A New Year

Gentle readers, it has been a month since I last posted.  I would like to say that the hiatus was caused by the evil Time Warner Cable or my hectic holiday travel schedule or some fabulous job that swept me away.  Sadly it is none of these things.  Rather it is a malaise that has settled upon my posting for the past year as I realize that however much I post about male shirtlessness in the media, there continues to be no actual shirtlessness in my life.  I started the blog half as a joke and half as a clever way to discuss the female gaze and the lack of its acknowledgement in the media.  I still believe that women are largely ignored in the creation of media content (Why are female newscasters so much more made up and attractive than their male counterparts?) and think that following the shirtlessness often results in finding places where the heterosexual female gaze is acknowledged.  Often implicit in this acknowledgement are gay men who are also largely ignored in the mainstream media.  And let's face it, it has been fun to post about good male shirtlessness over the past 7 years!  But sometimes a girl wants her own actual gaze to be acknowledged, and that hasn't happened for quite some time.

This is in no way a farewell post.  I will continue to write about the instances of good male shirtlessness that I witness as I always do.  But I am going to slow my posting schedule to once a week on Mondays.  Maybe that will leave space for live shirtlessness to come into my world.

In the meantime, I do have to post my yearly tribute to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.  The program I saw last weekend blew me away, in particular a piece choreographed by Aszure Barton called "Lift" which is pictured above.  In once section two dancers perform an entire duet with the woman's face attached to the man's chest as you see here.  It was one of the most intimate moments I have ever witnessed in dance.  This duet was so riveting that I did not even care about the shirtlessness.  I felt as if the entire audience was holding its breath.  So here's to a new year in which perhaps shirtlessness can be overshadowed by artistry.  Until next week, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Inside Shirtlessness

Yesterday morning, I had a moment while listening to the Golden Globe nominations because I thought that the diversity of this season's films had been overlooked.  But then I realized that the nominations come in two categories, and all was right with the world again.  One of the diverse male actors nominated is the above pictured, Oscar Isaac who is getting amazing buzz for his role in the Coen Brothers' movie, "Inside Llewyn Davis."  I have yet to see the film, but I am looking forward to it based solely on the interview I saw him give Matt and Savanah on the Today show.  Perhaps it is sad just how much a man who speaks in full sentences can impress me, but there you have it.  He is cute, speaks articulately, and sings all his own songs in the movie.  And he has taken off his shirt in a film before.  So hurrah Oscar Isaac, and congratulations to all the nominees!

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Things I'm Thankful For...

Thanksgiving is around the corner, and I for one am very grateful for many things.  I'm grateful for a holiday that is about family and food and that said holiday has remained about those things unlike other holidays surrounding it.  I'm grateful for the fact that I have had so much work lately that I haven't had time to post.  A non-destitute President is a happy President!  And I am grateful that People's Sexiest Man Alive issue has come out just in time for my plane ride home for the holidays.

Now I have seen some hating on Facebook about why Adam Levine was named this year's Sexiest Man Alive, but I'm going to say that Mr. Levine is pretty sexy.  I'm glad People is mixing it up a little from its usual brand of white movie star.  This year it is a white rock star.  Baby steps, People, baby steps.  In any case, I am going to curl up with my issue and feel thankful that this year's choice insures a lot of shirtless pictures within the issue.  Until next week, have a happy Thanksgiving as I continue to be...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Mean Boy?

Gentle IMS members, while it is true that I have been traveling a lot lately, the truth is that my lack of posts has been more a product of lost inspiration than of not having time.  While I am always advocating for more male shirtlessness, I'm afraid that lately I have been feeling rather alone and ineffective with the cause.  Readership has gone down while shirtlessness has not gone up, and I wonder if it is still worth keeping the cause alive.  After all, there has been a huge shift in theater and television towards shirtlessness since this humble blog began in 2007.  Is there really that much more to do?  And does anyone still care?  And finally, will this ever translate into actual live shirtlessness at any point?  I don't have the answers, my friends.  But I have decided that it is worth trying to figure them out, at least for another day.

A friend recently posted this picture on my Facebook wall and made me think that perhaps the cause is still relevant.  Above is Rajiv Surendra,  a South Asian-Canadian actor, who you probably will not recognize from "Mean Girls" because he has undergone such a major transformation.  Mr. Surendra played Kevin Gnapoor (while my brother's name is Kevin, I am dubious about a South Asian last name spelled with a G and an N together), the Indian nerdy kid in that film.  I actually saw this movie with my brother who was terrorized by teenage girls while trying to buy us popcorn.  He was very pleased, however, to see an Indian character with the name Kevin since actual Indian people never believe him when he says his name is Kevin.  Anyway, Mr. Surendra definitely did not take off his shirt in the movie, but I will say that I am certainly looking forward to the movie when he does!  And if this South Asian kid can transform himself for the cause, well then I can too.  Until Friday, I continue to be...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Share the Shirtlessness

One of my favorite dance companies, Keigwin + Company, is celebrating its 10 year anniversary with a week of performances at the Joyce Theater kicked off by an Opening Night benefit tomorrow night.  I won't be able to attend the gala because I will be at another benefit for a theater company on whose board I sit, Rising Circle Theater Collective.  I'm a bit surprised that there are two galas that would appeal to my demographic happening on the same night and that I will be attending the one without shirtlessness.  I guess October 29th is a hot night!  In any case, I have admired Larry Keigwin's athletic and humorous choreography (to pick a mere two adjectives to describe his work) for many years.  I was at the Joyce Soho when he premiered his dance on a mattress which marked the beginning of his company.  To gear up for the anniversary season, the company has produced a series of mattress dance videos, one of which I have posted for you.  Obviously, I posted the shirtless one, but I encourage you to check out the others to get a sense of his whimsical work.  The one with the baby is my favorite!

Until next time, I continue to be...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Subway Shirtlessness

Last week a friend of mine posted that she had seen Taye Diggs on the subway on Facebook.  Of course, I had to ask about the state of his shirt, and she replied that she yelled out the window for him to take his off but only a homeless man seemed to notice.  Well played, nonetheless, and I believe a new member of IMS has been born.

Looking through pictures of Mr. Diggs to find the one above, I was struck by how he simply has not aged.  His early headshot is online, and he looks exactly the same!  So this week, let us celebrate a man who has been giving good shirtlessness for almost 20 years and looks as good now as when he helped Angela Bassett get her groove back.  Thank you, Taye, for keeping the cause alive and providing inspiration to all!

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Prinze of Shirtlessness

It was only this past summer that I finally watched "She's All That" one rainy afternoon in Philadelphia.  The cat whose house I was staying at was standing guard at my door in case I decided that I was not actually allergic to him, and I found myself pretty much stuck in my room.  No matter, I told myself, because now I can watch this teeny-bopper flick that once my high-school boyfriend dismissed as ridiculous.  It was pretty ridiculous.  My issue was not that Rachel Leigh Cook was pretty cute both before and after her makeover (which consisted of exchanging her overalls for a dress), but that Freddie Prinze Jr.'s character seemed like a complete jerk both before and after his.  I also could not believe that he was supposed to be a football player in that movie.  But lo and behold, Mr. Prinze is apparently making a comeback after taking some time to concentrate on his family with Sarah Michelle Gellar, and he is doing it with a shirtless scene.  Way to emerge from teen heart-throb-land with a six-pack!   I wish I had Lifetime!

So after all my doubts about him, I'd like to say he is all that!  And I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS