Pino PLU Signal: Shirtless Facebook Pics

Is it just me or are gay men more likely than straight guys to post shirtless profile photos on Facebook and other social networking sites? And these photos are those that aim to show a nice body (like in the gym) and are not just basic beach shots.

I have no data to back this up, but I think that 90% of guys that do this are either gay or are models. The rest are just vain straight men. Hehe. I can actually think of several gay friends on FB who have such photos. But off the top of my head, I cannot think of a straight guy friend who has such topless pictures on Facebook.

One reason I can think why this is so is simply because men, gay or not, are more into looks than women. So for straight men, there is less incentive to show off to the women. Whereas gays, for better or for worse, tend to flaunt their body, especially if they worked hard for it, in order to attract more attractive men.

What do you think? Do you think my assessment is spot on?

Pinoy PLU Signal: Wet Area Patrons

Ok, let’s make it official. I declare that staying for a long time in the wet area of gyms and spas is a very strong Pinoy PLU signal. Unlike other signals I’ve shared before, I think this one will give you the highest probability of telling whether a guy is indeed one of us.

If you try to think about, it’s quite easy to see why this particular signal is true. First of all, Filipinos are generally quite modest especially with strangers. That alone is a disincentive for many Filipino men, gay or straight, to stay in the wet area where they need to be in towels. In fact, many straight guys I see in the gym don’t even bother with the wet area and just use the locker area as a place to store their belongings and to quickly change clothes. Some straight guys may indeed take a shower or even use the sauna or steam room but will not linger for longer than is necessary.

A second reason why straight men usually forgo the wet room is simply because they, by definition, aren’t physically attracted to other men. Thus, there’s no reason to stay long in the sauna or steam room—there is simply no eye candy for them to ogle at. Conversely, there’s also no reason for them to flaunt their gym-fit bodies there, unlike, say, on the shores of Boracay. Their target market are not other men.

That said, straight guys do indeed use the wet areas. Soaking in the heat and sweating it out is quite relaxing. A typical therapeutic session involves showering briefly to get wet, staying for about 5 to 10 minutes in either the steam room or the sauna, then concluding by cooling off with another shower. There’s an option to go to the other hot room, but this is not often done since one hot room session is enough.

One key difference in telling the straight from the gay at the wet area is the length of time spent there. PLU guys loiter around longer and frequently go back and forth between the steam room and sauna. They often stay in the area for 20 minutes or more. In fact, some notorious gay people don’t even bother with the gym floor itself and instead go straight to the locker room to press their luck.

Another crucial sign that a guy is game, short of physical contact, is if his eyes roam all around the sauna or steam room. Straight guys usually just close their eyes and avoid eye contact. Unabashed gay guys, on the other hand, will turn their heads to scope out the market.

Anyway, if you’d like to read more, I’ve explored gay men’s fascination with the showers, steam rooms, and sauna in several previous blog posts:

• Gyms: the ultimate discreet PLU place
• Discreetionary: Fitness Feast
• Having fun in gym locker rooms
• Fitness First vs. Gold’s Gym
• Sizzling hot!

Pinoy PLU Signal: Fast Food Counter Staff

I don’t know if it’s just me, but have you noticed that most of the male crew that man the cash registers and take customers’ orders in fast food joints seem to be gay? The hetero males, on the other hand, are the ones cooking and busing the tables.

I wonder if this is because the effeminate gay guys can be quite amiable and so they are better suited to doing customer service and interacting with patrons. There may be other possible reasons but that’s the only one I can think of. What do you think?

Pinoy PLU Signal: Single Gym-goer

A friend once told me that he confirmed that I was PLU when he saw that I was enrolled in a gym. I was utterly bewildered by this, but on hindsight, I realized that he may be on to something.

I now think that if you see a man who is single and works out in the gym, then the chances are good that he is gay. I believe this idea works because gay guys are still men after all. Men are more into looks than women. (I know this for a fact since I’ve seen too many nice and pretty ladies with boyfriends that I wouldn’t give a second look.) Gay guys know how other guys think and thus, to have a good shot at nabbing that hunk, one has to be well-built himself. Therefore we have such stereotypes like the gym bunny and the reason why gym is the gay church.

