Tag: Instagram

Posted on

Could Instagram Contribute To Eating Disorders?

InstaHunk Dan Tai

I often (not always) feature photos from my favorite InstaHunks at the top of my News Round-Ups as a cute way to start out the post; and as it gets shared on social media, offer a bit of enticement for folks to hit the link and read the news items.

I really do want you to read the news items, folks 🙂

But a recent article from NBC Out delves into how social media, particularly Instagram, might be contributing to eating disorders as the popular accounts on the platform constantly offer ripped, hot guys.

From NBC Out:

Approximately 20 million women and 10 million men in the United States will have an eating disorder at some point in their lives, according to the National Eating Disorder Association. The organization found gay men struggle disproportionately with body image issues and eating disorders: Though they are thought to make up only 5 percent of the national male population, gay men account for 42 percent of men who report having an eating disorder.

Asher Pandjiris is a therapist in New York City who treats LGBTQ people with eating disorders and was also a program director at an eating disorder center. She said high rates of disordered eating in the LGBTQ community are often reactions to the homophobia internalized in youth.

“Queer people often try and prove heteronormativity by having a muscled or thin body,” Pandjiris said. “But it’s almost more insidious that the queer community polices or generates these unattainable standards.”

And research has indeed shown that high frequency of social media usage — particularly image-centric platforms like Instagram — corresponds to body image concerns and eating disorder symptoms in gay men.

The article contrasts a recent post by Grammy Award winner Sam Smith (which I featured here on The Randy Report) with posts by Instagram celeb Max Emerson, who usually appears in some state of nakedness like swim suits or underwear.

In the past if I have ever done a photo shoot with so much as a t-shirt on, I have starved myself for weeks in advance and then picked and prodded at every picture and then normally taken the picture down. Yesterday I decided to fight the fuck back. Reclaim my body and stop trying to change this chest and these hips and these curves that my mum and dad made and love so unconditionally. Some may take this as narcissistic and showing off but if you knew how much courage it took to do this and the body trauma I have experienced as a kid you wouldn’t think those things. Thank you for helping me celebrate my body AS IT IS @ryanpfluger I have never felt safer than I did with you. I’ll always be at war with this bloody mirror but this shoot and this day was a step in the right fucking direction 👅🤘🏼🍑
A post shared by Sam Smith (@samsmith) on Feb 12, 2019 at 10:15am PST

I know advertising images have been known to make people feel ‘less than’ so it makes sense that people open to negative body issues could be affected by comparing themselves to these IG accounts.

I’ve never been critical of myself in checking out the InstaHunks, but, I can see how some might.

I’ve always seen the photos as inspiration to get my butt to the gym so I can be a ‘better’ me.

Read the whole article from NBC Out here, and let me know what you think.

Posted on

Instagram Round-Up: Best Of The ‘Ten Year Challenge’

Bremen Menelli (via Instagram)

Social media has recently embraced a trend of posting side-by-side pictures of yourself in 2009 (or thereabouts) and in 2019, to show the world how life has treated you over the years. I thought I’d do a round-up of notable LGBTQs, Instagram faves and more who have been taking part in the “How hard did aging hit you?” challenge, aka the “10 Year Challenge.” Maybe it’s me, but I think most folks look way better with the additional decade than before. Some of the posts have been humorous, and many definitely inspiring. Scrolling through the side-by-side pics, there are folks who have seriously age-defying DNA (or very good at FaceTune), and some are literally different people. Maybe you love it, maybe you hate it? Let’s take a look. Eliad Cohen looked great in swim suit ten years ago, but the “Papa Party” prez is just that much hotter today.

Austin Wolf reminisces of the days when he was “young, small and cute.” He was certainly cute, but we think he’s totally hotter now. #Daddy  

Fitness trainer Joel Green barely looks any older, although he’s rocking that beard:  

Laverne Cox shows she’s like a fine wine, just getting better with age:  

Fitness hottie Bremen Menelli has totally transformed since 2009:  

Jim Newman went even further back than 10 years because he wanted to give as close a matchup as possible. “Save a horse…”  

Dan Tai literally went from boy to man. Man, did he ever!  

