In fact, some Bears claim that ascribing to Bear culture is more about attitude than physical body traits like weight and hirsuteness ( Hennen, 2005). These elements help emanate a sense of masculinity ( Hennen, 2005).īears’ expression of masculinity is different than that of heterosexual males and the mainstream gay community’s expressions of masculinity.
BEAR MATURE GAY SEX SKIN
Bears vary in size, shape, and skin tones, and the Bear community promotes inclusion of all types of people, but a stereotypical physical image of a Bear usually describes a man with a burly, hirsute body who has facial hair and dressed in blue collar clothing ( Locke, 1997 Wright, 1997). In contrast with stereotypical images of mainstream heterosexual and gay notions of physical desirability, the Bear community has been able to promote an alternative form of attractiveness, one that emphasizes that large girth can be synonymous with handsomeness. By conducting a literature review, this article will examine health risks among Bears as well as clinical implications for health care clinicians providing care to this subculture of gay men. The Bear community is an understudied sexual minority group that experiences health risks due to their lifestyle, such as anal sex without a condom ( Willoughby et al., 2008), as well as due to weight-related stigma and discrimination ( Gough & Flanders, 2009 Whitesel & Shuman, 2013). Another estimate suggested that Bears comprise about 14% to 22% of the gay community ( Moskowitz et al., 2013). In 2010, it was estimated that 1.4 million Bears lived in the United States ( Mann, 2010). One such subgroup is the Bear community, a group that eroticizes and promotes large-framed, hirsute men as attractive in sharp contrast with the stereotypical image of gay men as youthful, thin, and smooth-skinned ( Locke, 1997). Researchers have begun exploring the importance of gay men’s subcultural identification and the impact on health by highlighting the significant distinctions among each subcultural group ( Gough & Flanders, 2009 Hennen, 2005 Lyons & Hosking, 2014 Manley, Levitt, & Mosher, 2007 Moskowitz, Turrubiates, Lozano, & Hajek, 2013 Prestage et al., 2015 Whitesel & Shuman, 2013 Willoughby, Lai, Doty, Mackey, & Malik, 2008). Research has noted that a gay man’s social network influences health risk factors ( Peterson & Bakeman, 2006 Smith, Grierson, Wain, Pitts, & Pattison, 2006).
Gay men are a vulnerable population that are at higher risk of experiencing increased levels of certain health issues like depression, sexually transmitted infection (STI)/HIV risk, and discrimination ( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011).