It is a link to a company that is making a calendar featuring return missionaries that are also into modeling or trying to get into modeling. The calendar features the missionaries shirtless and is called "Men on a Mission."
It also has rather odd tee shirts. But not shirtless.
posted
This article was posted on the other board I go to:
quote: Mormon Calendar Reveals More Men By Larry Knowles on 11 September, 2007 09:27:00 image
LAS VEGAS (TNA) – As Perez Hilton would say, “Can you handle it, Utah!” Two Las Vegas-based Mormons are looking to shake up the establishment by producing a provocative calendar displaying bare-chested Mormon missionaries.
Titled “Men on a Mission,” the calendar features 12 buff missionaries that defy the stereotype of the straight-laced, conservatively-dressed Mormon male. While the calendar shows the men in standard missionary attire – white button-down shirts and ties – it also reveals them shirtless, with chests waxed, in various moments of repose.
A man in Las Vegas has a mission: to prove Mormon missionaries are real hunks.
For Chad Hardy, co-producer of the calendar, “Mormons on a Mission” started as a gag. The 31-year-old native of Palm Springs, Calif., imagined young missionaries posing for a beefcake calendar, for charity, and found the idea laughable.
But it also seemed novel, and Hardy believed the calendar would sell. He pushed ahead with his idea, found an investor (co-producer Fred Brodsky) and reserved a domain name, www.mormonsexposed.com.
He says the availability of the domain surprised him. “I figured it would be taken, given all the criticism of the church,” he states.
And like the church, he has not escaped criticism. Hardy claims that he has received 13 pages of fan and hate mail, with critics making up half the correspondence. Most opponents of the project say that the calendar misrepresents the values of the Mormon Church.
Hardy, disagrees, however, and believes that “Mormons on a Mission” represents a different side of the Mormon male.
“We’re blending sexy and spiritual,” he says. “It’s OK to be a member of the church and take your shirt off.”
For Hardy, who owns a team-building company in Las Vegas, the biggest challenge was in finding a team of models. He quickly learned that some missionaries felt uncomfortable with the nature of the project.
“A lot of guys were afraid,” Hardy explains. “We flew one guy in. When we picked him up for the shoot the next day, he had his bags all packed. He said he just couldn’t do it, and left.”
Hardy says that he understands the trepidation, adding that he doesn’t want the calendar to offend his family or friends. He also doesn’t expect to hear from the Mormon Church, feeling that the calendar doesn’t challenge the principles of the church.
Former missionary Jonathan Martin posed for the calendar in hopes of busting stereotypes about Mormons.
(A spokesperson for the Mormon Church did not return a phone call seeking comment on “Men on a Mission.”)
One of the models, Jonathan Martin, 25, from Houston, felt the same fear that other missionaries experienced. However, he also agreed with Hardy that the calendar would go a ways towards busting the missionary stereotype.
“I think a lot of people look at Mormons as being ultra-conservative,” he explains. “I met someone in the South who actually thought that Mormons had horns growing out of their heads. The calendar is a way to help people let go of their ignorance.”
For Martin, being a beefcake model ends with “Men on a Mission,” and he has no plans to parlay his calendar appearance into a career as a dancer or stripper.
“I don’t think I could do a go-go dance,” he says. “If you put a pole in front of me, I wouldn’t know what to do.”
Hardy has begun casting for the 2009 calendar, and says that a women’s version is in the works.
“We’re discussing a fun angle for the women’s calendar,” he says mischievously. “It definitely won’t be what you’d expect.”
Can you handle it, Utah?
One of the things said on the thread was "I keep thinking "in the world, not of the world". It also talked about the hypocritical stance of teaching to not lust, but putting a calender out for the purpose of lusting.
posted
Because the url happens to have the three letters s e x (and in that order), the company filter won't let go there.
Posts: 10866 | Registered: Oct 2004
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I'm not sure what to think. (I'm waiting for you all to tell me.)
I want to be offended, but for some reason, I'm not. You certainly see much worse at any swimming pool or beach. You see worse driving to work with people jogging or riding bikes in spandex that shouldn't be, in spandex. On many Wednesday nights, you can see worse in the Church gym where the Priests are playing basketball.
And I wouldn't get the calendar. Like teenage girls need any more incentive to develop crushes on missionaries?
