It would come as no surprise to my close friends that I enjoy looking at the male body. Most know that I have spent entire days looking at Greek statues, marveling at how their nudity seems so casual. I have been known to visit nude beaches for the admitted purpose of eyeing the attributes of sunbathers. I have attended art classes that feature male models. My friends are surprised to learn that I have ever paid a few to model for me personally. Most of my friends think I obsessed. Although most women I know aren't so voyeuristically wired, I find that it is just how I am. Perhaps, part of my fascination comes from the way that the male body places the penis front and center. In most animals, the male sex organs are couched between the hind legs, but not with the human males. His upright posture pushes his manhood into full and unmistakable view. Can you imagine a nude male statue that leaves the dimension of his attributes in doubt? Of course not, because it is impossible for a naked man not to reveal -- should I say flaunt -- his penis.
This little infatuation of mine encourages a rich fantasy life, and my most interesting daydreams usually occur in ancient Greece. I mean, it's a voyeur's paradise for those who have a passion for naked men. In my most common fantasy, I direct a movie about ancient Greece in which the men are mostly naked. The story concerns the day of initiation of a young man, the main character, into the city's governing forum.
My movie's star is named Nicky, and little did he know that the biggest day of his life would offer such pleasant surprises. Nicky had prepared for this day for many years by training hard both physically and mentally in the gymnasium to assume the responsibilities that citizenship entailed. The outline of the public ceremony was well known to all. The ritual required that young men be stripped of their youthful garments and then presented before a panel of elder citizens. If they passed their examination, they would then be marched with their fellow initiates naked into the Assembly and there, in full view of the entire city, a robe would be loosely draped about their shoulders leaving their front bare and exposed. Hence forth, whenever they entered the Assembly, they would shed their clothing and don this robe, leaving themselves bare in an act of public display. The proud and public exposure of male nakedness would be the major theme of my movie
My movie explores how each member of Nicky's family took special pleasure in viewing his nakedness. For his father, it was the bond of brotherhood. Men who debated political matters naked hid nothing from one another. For his mother, it was the pride of seeing him as a responsible and mature man. The cute appendage that marked his boyhood in youth had grown to proportions that now signified maturity in judgment.
For his sisters, who were attending the celebrations for the first time, it was an entirely different matter. They (like me) were interested in -- fixated on --the physical attributes of manhood. It would be their first chance to witness young men publicly naked. His younger sister, Athena, who was too young to attend the event under normal circumstances, was giddy with adolescent enthusiasm about seeing naked boys. His older sister, Lydia, was excited because it was her first trip to the Assembly. That she would be seeing her male friends naked for the first time was, for her, the main attraction. She would now know the secret dimensions of their sex and put to rest the speculative gossip that consumed her and her friends. From this moment on, they would be talking about known facts.
My movie is shot from Lydia's point of view. Her curiosity is really focused on her long-time boy friend, Diogenes. Rumor has it that Diogenes is particularly well-endowed although none of her friends know for sure that this is true. While Lydia has always had sweetheart affection for Diogenes, she is intrigued by the prospect that his winning personality might come with added charm. But now, on her first visit to the Assembly, she would know for certain whether the rumor is true, and this makes the occasion especially tantalizing.
There is a subplot that is also played out in the background of the Lydia/Diogenes relationship. Elena, Nicky's secret love, will also be present, and she will be viewing his momentous unveiling as well. The prospect of her gazing at his manhood causes Nicky more than a little anxiety because the mere thought of Elena's observing him naked brings him straight to erection. This is not supposed to happen, at least in theory, and so he is presented with an embarrassing practical problem that he has not foreseen.
My movie makes clear that the point of being nude in public is to present yourself in a state of vulnerability to your peers. Your nakedness is a statement that you have nothing to hide and, if you retreated from the public gaze, you hide an aspect of your personal being that you have pledged to disclose. So, if Nicky becomes erect at his initiation, it is his duty to display his aroused member to the public to which he had sworn allegiance. Turning aside will bring dishonor on himself in the eyes of his community. I know that I am playing a little loose with historical fact here, but it is my movie and I can do as I wish. Moreover, it is just a fantasy.
