Bare Men on Zoomin TV

While I was in Houston this past April, I was interviewed and filmed for a new series produced by Zoomin.TV about Bare Men! It was first time being filmed while at work and to be interviewed on camera. I was asked about 20 questions about the series, male nudity, body image, my photography on the whole. It's interesting what they decided to go with for the final cut.



A huge thank you to the Bare Man who was willing to be filmed during our photo shoot and share his insight about participating in the Bare Men project.

The videographer who filmed us is Jason Osborne. We hit if off right away and he handled working with a nude man like a pro.

Repost from Abigail Ekue Photography

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My Views on Body Positivity

In response to a media request, I was contacted earlier this year for my thoughts on body positivity for an article in Women's Health magazine, "This Is How Women Today REALLY Feel About Getting Naked".

My direct quotes weren't used in the final article in the September 2017 issue, so I'm sharing them with you here---

The body positivity movement is all about telling women to love your body, love yourself, that any body is a bikini body, but women’s mentality hasn’t synced up to the trend. (Almost 80 percent of women say they’re not confident in a bikini—same as four years ago.) Why do you think that is?

It takes a long time to reverse thinking. The male gaze has determined what's normal and desirable for so long that it will take a long time to discredit. That can be seen in the backlash to the feminist movement - those in power are not quick to relinquish it. Also many women support the beauty ideals because of internalized sexism and misogyny. Though a woman may be body positive, unless she's surrounded by a supportive network, and not attacked by trolls and others who aren't happy with themselves it can be lonely and tough to maintain the positivity.

Read the rest here: My Views on Body Positivity

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To Paula, From Bare Men

I welcome the direct notes and emails about Bare Men that I receive. To my relief, they are positive and supportive. Some people share their appreciation of the art, others are advocates of nudity, I hear from men who want to participate in the series, while others who contact me are explicit in their arousal upon viewing the photos.

A couple of the recent notes I've received recently:

"I was absolutely blown away by your Bare Men project and wanted to offer my sincere compliments. I found you on the website "Naked Men, Happy Women". It is a site I check out occasionally, and certainly your work just jumped right of the page! I do love your non-judgmental philosophy, not insisting on ideal or perfect body types. Your talent in this field is most evident!"

This one - Subject: Ekue's wisdom - I received from a man in the Midwest who was passionate about nudity the misconceptions surrounding it:

Abigail, I am a young man from Minnesota. Society deserves no apology for your support of nudity!!!

The human body is not indecent!!! It is a gift which provides opportunities for its occupants to pursue good lives. We all pretty much have the same bodies. We are born nude, we dress nude, we shower nude.....and under our clothes we are nude. Pornography also is absent when particular persons issue zero portrayal of sexual material (for arousal). 

Bare Men featured on Refinery29

Those who are not new to my blog or my work know I've been working on a male nude series, Bare Men, and that it's been a bit of a challenge getting my work exhibited. Who knew penis was so scary?

However...

I'm very excited that a major US-based media outlet has covered my series!  Please check out the latest piece on my male nude series, Bare Men, on Refinery29 -- 

12 Honest, Vulnerable (NSFW) Photos Of Naked Men

"In general, men don't need any more visibility in mainstream culture than they already have. But Bare Men strikes a different chord. Rather than exult the naked male form, Ekue normalizes and neutralizes it. These images don't attack or threaten us; rather, they put us in the position of voyeur, even intruder... After all, how often do we catch men in such a state? What changes when we see a man without his guard up, flaccid and imperfect? Stripped of everything from their clothes to their class, these subjects appear simply as men in their bodies."

The writer, Sara Coughlin did a wonderful job on the introduction, capturing the essence of the series and sharing her take on the images. As an artist, I also appreciate not being misquoted!

What Naked Yoga Did For Me

Guest Post by Mukunda

Naked yoga probably sounds weird and crazy to many but if you take the time to understand it (and maybe even try it!) I bet you will see how it has the ability to be very beneficial. It was (and is) to me. The first time I tried it I had only done yoga on one or two occasions because I had to for high school gym class. Being naked in front of total strangers was not something I would ever consider doing. But when I found out naked yoga existed I thought this might just be that outside-the-box remedy I was looking for to help me overcome all the insecurities I felt about my body.



As a boy growing up playing many different sports I always felt like I was too small and too weak which sent me down a self destructive path full of drug use, depression and suppression of the negative feelings I had about myself and my physical appearance. It wasn't until I discovered naked yoga that I felt comfortable enough to embrace my body and feel good about the way I looked.

Movember ManGroomer Giveaway - #MowMyMo

We're 5 days in, how's your moustache looking?


Movember is a global charity that's all about men growing moustaches (and those who support them) to raise money and awareness for Men's Health -- prostate and testicular cancer and mental health.