Luke Evans reminds us that age is just a number, and he wears his well:  

Trans musician and model Jaimie Wilson admits life’s journey took a different route in his #10yearchallenge:  

 

I’m Jumping on the #10yearchallenge even though I can’t actually do the challenge correctly because I have zero photos of me from 10 years ago. 10 years ago I was 13 without social media. The photos that exist of me back then I’m unable to have because my parents have them. That’s ok though. The important thing is that I know how much I’ve developed and grown into the man I was destined to become. These challenges are fun and all, and are an awesome reminder of how far I’ve come…but remember changes and growth are far more than physical. That’s something social media forgets sometimes. Love you all . . . #ftm #transgender #transisbeautiful #femaletomale #lgbtpride #mensstyle #singer #boy #trans #instagood #transformation #lgbt #loveislove #musician #blueeyes #pride #nohate #selfie #instadaily #countryboy #fitness #bodytransformation #beforeandafter
A post shared by Jaimie Wilson (@tboy61915) on Jan 16, 2019 at 3:18pm PST

Fitness trainer Austen Gravett demonstrates that a few years, some gym time and a good barber can be a recipe for hotness:  

Beefy fitness model Quin Bruce rocked a shag haircut back in the day, but he’s totes woofilicious now:  

Olympian Caitlyn Jenner gives you #TenYearChallenge realness with a message of encouraging folks to “Be authentic to yourself:”  

 

A post shared by Caitlyn Jenner (@caitlynjenner) on Jan 15, 2019 at 8:44am PST

And then there’s superstar Mariah Carey, who admits she really doesn’t get the point of the ten year challenge. Writes Mimi, “Time is not something I acknowledge.”  

Posted on

High School Bully Apologizes To His Victim Years Later

Egyptian/Canadian model and body positive activist Mina Gerges shared with his Twitter followers a surprise apology he received from his high school bully.
Mina Gerges (image via Instagram)

Egyptian/Canadian model and body positive activist Mina Gerges shared with his Twitter followers a surprise apology he received from his high school bully.

The screen capture of the message read, “Hey man, I just want to apologize for any f*cked up things I said to you or about you in high school. It weighs on me. I hope all is well. Cheers.”

Gerges followed up saying he asked the former bully why he was thinking on his actions eight years later.

“He said he felt really bad about it for a while, should’ve been kinder instead, and wished he’d done it sooner,” wrote Gerges. “We love growth!”

Gerges, who has a following of over 110K on Instagram, stepped into the public spotlight in 2015 thanks to his ‘budget conscious’ recreations of celebrity looks. His looks were featured on a host of media outlets including Buzzfeed, Teen Vogue, Paper and more.

A post shared by Mina Gerges (@itsminagerges) on Dec 24, 2014 at 6:42pm PST

With the spotlight, though, came haters who bullied him for his weight, which led to an eating disorder.

Eventually, the trolls inspired Gerges to become an ambassador for body positivity and unrealistic standards of beauty in advertising.

“My goal is to redefine what it means for men to feel beautiful and be considered attractive,” he told Paper. “I want to show that men who look like me can learn to love ourselves even if we don’t look like conventional representations of men.”

From moving past bullies and online trolls to inspiring folks with a message of body positivity. Mina Gerges, I love YOUR kind of growth!

A few years ago, my first serious boyfriend from my 20s emailed me apologizing for the way he treated me. It had been a somewhat tumultuous relationship.

“You didn’t deserve that,” he wrote.

While I felt I’d resolved any issues with the relationship and moved on, I was surprised the message left me a bit breathless.

I didn’t know it until I read the message how much power an apology – years later – could hold.

It was very appreciated.

Readers, have you ever received an apology from the past? If so, did it help heal some old wounds or no? Let me know in the comments below.

(h/t Gay Star News)

Posted on

News Round-Up: December 13, 2018

• Austin Wolf celebrates getting his Instagram account back online (above). #HappyDanceTime
Austin Wolf

Some news items you might have missed:

• Austin Wolf celebrates getting his Instagram account back online (above). #HappyDanceTime

• The New York City subway attacker who sucker punched a woman he believed to be lesbian has been arrested. His victim suffered a fractured spine due to his attack.

• Janet Jackson is headed to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with Stevie Nicks, The Cure, Radiohead, Def Leppard, Roxy Music, and the Zombies. Nicks becomes the first woman to be inducted twice having been honored previously as part of Fleetwood Mac.

