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Costume or dress?: The use of clothing in the gay pornography of Jim French's Colt Studio

Costume or dress?: The use of clothing in the gay pornography of Jim French's Colt Studio
Costume or dress?: The use of clothing in the gay pornography of Jim French's Colt Studio
It would seem that one of the intentions of the viewer of gay pornography would be to see the sexual engagement of the participants (and perhaps the “money shot”) with a focus upon the gymnastics and writhing of bodies that constitute the practice and representation of sexual activity within the film. However, before nudity or nakedness is presented the“characters” are dressed. Using the films and photography of Colt Studio and its founder Jim French from the period 1967–81 as a focus this article explores the ways in which the “characters” are constructed through their clothing and costuming. It will address the ways in which these “icons” of masculinity that had developed in the pre-liberation physique magazines and stag films reflected the prototypes, archetypes,and stereotypes of post-liberation gay identity and dressed appearance in the fifteen years following the Stonewall riots and gay liberation.Colt Studio was famed for its particular presentation of hypermasculine images and a “stable” of masculine actors that included Clone superstar Al Parker. This article will offer an analysis of the use of particular items of clothing and the iconic styles of leather man, motorcycle cop, and gay clone in Colt’s output of this period.
gay pornography, Masculinity, cowboy, leather, Colt Studio, archetype
123-147
Cole, Shaun
e74cdd05-e4da-46e9-9b25-e13ab0c21a79
Cole, Shaun
e74cdd05-e4da-46e9-9b25-e13ab0c21a79

Cole, Shaun (2014) Costume or dress?: The use of clothing in the gay pornography of Jim French's Colt Studio. Fashion Theory, 18 (2), 123-147. (doi:10.2752/175174114X13890223974461).

Record type: Article

Abstract

It would seem that one of the intentions of the viewer of gay pornography would be to see the sexual engagement of the participants (and perhaps the “money shot”) with a focus upon the gymnastics and writhing of bodies that constitute the practice and representation of sexual activity within the film. However, before nudity or nakedness is presented the“characters” are dressed. Using the films and photography of Colt Studio and its founder Jim French from the period 1967–81 as a focus this article explores the ways in which the “characters” are constructed through their clothing and costuming. It will address the ways in which these “icons” of masculinity that had developed in the pre-liberation physique magazines and stag films reflected the prototypes, archetypes,and stereotypes of post-liberation gay identity and dressed appearance in the fifteen years following the Stonewall riots and gay liberation.Colt Studio was famed for its particular presentation of hypermasculine images and a “stable” of masculine actors that included Clone superstar Al Parker. This article will offer an analysis of the use of particular items of clothing and the iconic styles of leather man, motorcycle cop, and gay clone in Colt’s output of this period.

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More information

e-pub ahead of print date: 21 April 2014
Published date: April 2014
Keywords: gay pornography, Masculinity, cowboy, leather, Colt Studio, archetype

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 421656
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/421656
PURE UUID: 8d6f4356-9ddc-458e-bb00-b808909746e2

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Date deposited: 19 Jun 2018 16:30
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 20:17

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