Beefcake Breaks Out Everywhere!

But ever since his run to the finals of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars a few years back - which coincided with a much-discussed in the gay-blogosphere nude shower scene on FX's Nip/Tuck, Mario has been unabashedly playing up his hotness and his popularity has sky-rocketed because of it. He recently released the book Knockout Fitness with plenty of big pictures of Mario in various workout poses.

That's what made him perfect for the People photo shoot, Julie Jordan, the magazine's special correspondent in Los Angeles who worked on the spread told AfterElton.com.

"We chose Mario because we knew he'd be incredibly appealing in terms of recreating those poses," she said. "I think anyone who saw them - after they closed their mouths - can see how great Mario looks. There's more of an appreciation for [beefcake] these days because men like Mario are making an effort. They obviously care about their appearance."

It's something that David Beckham (#12 on the AfterElton Hot 100), currently playing for the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer professional soccer team, has long been known for. Beckham is not only very willing to pose for beefcake shots wearing only bikini underwear, but he has experimented with various hairstyles over the years and likes clothes. He has become the definitive metrosexual and acquired a huge gay fan base that he embraces.

Beckham

Beckham recently told BBC Radio 2’s Lines of Enquiry: “I’m very honored to have the tag of gay icon...Maybe it’s things like [the fact] I like to look after myself, I like to look smart and
presentable most of the time.”

Jim Buzinksi, the co-founder of the popular gay website OutSports.com, told AfterElton.com Beckham has long been one of the most popular athletes on his site: “I think he’s so comfortable with his own sexuality and he is aware that gay men are great admirers of his. He made a career choice, early on, that he was not going to deny that or hide that. It’s made him extremely popular and helped make him extremely rich.”

Buzinski added that English rugby player Ben Cohen took things a step further by setting up gay night in May to honor his gay fans and is very open about how he appreciates all his admirers. In doing so, he has received a great deal of attention in the U.S. and elsewhere, so much so that OutSport.com’s readers voted him “Hottest Athlete of the Year”.

Ben Cohen

“It tends to happen more overseas than in the U.S.," Buzinski said. "There is a calendar by Aussie Rules football players that raises money for breast cancer research and it’s guys in their underwear or in the nude [but] strategically covered. They marketed it to us at Outsports because they knew it would be a big part of their selling audience. And our audience loved it. There’s also a rugby calendar out of France that caters to a gay audience with its pictures.”

Former NFL player and U.S. Olympic skier Jeremy Bloom is also popular on Outsports. Buzinski said Bloom "was flattered, but wanted to be thought of as more than a pretty face.” Still, Bloom is not bashful about showing skin. His website has a wide array of photos of the sexy athlete - and plenty of them shirtless.

Jeremy Bloom

Shirtless pictures aside, Bloom's attitude is typical of U.S. athletes who, so far, have been far less eager to openly court gay fans than their European counterparts like Beckham.

“In the US, there is a definite stigma against it," Buzinski said. "They simply do not allow themselves to be seen in poses that can be seen as homoerotic.”