Golden Boys & Tan Lines: Remembering Mel Roberts, the Gay Hugh Hefner of California
How one photographer's sunny, sexy snapshots of California boys defined an era—and still make us thirsty today.
Picture this: it’s the late 1960s in California, drenched in sun, youth, and sexual liberation. Traffic's light on Mulholland Drive, Malibu’s still wild, and young men are slipping in and out of flower-power hip-huggers, cutoffs, and—most often—nothing at all. Welcome to the breezy, sun-kissed world captured by Mel Roberts, affectionately known as the "Hugh Hefner of the gay world."
Roberts, who passed away in 2007, spent his life capturing the fresh, unfiltered beauty of young California men at a time when gay culture was just beginning to step boldly into the sunlight. His subjects were surfers, bikers, rockers, skaters—guys you could imagine bumping into on Venice Beach or cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway. With a playful smile and a mischievous lens, Roberts celebrated their youth, their freedom, and their unabashed sexuality.
California Dreaming (And Scheming)
Roberts’ photography offered something unique: a glimpse into an innocent yet provocative world. His boys—often sunburned and occasionally pimply—were unapologetically real. Forget today's airbrushed, Abercrombie-filtered thirst traps; Roberts captured authentic moments. Think bubble butts by backyard pools, sun-dappled skin against zebra-print sheets, and cheeky smiles that suggested a playful confidence in their sexuality.
Roberts himself, a former motion-picture cameraman who graduated from USC, approached his still photography with cinematic flair. “I took up a still camera and was trying to think about how the pictures could be done as a movie,” he once explained. "I'd start off fully clothed and show them in different poses, revealing what everyone wanted to see."
And reveal he did. Subscribe to see more.
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