• Fox News host & Donald Trump superfan, Sean Hannity, was caught deleting past tweets that showed his connections to the president’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, just hours before Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison Wednesday.

• CBS News reports that Donald Trump is considering his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to be his third Chief of Staff.

• Tony Award winner and current Golden Globe nominee Billy Porter dropped a few holiday tracks on Soundcloud just in time for Christmas. The collection – “A Billy Porter Christmas” – can be found here.

Check out his smooth, soulful “Christmas Time Is Here” below.

Posted on

Netflix Claps Back At Social Media Trolls In Awesomely Gay Fashion

(image via Netflix/Instagram)

For some time now, streaming service Netflix has been giving more and more representation to the LGBTQ community with its original programming.

The new Spanish high school drama Elite, for example, features an oh-so-cute gay couple – “Omar” (Omar Ayuso) and “Ander” (Aron Piper).

Over the weekend, Netflix shared a still of the couple (fondly nicknamed “Omander”) just about to lock lips on its Instagram account with the caption, “The only thing I want is to be with you. #Omander”

A post shared by Netflix US (@netflix) on Oct 13, 2018 at 9:46am PDT

Now, as Taylor Swift likes to sing, “haters gonna hate, hate, hate.” And they did.

There were tons of very supportive comments but one, from a user named ‘judas_priest12321’ caught the attention of the folks handling the Netflix account.

The hater left this little bon mot: “Get the f*ckoff my Instagram. Not ever person on the planet is gay. You are trying way to hard.”

Grammar and spelling issue aside, the negativity reeked. But Netflix was not having the hate.

Amid a flood of rainbow emojis, Netflix slapped back writing, “…sorry couldn’t read your comment while surrounded by all these beautiful rainbows…”

That comment inspired thousands of rainbow and pride emoji themed responses.

The post has garnered over 400,000 ‘likes’ so far, and an amazing 12,000 comments.

This isn’t the first time Netflix has defended its LGBTQ-themed programming.

Back in August, when the service announced Dancing Queen, a new docu-series following RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Alyssa Edwards, the folks running the network’s Instagram clapped back at several haters who felt the need to hate on the upcoming series.

You can check out the trailer for Netflix’s Elite below, and find more info about the series here.

And all I have left to say to Netflix is: 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️🧡💚💙💜❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈


(h/t Gay Star News)

Posted on

Gus Kenworthy’s 3-Way “Sean Cody” Tweet With Shawn Mendes & Colton Haynes

Shawn Mendes, Colton Haynes and Gus Kenworthy(image via Twitter)

Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy was crushing hard on pop star Shawn Mendes as he attended last night’s iHearRadio MMVAs this weekend.

The event, which celebrates the year’s best in music videos, brought the hunky Olympic silver medalist face to face with his celeb crush, Mendes, on the red carpet.

Before the fun, though, Kenworthy shared a totally swoon-worthy pre-game pic in a white fluffy robe complete with chest fur:

While traveling to the awards, Gus shared the amped-up anticipation of seeing his fave pop star at the event:

A short time later – there he was, Shawn Mendes, on the red carpet. Kenworthy couldn’t help himself as he took a profile creeper shot of the singer, who was nominated for 8 awards at the event, by the way. #NotTooShabby

It wasn’t long before Kenworthy shared a selfie that broke gay Instagram as he posed with Mendes and what appeared to be a photobombing Colton Haynes.

Gushing Gus snapped that shot and sent it out onto the Twitterverse with the logo for porn company Sean Cody in the corner and the caption, “New video coming soon!”

On Instagram, Kenworthy shared the same pic but with a different message, shooing Haynes away from the scene, writing, “COLTON GET OUT OF OUR ENGAGEMENT PHOTO!!!”

A post shared by gus kenworthy (@guskenworthy) on Aug 26, 2018 at 4:58pm PDT

Now, in case you’re wondering where Kenworthy’s hunky boyfriend Matt Wilkas was in all this tongue-wagging, Kenworthy assured us there’s room in his life for both Wilkas and Mendes as she shared a pic of all three together with arrows labeling Wilkas “boyfriend” and Mendes “husband.”

