for the missionary enthusiast
I'm uncertain how to feel about this. On the one hand, it's mildly amusing. On the other, it borders a bit too close to oversexualizing something that probably would best be left pretty unsexed. Though, it's not the first time Mormon missionaries have been put in...compromising positions. A GayVN Award went a few years back to a threesome scene involving two unsuspecting missionaries (To preempt questions: I watched a documentary about the gay porn industry, ok?). Granted, those "actors" weren't actual Mormons.
Are these guys here really, true-life returned missionaries or is this another case of selling a type and image but not a reality (cf. the Calendario Romano, which is staged by actors)? This is another reason to be a bit leery of the effort. The creator claims up and down that this Men on a Mission (irritating because it seems to suggest they're current missionaries) is legit. Though, some of his commentary on the missionary experience seems to suggest he has a slippery, at best, understanding of how it all works.
However, it's not all smoke and mirrors. One of the models just had his records transferred into my ward, as he's engaged to a nice young lady of the flock. And, the mission he wrote down on his intro card lines up with the one on the site.
We learn two things here. A. there are real Mormon men willing to disrobe for softcore and B. the Mormon world is really, really small.
7 comments:
You know, I've never thought of myself as a prude, but the soft core RM calendar kinda makes me nauseated. I understand the uncertainty of feelings, at the very least. Oh, and I'm quite curious as to which one is the guy in your ward.
The more I think about the more I fall into the "this is not appropriate" camp. Apparently next year, they're aiming to make one of Mormon women. I'm not sure if it's just me personally, but that seems even worse.
As for which one, it's the lower right hand corner on the Meet the Missionary screen.
I think the important question here is: Is the guy in your ward going to get you a free copy?
Okay, I'm definitely one of the last people to be labeled as "uptight", but I do think this is out of line. I wouldn't call this "soft-core porn" but I would certainly say that using the imagery of missionaries and the common name of the church for such purposes is inappropriate and pretty sleazy.
Ick.
My feelings are still the same: no, no, no, no.
I'm a bit confused about who the intended audience is. Do Mormon missionaries have enough recognition outside of Mormondom for a missionary fetish to exist in the population at large? If not, who does that leave—straight Mormon women? Gay men in Utah?
Whatever the target demographic is, I don't think indulging a missionary fetish is wrong (they are very popular in Utah just at present); I simply don't swing that way. I like a man with a good haircut, tasteful clothing that fits and interests outside of subtle points of LDS doctrine. But to each his or her own.
The guy that created it served in the CA Roseville Mission but is no longer active in the church. In fact he thinks that the churches standards are rather silly and oppressive and that this is a good way to thumb his nose at it and make a quick buck by selling something that is taboo, mixing sex and religion.
Another of the elders served just south of my ward in Yuba City, CA.
Its not a big secret that this is a selling mostly to the gay audience. And that its been targeted mostly to them.
I have talked to a number of the models and they have different reasons for what they did. Some are actually really faithful members who say it as a legit gig in their modeling careers. Some thought it was fun. Some do have a beef with the church. Some I think regret it now but feel there is nothing they can do.
I got the feeling that those who do sorta regret it now do so because the really didn't think through the whole idea of how it would be used to mock the churches standards of modesty or how their pics would be plastred for entire months in gay bars and such.
Its interesting how its being marketed on myspace with fake profiles for each of the "elders" they are all rather cookie cutterish and sound pretty contrived.
I think you only need to read the way that a lot of church terms are being sexulaized in the marketing materials to see what the true intent of the project is.
He may be selling it to "raise money for charity" or break boundaries etc. But I think his real reason is to make a mockery of the church and use its own missionary's to do it.
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