ETA: What I think is most attractive about Mormon men is that they are taught to treat women with respect, and to look forward to being husbands and fathers. The world is full of sexy men willing to be half-dressed. Find me a kind, responsible man who can change diapers. Now THAT's something different!
quote:beef·cake n. Informal 1. Images, especially photographs, of minimally attired men with muscular physiques. 2. Attractive men with muscular physiques, such as those in these images.
posted
Pink, I'm kinda like you. I feel slightly offended, yet not really. It's the straddling of the fence that makes me quite uncomfortable. That, and the fact that I read it as mormon - s e x - posed the first time and couldn't get it out of my mind from then on.
Posts: 2713 | Registered: Feb 2000
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How weird. They did not call my husband. Based on that alone, I'm guessing the calender is pretty lame.
PF- you don't care. At least I don't. I wouldn't pay a nickel for it. And I am not the least bit offended that they made it. People do silly stuff all the time. This is dumb. I live in a world chock full of dumb. I'll survive it.
Posts: 7937 | Registered: Jun 2005
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Janey, I'm like you, too. I wouldn't get the calendar. It was a funny concept to see, but I wouldn't want to see it any more than the moment I was at the site. And I hate the thought of our young women having the calendar and drooling over these men, and turning their calendar-sensitized-eye toward the missionaries serving in their ward. So maybe I'm not straddling the fence as much as I thought at first.
Posts: 2713 | Registered: Feb 2000
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<drool> Holy Cow! I'm So Glad These Guys Didn't Serve With Me! I'm not sure I could ever look them in the eye at mission reunions. And what would you say to their wives? "Umm, nice to meet you....your husband has great abs!"
I'm not sure how I feel...the single woman in me LOVES this calendar. The holier-than-all in me is appalled to see these hunks in their poses next to pictures of them in their missionary uniform. Can you block out the missionary parts? Posts: 3148 | Registered: Sep 2006
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posted
I read a news story about this a few days ago, & didn't post it because I figured it wasn't something Nauvoodles would want to read. But as long as someone else has, well, uncovered it, here is the story.
Hardy said he designed the calendar to be controversial, but the images are tasteful
“It is so PG-rated, it’s hilarious,” Hardy said. “The gay community, when they buy this calendar, it will be the tamest calendar they’ll ever own."
Great. So that's his intended market.
“I don’t see this as negative in any way at all. I don’t see this as going against the church,” Webster [one of the models] said.
If he grew up in the Church, he's familiar with Standards Nights & "For the Strength of Youth." If he's an RM, he was endowed, & it wasn't so long ago that he can claim to have forgotten some of the temple instruction & covenants.
The story says they got $400 for the photo shoot plus royalties for helping promote it. Everyone has a price. But 400 measly pieces of silver? Just imagine, children of God selling themselves so cheap.
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Polly - I didn't want to link to the site where it came from. I just wanted to show from the article that there was more to it than RMs wanting to get modeling jobs. I'm sorry it bothered you.
Posts: 4948 | Registered: Sep 2002
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posted
I checked the link. I wouldn't think it was quite as bad if it was "just the abdooen/chest" being shown. But the pict I saw shows not only a topless former missionary, but one wearing jeans that are so low cut that the top of the pants is below the hip bone.
To me, the idea of the calendar is demeaning. The article mentions showing missionaries flex their abs- why not have a calendar w/p;ictures of missionaries using their muscles to serve others, ie show them painting a fence or cleaning someone's yard or holding the child of an investigator.
Someone asked the market for this type of calendar: to me it is definitely only teen girls or men w/same sex attraction or someone giving it as a gag gift to someone else. I have no statistics to back me up, but that is just my thoughts.
Posts: 8579 | Registered: Feb 2005
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Yeah, your right, I wouldn't want my daughter marrying this guy either. After all, here he is photographed with his britches below his hip bones, no shirt and obviously been working out so he looks good at the beach. Something he did night after night on the stage in front of screaming fans. Of course he gets paid way more than $400.00 to do it, which, I dunno: Does that make it better or worse? Help me out here.
Posts: 11552 | Registered: Nov 2000
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It's okay to be immodest if you are a star and make a lot of money doing it. They'll even ask you to speak at youth firesides.
Just don't wear a strapless dress to prom.
It's okay to play football or baseball on Sunday as long as you make a lot of money doing it. They'll even ask you to speak at General Priesthood meeting.
Just don't play for the pee wee soccer championship on Sunday.
It's okay to sell porn and booze as long as you are a minority shareholder and make millions doing it.
Just don't buy the SI swimsuit issue or watch Braveheart.
