and respect men who have no problem with embracing the responsibility for nurturing our children. Men who coo as they change a dirty diaper in my world are truly beautiful souls and not that conventional. The image below appears to be of one such beautiful man being unconventional in some circles of manhood, and excuse me if my ignorance is showing for I only speak of personal experience and in no way mean to slight the opposite sex. This unconventional beautiful man is in a conventional setting and when I look at him I smile from my face to my heart. To me, his since of being is beautiful and demonstrates what our soul's are made of: love without boundaries. This image captures the beauty of a man expressing himself as loving parent ... no gender issue .. and that is extraordinary! Is this image artistic? Art and artistic definitions are always up for  interpretation and debate because art is subjective. If I say this photo is artistically beautiful then it is .. for me.

(http://goodmenproject.com/families/10-things-id-tell-my-teenage-daughter-about-men-dating-and-sex/)

I don't like tattoos. Okay, don't get your panties in a wad because you have a tattoo. My not liking tattoos does not equate to any dislike of the person beneath their skin art. There are reasons I don't like tattoos and because of those reasons I will never have a tattoo on my body. I do find many tattoos beautiful, especially on young people who have tight skin. After working in the medical field for many years I will share with you my observation of tattoos in that they tend to migrate, mutate, fade and generally misbehave as the years march across one's body. As a body ages sometimes those tight little rosebuds bloom into peonies or big reddish blobs and dragons look like they are wandering away and well, I imagine you get my drift! (pun intended!) Now, getting away from my personal opinion about tattoos I admit I take pleasure in looking at Maori people's body art. The Maori call their face tattoos Ta Moko.

Website for this image

In looking at many pictures of Maori men, young and old, I have not found one image that makes me say "what were they thinking"! The Ta Moko of the face is absolutely beautiful and absolutely unconventional in my tiny part of the world. I love the patterns of the Moko, I love that the placement and the design of the Moko has real tribal meaning. The Ta Mokos on this mans face is mesmerizing and beautiful. To me, it just seems like our Creator made the Maori specifically to be adorned and or graced by their unique tattooing body art. Even the Maori tattooing of the rest of one's body to me, is just as mesmerizing as the face Moko. Maori male body art is unconventionally beautiful and extremely artistic. 

For Adult Eyes Only!

It had to happen. When you/me or anyone prompts search engines on the internet to search "unconventional male beauty" there is bound to be some skin .. unconventionally posed without conventional clothing. The photo below of the male form graced my screen and I must share. This man is beautiful according to my new expanded interpretation and use of the word beauty and this man is a piece of art because the pose is not conventional for a nude man.  I am fully aware of the intended audience, but so what; beauty is appreciated by all who have eyes to see and a mind to translate what is being observed. Even those who are physically blind behold beauty through touch and I am sure touching this human form would speak volumes about beauty. This nude male, helped me rid myself of a few more prejudices I held within words and within my minds filing system. Before now, if I closed my eyes and imagined a nude male my neuron secretary would submit to my imaginative process the mental images of Mr. Atlas, or a group of sexy firemen clad in boots and pants with suspenders minus a shirt (is that anyway to dress for a fire?) , and sometimes my neuron secretary will present me with a blue eyed hunk who needs a shave. My visual experience behind my eyeballs would have never before  brought to me for my viewing pleasure a male form as sleek, trim, not too muscled and standing on a column like Adonis himself.

(http://pinterest.com/cutler65/)

This image is very unconventional in its portrayal of the unconventional beauty of the male figure for this figure is to me half human, half god and could inspire a whole new mythology for a mythological world where beauty is a super power.

End of Nudity You can open your eyes again

And so now, I will digress back to my female hormonal mind set. When my computer and my search engine of choice brought me  Mr. David Lee Roth's picture I could hear David screaming Jump for Unconventional Male Beauty! Oh yes, and after the scream his artistry and  beauty I smiled with the memory of the 80's and how his image (or one like it) graced my locker at work .. at a hospital. I can still see myself opening the locker in the break room in between surgical cases I would get to Jump! with David and revitalize my spirit for more long hours in the operating room. Yes yes yes, I know it may seem like I am treating the image of David like he were an object. Not true.

(David Lee Roth http://www.rock1061.com/pages/7492436.php)

For me, David Lee Roth is a beautiful specimen of the male form. He adorned himself with his individualistic style with perfection. It appeared to me then and now, that everything this man did was a form of art. His clothes were art, his dance was beautiful expressive art, his voice, his photos, just everything! For all the reasons I gave and more, David Lee Roth has earned a place among my 10 images of unconventional beauty of the opposite sex. Thank you Mr. David!


As my mind left David Lee Roth my memory landed upon Seal. I am always ready to stare at Seal. I just can't take my eyes off of him. The scars on his face add to the beautiful form and presence of this amazing man. His scars are like random acts of visual art and nature took liberty in gracing him with an unconventional yet beautifully haunting texture of being. Seal did not intentionally scar himself; he is his body's unintentional expression in this life. Seal wears his unconventional blessings well and that is what draws me to him for he is a perfect example of unconventional beauty expressed in human form. I am losing interest in defining unconventional beauty expressed as male or female as I am becoming more inclined to embrace beauty undefined by gender.

(http://www.seal.com/)

I  appreciate the ability for any person to accept themselves "as is" and embrace their unique physical expression. Redefining what beauty is has been a "beautiful" adventure for me. I have appreciated artist such as Seal for many years. I have loved the boldness of those who do not fit nicely into what society splashes all over the place as what is beautiful or good looking or handsome . We use words we are taught and in those teachings we can wedge ourselves into hard, unyielding spaces of judgment.  Now, when I look upon Seal's face I can use the word beautiful and feel it. The same is true in regards to one of  my favorite actors Steve Buscemi. Steve Buscemi has a grace and beauty about him that defies convention!

(Website for this image Top 10 Unconventional Leading Men. Bob Berg / Getty Images time.com)

Steve Buscemi's physical form is slight and his slightness is at odds to what many think the male figure should be like (raising my hand!) but now, I am rethinking and owning my prejudices and understanding that I was self limiting. Steve Buscemi has a beautiful body, period.  Steve's face is such a unique facial print he cannot be mistaken for any run of the mill looking person. There is no mistaking Steve. His artistic ability allows him to give expression to his characters in a way that he can make me believe he is a dork and at the same time Mr. Suave! Wow, if that is not beautiful I don't know what is! His unconventional appearance and his artistry are his gifts of being different and he uses his gifts. Steve's beautiful features are perfect for black and white photography, color imagery and well, just look at his eyes in the above photo! Beautiful. 

 

I could go on, but then this challenge/project would become a lifelong adventure and I have other things that need doing. I will sum up this experience with this thought: we all should challenge our beliefs. We all should question what we take for granted without question. We all should pause when we are judging a person and step outside of our narrow thinking and experiment with redefining the words we use to define and judge gender. We are all beautiful human beings each expressing unconventionally into convention .. how else can change happen if we don't challenge our beliefs.

 

Maryanne Mesple