Daddyhunt Blog Posts from May 2011

When people rattle of the list of features they look for in a man, usually one of the top three is a nice smile. Bizarre then, that a new study finds men smiling in photos to be the least attractive.

"According to new research on body language out of the University of British Columbia, women find happy men—in this study, men who were smiling in photos—significantly less attractive than men portraying other emotions. In a survey of 1,000 adults, women generally preferred men who looked strong and proud, arms raised into the sky, or sullen and ashamed—in that order. Happy men were rated the least attractive. Interestingly, when it came to male preferences, things were reversed: Men rated happy women the most attractive and proud, strong women least attractive."

As with all of these findings, we never really get the gay angle. The study goes on the suggest that smiling and happiness are often though of as "feminine-appearing expressions," which bring us round to what we as gay men may think. I suppose if we're looking for "masc men" then smiling photos may indeed be a turn off for some. I have two photos I send around to men of the internet: one in which I'm smiling and the other in which I'm not. Some might say the non-smile photo portrays me as a bit more butch (I'm also wearing a backward baseball cap). It's hard to tell which photo has been more effective, but I have notice a trend in the type of guys that respond to each and now tailor which one I...

The Bare Chest Calendar is a San Francisco-based icon now in its 27th year of raising critical funds for local AIDS services charities. In 2011, we were able to raise a record-breaking $162,000 despite the challenging economy, thanks to our loyal fans across the U.S. as well as in Canada, France, the U.K. and the Netherlands!

My name is Mark Buckovich and I am extremely fortunate to be Mr. January 2011. I take great pride in spreading the word about this amazing annual fundraising project and soon we will be able to put another year under our belt with the 2012 Calendar! I'll be posting regular updates on Daddyhunt regarding our progress and events throughout the rest of the year.

The Calendar is unique because, in addition to selling the Calendar, the Calendar Men also raise money throughout the year by hosting fundraising events in San Francisco, Palm Springs and Sacramento, from hoedown dance-a-thons to Gay Pride street fair booths. A large number of volunteers help put the Calendar and the year-long events together so 100% of every penny we raise goes to AIDS Emergency Fund and the Positive Resource Center. Our biggest fundraising event is the annual Dinner Date Auction Gala in August at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel where the 2011 Men brought in a record-breaking $40,000.

On May 1, the final competition for the 2012 calendar tool place at the DNA Lounge and it came down to the "Lucky 13" Men for the 2012 calendar. Yes, "Lucky 13"! Every year the Calendar achieves some sort of unexpected "first" and this years competition resulted in a...

Silence. That's what we walked in for several blocks after seeing The Normal Heart this past weekend. Three of my friends and I sat at the bar, each of us ordering drinks ready to talk about the play, and still we sat in mostly silence. After about an 20 minutes we found ourselves somewhere between deeply moved and deeply depressed and decided it best to end the night. It wasn't just the rave reviews from both critics and friends alike that had me aching to see The Normal Heart, Larry Kramer's semi-autobiographical play about the rise of HIV/AIDS in New York City. It was the need to further my gayducation in both history and the arts.

The material and performances from the entire cast were so strong, that almost a week later, I find myself thinking about the play at various points throughout my day. I think of all the gays I know: close friends, acquaintances, even peripheral friends of friends and wonder what it would be like if in the span of a few months 40 of them were dead. I can't imagine the uncertainty, the fear, the frustration of something so mysterious and deadly that's seemingly targeting your entire world. And worst of all, that no one seemed to care. I don't think the younger generation of gays really understands the terror and devastation that this disease once caused, and still can cause. And even though we're bombarded with safe sex messaging and education, we still don't really get it. Especially now that HIV is considered such a "treatable" disease.

Aside from a realistic depiction of the onset and hysteria of the virus,...

There's nothing worse than having swamp-ass. Let's just get that out of the way. And with the temperature on the rise it's important to get some airflow into the often overheated nether regions. Luckily, Swedish underwear brand The White Briefs and men's style magazine Fantastic Man have teamed up to create a collection of mesh underwear just in time for summer.

I thought mesh clothing had gone the way of New Kids on The Block, but seeing as the boy band has made a semi-stylish comeback, it seems only fair we welcome back the breathable material with open arms, and in this case groins, as well. It doesn't hurt that both the underwear and undershirt were designed with comfort and style in mind.

"The cut and fit of the three pieces were also a chief concern. Rather than restricting the wearer, the pieces follow the natural line of the body, complementing movements. The briefs feature a boxy, high-waisted cut with a double-layer of mesh in the crotch for a little added support, while the vest arches across the chest to curve pleasingly around the armpit. Even the t-shirt gets a little added attention on the cutting board, with arms nestling midway down the bicep while the high neck draws the attention up to the face."

You have to admit, they look pretty sexy on the models and if we can't be naked all the time, this seems like the next best thing. The collection sells online with prices pitched between €35-60 which you can find...