A post shared by gus kenworthy (@guskenworthy) on Aug 26, 2018 at 8:26pm PDT

While Mendes has told the world he’s not gay, he is an ally and clearly happy to join the hi-jinks.

Thanks to Gus and the guys for letting us in on the fun.

(all images via Gus Kenworthy social media)

Posted on

Out Olympian Gus Kenworthy Hits 1 Million Followers On Instagram

Woofy out Olympic silver medalist Gus Kenworthy had reason to celebrate this weekend as he reached over 1 million followers on Instagram.

Sharing this “heavenly” pic from a night out at Rebar.

In truth, though, Gus has even more fans following as he’s the man behind his super-adorbs puppy Beemo, who’s own Instagram account has 127K followers.

A post shared by Beemo (@beemopup) on Apr 10, 2018 at 9:49am PDT

Posted on

VICE Explores How Folks Are Monetizing Their Social Media Accounts

(via Instagram)

VICE has done a deep dive exploring how some folks are learning to monetize their social media following.

Meet Rick Twombley and Griff King.

After the gay husbands saw a Facebook video of Griff lip-syncing to The Little Mermaid blow up to over 500,000 views, the Atlanta-based muscle men decided to explore how they could make money from their following.

With over 186,000 Instagram followers, the men are now using an OnlyFans account to share “exclusive content” with folks willing to plunk down $9.99 a month.

That content includes workout tips, cooking segments, nude photo shoots and more from their private lives.

I’d heard of OnlyFans in the past several months as folks I’ve met from the porn industry are using it to augment their income with content they shoot specifically for their OnlyFans followers. The site allows full nudity and sexual content to be posted for paying “fans.”

As far as I can ascertain, the folks who post their content on OnlyFans get 80% of income generated while the website takes 20% for running the site, processing payments, etc.

One adult performer I know of (no, not Stormy Daniels) has over 5K paying fans on the site and he charges $9.99 a month as well (it must be a popular price).

So, that would mean he is raking in about $40,000 a month…?

I’m in the wrong business, LOL.

Rick and Griff make a point to say they don’t post actual porn. Artful nude photo shoots and semi-naked cooking segments aside, they say they want to inspire folks by sharing their fit and active lives as a couple.

Watch the report from VICE below.

Posted on

San Diego Couple Jailed In Thailand For Posting Photo Mooning Buddhist Temple

I think this kind of stupidity is pretty rare.

A gay couple who have made a small name for themselves on Instagram as “Traveling Butts” enjoy taking photos of themselves bare-assed as they travel the world

Now, their little hobby has landed them in a Thailand jail with a possible “long jail term” ahead of them.

From CBS8 in San Diego:

The San Diego couple known as Traveling Butts on Instagram has more than 14,000 followers on the social media platform. Their photos showcase themselves posing with their naked rear ends in front of landmarks across the globe.

Their most recent posts in front of Buddhist temples sparked outrage on social media after people called them ignorant and disrespectful.

The couple’s friend M.G. Perez said “They are a thing. They are hot on Instagram and on social media.”

After the pair posed in front of sacred Buddhist temples, they landed in hot water with police in Thailand.

Perez believes the two are in a Bangkok jail after seeing an alarming message on Facebook. “It says, ‘anybody have any connections with diplomats in Bangkok or know a lawyer in Bangkok?’ That was my wake up call. Like, ‘Travis, what is going?’”

Ti and Dasilva posted their location at a Bangkok police station informing their friends they might soon be arrested while pleading for help.

After one of the men wrote “I don’t know how much longer I’ll have my phone,” the couple went dark.

Of the risqué photographs Ti and Dasilva took in front of the temples, he said, “It is in no way any form of disrespect. It’s just their expression.”

Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s office has apparently been contacted for aid in regard to having the idiots freed.

No sympathy from me. When you travel abroad, you have to respect the laws and traditions of that country. Period.

Here’s the Facebook post from the Thailand government:

A gay American couple who author the Instagram page “Travelling Butts” has been arrested at Don Mueang International Airport for having taken photos showing their backsides with the respected Temple of the Dawn. A deputy spokesman for the immigration police said the charge would not be a normal public indecency charge. Instead, they would be charged with committing indecency in a place of worship, which carries a long jail term.This is a reminder that everyone should have respect for Thai religion and culture.