Muscle Boys: Gay Gym Culture
Erick Alvarez is the author of the international bestseller Muscle Boys: Gay Gym Culture. Upon its release Muscle Boys peaked at the coveted number one spot on Amazon for LGBTQ non-fiction in the US, Canada, Germany, Spain, Japan, and the UK. The book has received national and international media attention, 5-star reviews, and was added to the “Required Reading” list at Rutgers University, among other academia.
In Muscle Boys: Gay Gym Culture, Erick delves into the history of the male athletic ideal, exploring 1,500 years of gay influence and the evolution of modern bodybuilding, male body image, and muscle-laden media. From the rise and fall of the ancient Greek gymnasiums to Michelangelo’s carving of David during the Renaissance to the resurgence of bodybuilding during Victorian times to the modern day homoerotically charged campaigns prevalent in media, Erick reveals the influence of gay culture today and its powerhouse role in modern gay life.
In the largest research study of its kind, Erick Alvarez interviewed and surveyed almost 6,000 “Muscle Boys, Poz Jocks, Athletes, Circuit Boys, Muscle Bears, and Muscle Daddies” around the world. Muscle Boys: Gay Gym Culture is a groundbreaking and bright perspective that will tell you everything you wanted to know about gym and body culture today.