Of course, this should not be generalized to every single gym-goer or to the preferences of every gay guy. But, don’t you think that there is some truth to this?

Pinoy PLU Signal: Masseurs, Not Masseuses

There’s something really sensual about massages. It’s no wonder then that many PLU people would occasionally, if not regularly, have a massage. There’s actually a whole industry that provides massage services that cater specifically to gay men (these gay massage parlors are often named “spas,” even if there are no actual spas in the premises) and there are even a lot of freelancing masseurs that provide home services. Some local gay indie movies that depict the massage industry include Masahista and Heavenly Touch.

Well, here’s one thing I observed: when getting a massage, gay men generally prefer to have a masseur instead of a masseuse while straight men would prefer masseuses if they can help it. Why? well, if you’re going to have somebody else touch your body all over, then one would prefer to have it done by someone you wouldn’t cringe over because of the intimacy. Of course, men, whether gay or straight, can bend this “convention” to suit their needs. For example, I’ve read of straight men asking for a masseur in order to avoid temptation, or the impression that they’re after the “extra service.”

If you happen to peer inside a common room of a spa and see a man getting a massage from a masseur, chances are that that guy is a PLU. I guess this is why I had an encounter at a “legitimate” spa with another customer. I was sleeping after my massage and woke up to find this other client caressing my body. I’ve noticed him before during my massage (in a common room) and I did not give any hint that I was PLU except that I had a masseur. Go figure.

Pinoy PLU Signal: Apathetic to Basketball

Basketball is so freaking popular in the Philippines that practically every barangay has its own basketball court and every village its own summer liga (league). And one thing I’ve noticed is that almost every PLU friend I know is not into basketball outside of UAAP/NCAA and NBA. If any gay guy is interested at all, then it would likely be because of the hunky cagers, especially those that have crossed over into showbiz or modeling like Ram Sagad, Bruce Quebral, Chris Tiu, Simon Atkins, JC Tiuseco, Derick Hubalde, and Marx Topacio.

I have no idea why gay people, in general, are not into basketball as much as straight guys. I don’t think it’s because gay guys are not into sports. One reason I can think is that basketball is a contact sport (unlike, say, volleyball or badminton) and because of that, established basketball teams will likely shun gay players who are out especially in this still-homophobic country like ours. Also, I think that closeted potential players would likely find the physical contact in the game too much for comfort. Of course I’m just speculating here and I would certainly appreciate any ideas.

I’ll just leave you with this funny local Sunkist commercial (that you already ought to have seen) about a closeted MVP cager unmasked by a iced tea drink / truth serum. It also helps that the MVP’s two teammates here are very yummy.

Pinoy PLU Signal: The Agency

Welcome to Pinoy PLU Signals! This is another series of posts, just like my Discreetionary series, but this time focusing on signals that may indicate whether a Pinoy guy is PLU. There have been many surveys and studies that aimed to measure the incidence of non-straight men in a general population and estimates range from as low as 1% to as high as 10%. Pinoy PLU Signals are signs that, I think, would give you a batting average of more than 10%. Take note that these signals are not scientific and are provided in the spirit of fun. Enjoy!

“Bading na nga, copywriter pa. How redundant.”—Eric Quizon’s gay character in Happy Together

Our first signal is The Agency, that is, guys who are in the advertising industry, whether they are employees of ad agencies, or are in the brand management team of the products being advertised. It has been frequently stereotyped that gay men are more creative than straight men and the glamorous Philippine advertising industry, being the way it is, would prove irresistible to gay creatives. The prime blogger example is, of course, the Fabcaster’s very own Joel McVie. There are a lot of other gay bloggers in the ad industry and I am aware of one such group on LiveJournal.

I actually laughed out loud when I heard the quoted line above while watching Happy Together, a local movie starring Kris Aquino and Eric Quizon as best friends. In the film, Quizon plays a gay man working as a copywriter in an ad agency and I found the line funny because I have a good PLU friend who was a copywriter himself (he’s now an account executive, or AE in industry parlance). The fact that I know quite a bit of PLU guys in the ad industry is for me a strong indicator that The Agency is a Pinoy PLU Signal. Agree or disagree?