Review: All Man: The International Male Story

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This documentary takes us back to the 80's and 90's for a look at one of the most popular mail order catalogs of its time - International Male.

I'm not gonna lie, when I saw "All Man" as the title I immediately raised an eyebrow. Then I saw the full picture and it was a memory unlocked. I had mostly forgotten this catalog existed but to many men - gay men in particular. This catalog was everything and it was a fine trip down memory lane.

I enjoyed hearing all the stories from those involved with the magazine, to those who were just readers. One of them referred to it as getting "PG-13 porn" in their mailbox every month and I found that hilarious. 

It's not all fun and games though, International Male had a lot of its staff die from the AIDs epidemic in the 80's and 90's and they touch on the racism involved with mostly casting white models. It's good they at least acknowledged these things, albeit briefly. 

Barely over 80 minute long - this doc flies through the catalog's history. Almost too quickly at times. But I suppose it's better to be too fast than overly long. Whether you were a subscriber or only knew of its existence from Zoolander, All Male is a quick and informative doc that is certainly worth your time. 

Grade: B


Comments

  1. thevoid99June 1, 2023 at 8:24 PM

    OK, this seems like an interesting film. Though the idea of a male-model catalog might seem like something women would want but something like this always has me thinking of Playgirl. Every time I hear about, I think of Shawn Michaels' photo-spread on that magazine back in 1996 and him being appalled by it a decade later telling HHH "you told me girls read that magazine! I was young! I was young and stupid!" Bret Hart even took a shit on Michaels' spread saying "well, I thought it was a magazine for ladies". I love HBK but... I'm a Bret Hart guy 4 Life. Even when he shits on Goldberg!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJune 2, 2023 at 8:10 AM

      That HBK spread was groundbreaking lol. EVERYONE deserves a chance to young HBK in their spank bank.

      Delete
    2. thevoid99June 2, 2023 at 3:35 PM

      He did have a very nice ass back in the day. Yet, he didn't go all the way on PlayGirl. Neither did Kip Winger who remained clothed in his spread which was lame. It was the late, great Pete Steele of Type O Negative that went all the way with his spread. Wow... that was a man. A big hunky, hunky, manly-manly man!

      Delete
    3. Brittani BurnhamJune 6, 2023 at 7:52 AM

      I still remember when Chyna posed for Playboy. I overheard my uncle and dad talking about the issue. 🤢

      Delete
  2. BirgitJune 6, 2023 at 1:42 PM

    I have never heard of this magazine. I know GQ and Playgirl. I remember when Burt Reynolds posed for Playgirl...yicchhhh

    ReplyDelete
  3. joel65913June 7, 2023 at 9:03 PM

    I'll have to try and track this down. I remember the catalog clearly. The designs were usually ridiculously snug and unwearable unless you were built like the impossibly beautifully flawless men that modeled them on those pages!

    I even made it to the West Hollywood store one time! I was visiting friends in LA and we were doing the star tours, fun but nothing compared to the tour of notable cemeteries that included the LA coroner's office....and gift shop! I still have a refrigerator magnet-a white body outlined in black with "Keep Cool" printed on it. :-), and we came upon the shop. Of course we HAD to go in and check it out. Just as I suspected their merchandise was geared to a very specific crowd, that I did not belong to. I tried on one pair of pants, unsurprisingly they looked nothing like they did in the catalog. Still it will be a nice stroll down memory lane to revisit the publication.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJune 9, 2023 at 10:15 AM

      Oh funny! That's awesome you got to go to the store. I hope you enjoy this

      Delete

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