# Playgirl's "Real Man of the Year" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 29, 2004, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playgirls-real-man-of-the-year/257401 "2004-07-29T04:44:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playgirls-real-man-of-the-year/257401/1 "2004-07-29T04:44:18Z")
(DISCLAIMER: I _think_ this is the proper forum for this thread. At first I thought ‘Cafe Society,’ but I think it’s really more of a MPSIMS thang. I’m sure I’ll be corrected if I’m wrong. 🙂 ) I _cannot_ seem to take my eyes off Vince Barone, _Playgirl_’s “Real Man of the Year” (September 2004)! His entire pictorial is very ‘is it getting warm in here?’ – especially the look on his face on page 37. Yowsa!! I’ve been subscribing for just over a year, and this is the first time I’ve had the urge to scan one of the pictures and/or put a bookmark in the magazine. You Minneapolis women are soooo lucky… {sigh} Ok, I think I feel better now. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playgirls-real-man-of-the-year/257401/2 "2004-07-29T14:36:55Z")
Weird. I thought **I** was a shoe-in for that title. ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playgirls-real-man-of-the-year/257401/3 "2004-07-29T17:13:36Z")
eh, he’s gay END: standard het male defense mechanism ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playgirls-real-man-of-the-year/257401/4 "2004-07-29T17:29:06Z")
Link? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playgirls-real-man-of-the-year/257401/5 "2004-07-29T17:35:04Z")
Of course… and testicles too. I don’t think they’d have him in there if he was deformed. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playgirls-real-man-of-the-year/257401/6 "2004-07-29T18:57:33Z")
OK, so where can I see a photo of this studmuffin? (If I were named Real Man f the Year by Playgirl, I would put it on my resume, just for fin.) ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playgirls-real-man-of-the-year/257401/7 "2004-07-29T19:06:45Z")
I just did a Google on “Vince Barone.” The first hit is for a guy in the Toronto city government. I presume it is not the VB. Bet he gets a lot of calls. Found his photo on a Male Modeling site (rules here prohibiting me linking to a porn site). (Go to the kristian site, wait for it to load, he is the first guy on the 24th row.) Anyway, a nice looking young man, not as nice as some, but to each his own. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playgirls-real-man-of-the-year/257401/8 "2004-07-29T19:18:17Z")
Let me check. Okay, this isn’t GQ, where I’m in trouble. Al Franken had a segment where he talked to a right-wing guy who had been on the list of Playgirl’s sexiest something-or-other. Afterwards, he joked that most of Playgirl readers were gay men. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playgirls-real-man-of-the-year/257401/9 "2004-07-29T20:14:21Z")
I think Playgirl’s finally copped to its large gay readership (they used to deny it heatedly) and the last estimate I saw claimed their readership was something like 40% gay men. Their oldest model ever that they had an issue or two ago is openly gay. And July’s centerfold? I had 'im, two weeks ago today. ---
**Author:** ![Kitchen\_Wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f08c70/32.png) [@Kitchen\_Wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kitchen_Wench)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playgirls-real-man-of-the-year/257401/10 "2004-07-29T20:49:34Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > Anyway, a nice looking young man, not as nice as some, but to each his own. I agree. My two faves from that page are Bruce Roberts & Jerry Penter. Way hotter. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playgirls-real-man-of-the-year/257401/11 "2004-07-29T21:36:02Z")
Funny, I thought there would be at least _one_ other Doper who gets the magazine, and who would have posted to agree/disagree with me. Perhaps I’m just the only one willing to admit it? 😉 **jk1245** , it sooo doesn’t matter if the guy in the pictures is straight or gay. It doesn’t matter if he can spell his name, if he pulls the wings off butterflies, or if he hates black people. He just has to look ever-so-sexy in the photos, which Mr. Barone does quite nicely. Does anyone ever read the bio information about these guys, anyway? (Ok, so, I read the first few paragraphs…I had the irrational impulse to find out if there was a chance that he lived around here!) No need for defensiveness, though: real men beat magazine men every time. 😉 There is absolutely no doubt that _Playgirl_ has a significantly gay male readership. Hell, 90% of the ads are obviously targeted at gay men, as is some of the content. There is no such thing as porn targeted JUST at straight women – not good porn, anyway. (It doesn’t need a storyline or foreplay or ‘sensitivity’, dammit, just fewer lesbian scenes and better-looking men!) _Playgirl_ kind of sucks, anyway: the two columns are good, but everything else is hit-or-miss. I almost pitted it earlier this week, actually, but then I read the issue with Vince in it and became momentarily obsessed. 😃 I find lots of different kinds of men attractive, so I usually enjoy the pictorials in a general kind of way (though they seem to think that we enjoy seeing tiny mushroom caps), but there’s just something about this guy that really works for me. I thought I could ‘share the joy,’ but, again, I seem to be the only subscriber in the room… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playgirls-real-man-of-the-year/257401/12 "2004-07-29T21:42:16Z")