For some men this is the only time of year you sport an artistic upper lip warmer. Mo Bros, once Movember is over you may need something to mow your face. That's where I come in.


I'm giving away a Mangroomer® Ultimate Pro Body Groomer and a Stainless Steel Detail Groomer® ($79.98 total retail value)

Ask Abbie: My Girlfriend Gained Weight And I've Lost Attraction

Not Attracted To My Girlfriend Asks:

I need some advice. A year later, I've watched my girlfriend gain quite a bit of weight, and admit I'm less attracted physically but also because she's completely in denial, thinking she takes great care of herself. I'm worried about her health. No exercise, shitty diet overall, and a lot of talk about doing this and being involved with that, etc. No action. I'm starting to feel mismatched because I do put in effort and am noticing that she almost weighs the same as me. Plus, I think she's a bit depressed but denies that, too. 


How do I state my concerns without being offensive? A future with her would be difficult because, if there were to be kids, I want them to learn decent habits and take initiative, not the opposite. And spare me the bullshit about loving regardless, as we know that's not applicable in all situations. There have to be others out there who have dealt with this, right? Appreciate all your thoughts.

Does Penis Size Matter?

Guest Post by Joey

Today, the importance of size is greater than ever, and that includes almost all aspects of our life. Big cars, big salaries, big houses, even Big Macs. It’s no wonder why the majority of men are self-conscious of their penis size. Is it big enough? Will it satisfy my partner or will she laugh behind my back? Does penis size really matter?

Just open your spam folder. It will be full of penis enlargement ads for pills, pumps, herbs, possibly even magic spells, promising a larger penis in a matter of days. Obviously, it matters to men, which means only one thing.

Buddhism, Parenting and Body Acceptance

Guest Post by Glendaliz Camacho

21 Divisiones and Buddhism have helped me be a slightly better mom, have a better relationship with my body, cope with grief and date men who look like this disgruntled baby (which I swear, is actually a good thing, but is another story for another day).

A Random Moment With A Proud Owner Of A Micropenis (NSFW)

Martin, proud owner of a  micropenis

I stumbled on to his tumblr, Martin's Tiny Penis, a few months ago via reblogs. Martin has a micropenis and is proud of it. I am always intrigued by bodies, their owners and the relationship people have with/in their bodies.  He has a willingness to show himself and answer questions and reply to the comments from tumblr followers. I had a few questions of my own which he was happy to answer.


NSFW photos after the jump...

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A Home For My Nude Men

My Bare Men photo series features 7 men, ranging in ages 22-51 in art, editorial and erotic nude images sharing moments of joy, release, ecstasy, vulnerability and angst. It is also a book.

"Cover Boy", Bare Men, Abigail Ekue Photography

I'm currently seeking a place to exhibit and it's been a uphill battle. Any rejection I've received has been about the content of the photos, not the quality of the images, the level of my work etc. I've been told numerous times, "I/we love your work, we just can't show that here", the reason given being the clientele or they feel it's too raw.

Open Your Legs, Ladies

Madonna is always opening her legs.



During a conversation in which a friend gave me the play-by-play of the Grammy's (I didn't watch), it segued to Glen Campbell being one of the best performances of the night. I chalk that up to him being from an era where you had to perform and entertain the crowd with talent. This led us to Madonna. I said my last memory of an awards show is Madonna performing "Vogue" and the moment she lifted the bottom of her Victorian gown to "bump and grind it".


I grew excited talking about her "Don't Tell Me" video (male dancers and crotch-watching opportunities) and of course, "Human Nature". That scene where she sits with her legs open and slowly slides her thighs together and snaps them shut. Love it (not to mention the entire video and the message of the song).


Express yourself, don't repress yourself

That's when I made the statement, "Madonna is always opening her legs."



I do too. It's such a comfortable posture. It provides stability. It can be sensual and sexual, depending on context.


And it's frowned upon.

Pregnancy, Exercise and Beyoncé

The above showed up on my Tumblr timeline this week. The reblogs and likes included comments like, "I can't believe she just had a baby!", "How can she look like that after giving birth!", "My goal is to look like Beyoncé", "Told you she was never pregnant!"


Why is it expected that a woman will look like a shell of her former self after giving birth? Yes, there will be changes in her body after pregnancy and childbirth but it's unusual for her to be "in shape" or "look good"? The way the body handles the changes (and trauma) of pregnancy varies from woman to woman. One factor that makes the "recovery" easier (and apparently, astonishing to some) is exercise.


Beyoncé was in great shape before she became pregnant. She joined the Let's Move! Initiative which encourages physical activity and educates on the importance of exercise. I'm assuming she remained active during and that exercise (dance, weights, yoga, whatever) will be a part of her life now that she's a mother. I hung out with a friend about 2 weeks after she gave birth and it didn't strike me as odd that she looked like she did before she got pregnant. Genetics do play a role, but activity is a huge part of it. She exercised on a regular basis for years before becoming a mother.

