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Friday 23 July 2010

Guys in Uniform - 7 Willing to Learn

1

This series is an example of the more fantastical imaginings of "Guys in Uniform" Studio (GIU). The guards shown here are wearing military helmets representive of ruthless authoritarianism, but the rest of their gear delves into the nooks and crannies of leather fetish and bdsm. 

You can just see the leather apron from the previous post worn under a rubber trench coat on the right. There are also waders and rubber boots, harnesses and corset-like, heavy, leather belts not to mention the classic white jockstrap seen here struggling to control its contents. The combination is all the more disconcerting because of its strangeness.


 2

 The contrast with the prisoner could not be greater. He is diminutive in stature, dwarfed by the intimidating guards, but like the other models we have seen, he is clearly no wimp. His shoulders are broad and his muscular thighs bulge out of neatly-fitting, traditional, sports shorts. The stretching exercise shown here creates the impression that this is an examination or a punishment fatigue. His close-cropped hair adds a touch of military authenticity.


 3

Stripped of his flattering shorts the prisoner suddenly seems quite boyish and shy. He submissively places his hands behind his back and averts his eyes from the guard's stony stare. He looks lost and the camera's remote viewpoint accentuates this. However, some judicious cropping (below) brings out the power play.

 3a

This image is actually a late example (1978) of hidden eroticism. At this time it was quite possible to sell gay magazines showing naked men in high street shops but arousals and explicit sexual content were not tolerated. Thus there is no frontal nudity in this scene and the two men are not directly facing each other - or even looking at each other's bodies it seems.

However, the direction of the prisoner's gaze is carefully angled to suggest he might be or has been looking at the guard's shapely jockstrap, which itself is almost hidden in the shadows. If you click on the full picture to enlarge it you will also see that the guard's feet are also spaced apart quite suggestively converting him from a stern custodian to a teasing provacateur (of uncertain intentions). The naive observer would miss this but it alerts other interested viewers to the possible existence of more explicit and racy material.

4

This is one of the better photographs in the set with the naked captive exhibiting shapely buttocks and a sexy tuft of hair projecting underneath. I know some of my readers will appreciate the view of his feet too. The multiplicity of straps curving round the guard's buttock cast an erotic light on what otherwise seems like over-dressing.

GIU gave this set the title "Willing to Learn" in one of their magazines, which is a trifle disingenuous but certainly fits this scene where the novice appears to be receiving instruction on where to direct his attention. Or is that crooked finger promising a different, more penetrating lesson for him?

In the original images the German helmet bears the swastika insignia of the the Nazi party which I have doctored out as being inappropriate for a gay blog in 2016. In 1978 the symbol was associated more with the the excesses and cruelty of the Gestapo rather than Facism in general. The purpose here was to invoke the threat of terrible cruelty not to promote a political ideology. An IS fighter with his black flag would be the modern equivalent. Tasteless shorthard for terror.

This image was used as part of an advertisment (below) for the racier material and the the words bottom right are part of the copy which simply reads "Now! Great Guys, Great Color, Great Prints" 



Underneath the Studio offers 20 assorted 5"x 5" color prints for $15, 
note that it is specifically targeting the US market.


5a

 The novice sets to his task, which is doing lots of press-ups of course. Well perhaps not!
As a portrayal of submissiveness this image is hard to beat despite being incomplete. The impressive fleshy, bottom display is humiliating for him and provocative for everyone else. That hint of chubbiness perhaps won't appeal to everyone, but if you like this model, he also appears in GIU8 as a cheeky sailor.



5b

Those dissenters from the chubby fan club might be mollified by the scene that is revealed as we draw back to see the full picture. A cane has suddenly appeared in the hands of the principal guard and the young man's fleshy buttocks suddenly acquire an altogether differently enticing character. This is a lousy copy, but you can almost sense a surge of excitement inside that lurking guard's jockstrap.  

This guard's sudden transformation from tempting allurer to agent of spanking retribution would not surprise the readers of the original magazine, the British Police were still routinely employing entrapment tactics against gay men at this time, that background spices the scene with a cruel authenticity.

The cane has always seemed to me to be the most vicious of spanking implements, ever since I saw an errant classmate reduced to tears in front of the class by a single stroke - and that from a teacher who had up to that point seemed like a genial old man. It's sudden appearance at this stage is raw threat and supremely erotic.


6

In ordering these images I have been primarily guided by the state of undress of the participants and this image could fit almost anywhere after image 2. I've placed it here because on the original magazine page it is set alongside image 5a and it does make a decent link between 5 and 7 as the young man rises to his feet for the next part of his next ordeal.

The arm wrestling here seems a little bit tame. You can see the potential of the idea but it's the posing of the prisoner that makes most of these images work and he's not performing so well for us here. It seems rather static and lacking in edge. It probably doesn't help that the youth of the second guard suddenly becomes apparent in this picture (and the next)


7

The prisoner is certainly back on form in this picture. The artificiality of the 'wheelbarrow' pose creates a spectacular visual effect that is quite arty. It will be a familiar arrangement to spanking fans, but it's appearance in this wierd pseudo-military scenario is quite unexpected, contrasting with the very basic and unathletic intimidation tactics that have gone before.

It introduces a curious sense of formal ritual implying this unfortunate young man is merely the latest of a succession of pawns subjected to this humiliating process. Like all rituals it's simultaneously ridiculous and scary. It is designed to make him feel exposed and powerless while the guards enjoy the sense of pleasure and superiority that comes from imposing their order on him.  It's very grotesqueness underlines their arbitrary power.

7a

This version of the picture is of higher resolution and clearer but it has come from a different, 'mainstream' magazine and has been self-censored by the publishers. However, you can see how the wheelbarrow position enhances the enticing plumpness of the target area.
 

8

After all the intimidating build-up, the final restraint and punishment is portrayed more symbolically, and this composition is quite balletic. The prisoner's outflung arm and eye contact with the camera, as though appealing to us for help, successfully conjures up a sense of pain, fear and desperation to escape. The way the guards hold open the prisoner's legs in these last two pictures is highly erotic even if we can't see very much down there.



9

In this image the principal guard has uncovered his cock and it proves to be moderately aroused (but still pointing downwards, which was OK). You can see his jockstrap pouch has been pushed to one side. The pose of the young novice seems the epitome of submission. On his knees with legs wide open and arms folded behind his back he looks up respectfully at his Master who towers above
 
......and I do like that tuft of bum hair.


10
Another, highly effective portrayal of domination and submission. The Guard's pose is more relaxed in this image and more effective than the rather tense shoulders in 9. The prisoner bows his head and shows him his neck in an exceptional act of resignation to whatever is coming his way. As a final treat we even get a glimpse of his scrotum.



11

I interpret this image as the exhausted prisoner being returned to the cells, with a guard of honour out of respect for his endurance, but there are other ways of fitting it into the sequence. Interestingly the second guard is reduced to a beast of burden here which makes you wonder what else his colleague might have in store for him.

~


This set of images by "Guys in Uniform" Studio must be one of the most impressive of all the 'Royale' genre. Yes, the posing is a little stilted, the models less than God-like and the photography not quite as luscious as we have become accustomed to these days. The clothing the guards wear is somewhat bizarre, but that strangeness is threatening in itself and the pure fetishistic essence of these images - domination and submission - is startlingly focussed and is not overly impaired by the cautious treatment of the sexual elements. I would love to see what a photographer like Justin Monroe might make of this subject.

I have produced a modified set of these images
that play on the sense of strangeness (Wierd Punishment)

1 comment:

Proud Maisie said...

I have ust discovered this blog, and I am loving it. Thank you.