> [@me](#): > > I thought I could ‘share the joy,’ but, again, I seem to be the only subscriber in the room… Hmm, except maybe for **Otto** , but I can’t really tell… 😕 ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playgirls-real-man-of-the-year/257401/13 "2004-07-29T21:45:55Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Link? [Here and](http://kristian.com/negative05.jpg) [Here. He’s a slender, hairless man.](http://www.kristian.com/km219.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playgirls-real-man-of-the-year/257401/14 "2004-07-29T21:47:33Z")
Sounds like **Otto** ’s got the premium subscription… ---
**Author:** ![Kitchen\_Wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f08c70/32.png) [@Kitchen\_Wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kitchen_Wench)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playgirls-real-man-of-the-year/257401/15 "2004-07-29T22:01:34Z")
I’ve bought precisely one issue of Playgirl in my life. And it was all for the thrill of being old enough to buy it. A girlfriend of mine and I looked through the pages when we got home, with many squeals and giggles. But after about an hour, I discovered that I’m not really into looking at some stranger’s beans and franks. Plus, I prefer “regular” looking guys. Truth be told, I enjoy the pics from Playboy over Playgirl. Woohoo! They really get some hotties for that mag! Oh, and the articles are great, too. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playgirls-real-man-of-the-year/257401/16 "2004-07-29T22:40:39Z")
> [@astro](#): > > He’s a slender, hairless man. Well, not _completely_ hairless, but you can’t tell that from the G-rated photos in the links. 😉 Thanks for posting 'em! > [@Ethilrist](#): > > Sounds like Otto’s got the premium subscription… That’s for sure…LOL! > [@Seeker74](#): > > I’ve bought precisely one issue of Playgirl in my life. And it was all for the thrill of being old enough to buy it. Heh, I remember doing that, too: I thought I was so grown-up, buying a _Playgirl_ at the one bookstore/newsstand in town that sold such things… 🙂 > [@](#): > > …I discovered that I’m not really into looking at some stranger’s beans and franks. IMHO it completely depends on the stranger. 😃 > [@](#): > > Plus, I prefer “regular” looking guys. For me, again, it depends on the guy. Sometimes the hottie knocks me out, but sometimes I don’t get what the other women are making such a fuss about when it’s _that_ guy, over there, who’s making my heart race. There are plenty of “regular”-looking guys I’d do in a heartbeat, but I too rarely get to see them naked… 😉 > [@](#): > > Oh, and the [_Playboy_] articles are great, too. Ya know, that’s one of the things that bugs me about _Playgirl_: it’s like ‘porn lite’ or something. Instead of being like _Playboy_, which provides killer pictures AND a great magazine, _Playgirl_ thinks it just needs to provide two decent columns and some good pictures. They can just fill the rest in with crap about how they think single straight women live, ads for gay men, and boring sex toys that they try to pass off as daring. And the previous issue’s erotica were _all_ repeats from within the past year! They’ve temporarily redeemed themselves in my eyes with Vince’s pictorial, and you don’t see me cancelling my subscription, but the mag really can be a little ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playgirls-real-man-of-the-year/257401/17 "2004-07-29T23:52:29Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > Hmm, except maybe for **Otto** , but I can’t really tell… 😕 No, I don’t subscribe (except for the free trial subscriptions they keep sending me). ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playgirls-real-man-of-the-year/257401/18 "2004-07-30T00:31:24Z")
Those guys on the Kristen site are amusing. Some of them are looking in their pants like they are surprised to see something there. “Say 'allo to my widdle friend.” ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playgirls-real-man-of-the-year/257401/19 "2004-07-30T04:04:00Z")
Seriously, **misnomer** , you think he’s hot? I think he’s just scrawny looking – the way his pec sit on his chest is just weird. Of course, he’s less weird than the guy next to him on the Kristian site, Ryvan Alexander. Ewwwwwwwww… ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playgirls-real-man-of-the-year/257401/20 "2004-07-30T04:25:50Z")
See, the home page of that site – warning: dirty pictures! Do NOT peek from work or if you’re under 18 or a fundamentalist etc. etc. – the home page is basically everything I don’t like about this stuff. It’s so contrived: “I’m standing around in my jeans, I’m swigging from this water bottle, just another break from work, except whoops! my wangdoodle’s hanging out.” The same with similar pictures that show women allegedly doing everyday things in a “sexy” way: “Here I am in my office, very serious as you can tell from the glasses I’m wearing, and yes I do always answer the phone stark naked with my legs spread on the desk.” It’s terribly unsexy, IMO. Give me some good old fashioned nekkid-in-the-bedroom pictures that don’t have the sexuality drained out of them, thankyewverymuch. What? The guy? Yeah, he’s cute. 🙂 I like the fact he’s not beefcaked up to the nth degree; I like a built guy, but not so built his physique says “horse steroids.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playgirls-real-man-of-the-year/257401.md?page=2)