Your Black Is Beautiful

I was contacted earlier this week about participating in an upcoming PSA and documentary, Black is Beautiful, a project created by Babatunde Odesanya of the Black and Latino Film Coalition.

"This documentary is the culmination of 100 Black and Latina women verbally celebrating the strength, power and beauty of being a person of color.  From their hair, to their features to their varied tones, these ladies will be expressing why "Black Is Beautiful" to them."

Kali. Abbie. Baby.

I had another "Aha!" moment this morning. Yesterday, I had a photo shoot for the upcoming Asana Exposed -- a photographic essay book on the transformative power of naked yoga from the creator of Naked Yoga NYC, ISIS Phoenix, with photographer Mike Cinquino. I've mentioned my naked yoga history briefly on this blog before. Very excited to be a part of this project!


During the photo shoot, ISIS Phoenix chose asanas that personified each of us (Cindee Rifkin, yoga instructor, was also a model at the shoot). One asana ISIS chose for me was Kali (Goddess) Pose. I'd never done it before and had a lot of fun doing it. Visually, it's a very simple pose -- wide squat, hands out to the side, tongue sticking out and a vocalization -- but internally, it's very powerful and freeing -- immerse yourself in Kaliasana and you'll quite possibly evoke Kali.

World Cup Of Women's Love

Last year, I was on South Africa time for a month during the World Cup. This year, it's Germany. My Nigerian ladies were eliminated during the Group phase. Sigh. I just finished watching the Germany v Japan quaterfinal match of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2011. Japan pulled the upset and eliminated Germany (1-0), the defending champions and the host country. It was a great game! Japan was the underdog coming in and they played hard. This was after France and England played to penalty kicks (and England's squad was peppered with hobbled players)! France missed their first PK and I didn't know how it was going to play out. I stood the entire time. But then England missed a PK and,well, France didn't. This sets up a pretty interesting semi-finals.

NYC Pride 2011

This photo embodies everything about the NYC Gay Pride Parade--joy, exuberance, loving who you are, loving life. 

Beauty Ideals, Preferences And The Ugly

"What's ugly to you? What do you consider ugly?" he asked.


I pondered out loud and asked for clarification--did he mean what physical traits I found ugly? What makes a person ugly?


I ended up answering the question, first, by naming the traits and behaviors I strongly dislike, and second, I didn't have particular physical traits I could list as being ugly. It's a case of I know it when I see it.

Yoga To The People

A few weeks ago a friend invited me to take a yoga class with her. I'm always game for a physical challenge. We ended up in two different classes that day. I was challenged as I usually am in a Vinyasa flow class, but something didn't click for me that day. The amount of students in the class could have been enough for me not to return but afterwards, my friend and I compared notes on our workouts. I sat in Half Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana) till my hips and legs feel asleep in my class. She regaled me with her tales of Warrior III (Virabhadrasana III) and Tree pose (Vrksasana).


We didn't take class together until yesterday. Still some communication glitches, but I decided to go anyway, not sure she'd be there. All signs pointed to 'yes' - I woke up a bit overwhelmed and knew yoga would balance me. The sun was shining and NY was no longer smothered in the miserable heat-humidity combo of the previous couple of days. I got a train right away and arrived early enough that I was able to be in the studio on the 2nd floor (the 1st floor of Yoga to the People).

Age Is Nothing But A Number

"World's Oldest Female Bodybuilder" Ernestine Shepherd
at Book Expo America

The past few days I've felt "subpar" as I like to put it. I wasn't sick, but I could feel something coming on--slight congestion, sneezing, achy body. I know last week wore me down and that left me susceptible to a virus or bacteria. The lack of sleep and close quarters at Book Expo America--it can take a toll on the best of us.


What made me feel better was two great workouts which left me drenched and winded. Today, I still sound a little nasally, but much improved from Saturday. I always feel worse when I don't workout--physically and mentally. It's been a part of my life since high school. Being active is my being.


I'm telling you all this because I want to share one more highlight from Book Expo America. I purposely left this one out because I wanted to do a separate post. May 23, I received a press invite from Guinness World Records for a great interview and photo opportunity with Ernestine Shepherd, the "World's Oldest Female Bodybuilder". I committed one thing that annoys me when others do it (or don't do it)--I didn't read the email all the way through. I saw the words "female" and "bodybuilder" and "oldest" and I was blinded by excitement. I'm a huge advocate of women picking up weights. Strength training improves posture, confidence, raises your resting metabolism, regulates hormones, increases body density, shapes and tones your body and, the obvious, makes women stronger.