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EDG: The website says they are taking applications for the 2009 calendar. You could send in a photo...
Posts: 11552 | Registered: Nov 2000
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“It’s OK to be a member of the church and take your shirt off.”
I take my shirt off all the time, but I usually get catcalls of "shave your back, trollboy." Either that or, "put it back on; I'm going blind."
Posts: 8601 | Registered: Sep 2002
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“I met someone in the South who actually thought that Mormons had horns growing out of their heads.
Okay, I'm just calling BS on this. Is there anyone stupid enough to believe this? It's just ridiculous. All of the concerns people have about the church boil down to silly superstitions by dirt eaters, yeah, right.
Posts: 8601 | Registered: Sep 2002
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He spent the next seventy years correcting Missourian's understanding of the Mormons.
Please. Some guy 70 years ago heard a rumor. That has nothing to do with the fact that anyone who believes such stupidity in this day and age is just, well, stupid.
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For what it's worth, SW, my freshman dorm roommate in college was from Texas, and he told me that a girl once asked him where his horns were. Apparently she thought that they were small.
Posts: 2205 | Registered: Feb 2002
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Im sure you were all waiting with bated breath for me to chime up on this issue. Saw a clip on the local news about this calendar.
I found it repulsive. I hope the church considers suing them, since they were wearing the missionary tags with the name of the church on it. The saviors name is on a calendar of men who have turned themselves in sex objects.
I don't think it is SILLY for grown men who hold the priesthood to mock themselves and their place in Gods kingdom.
They repeatingly talk about the "stereotype" they are trying to change.
And what is wrong with that stereotype?
Isn't that the stereotype we are counseled to emulate after our missions as priestholders in the church and our communities.
For those of you who just think this is "silly", would you still feel the same way if the obviously good looking temple square sisters did a bikini calendar?
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Sorry for the "horns" derail. Dwelt is exactly right.
Here is my last thought on the "Mormons have horns" dilemma:
I prefer to live in a world where people are not complete blithering idiots.
But then, we pay pro sports players 100 times more than teachers, so maybe I'm wrong and I do live in such a place.
It just bugs me sometimes when we throw out the "Mormons have horns" canard whenever we talk about "anti-Mormons." As if such ridiculous things were the only issues that people have accecpting the gospel, and all we have to do is go proselyte with a bald, hornless head, and the world will convert.
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The calendar bothers me in a "The Spirit is leaving" kinda way. That's enough for me. It may be simplistic but I don't need to justify why or even understand the reasons.
Posts: 578 | Registered: Feb 2006
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quote: For those of you who just think this is "silly", would you still feel the same way if the obviously good looking temple square sisters did a bikini calendar?
Well since I was the one that used the word silly you must be asking me. I would think it was dumb. Just like I said about the guys calender, I live in a world chock full of dumb and I'll survive.
I wonder if sometimes we think the level of outrage indicates our level of commitment to principles. People do dumb stuff. I do dumb stuff. I just refuse to get worked up about a stupid calender that is so obviously a bid for attention. Me getting huffy about it would be participation.
These guys are like toddlers who have learned a dirty word that they keep saying over and over for effect. Sometimes a deadpan face is the best response.
And I still just don't care.
Posts: 7937 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
They repeatingly talk about the "stereotype" they are trying to change.
And what is wrong with that stereotype?
Ask most of us which we prefer: the stereotype much of the world has of us (strait-laced, non-smoking, non-drinking, non-s****ing prudes who even go to church or temple in midweek--or the image of someone with most of their skin showing for $400 & knowing it's going to be marketed to the gay community (or in the case of female models, to leering men who would be appalled if their own daughters did the same thing).
It's a no brainer for me!
Posts: 12837 | Registered: Apr 2005
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quote: They repeatingly talk about the "stereotype" they are trying to change.
And what is wrong with that stereotype?
Yeah, this is where the calendar guys totally miss the boat. The stereotype is a good thing. There should be more people like that particular stereotype.
Posts: 4767 | Registered: Jun 2004
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quote:These guys are like toddlers who have learned a dirty word that they keep saying over and over for effect. Sometimes a deadpan face is the best response.
And I still just don't care.
But wouldn't you correct a toddler who has learned a dirty word if you were to go some place in public (like church), where this action would reflect on you as a parent (or from the eyes of an investigator--on the church as a whole)?
Or would you still not care?
Posts: 605 | Registered: Nov 2004
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quote: But wouldn't you correct a toddler who has learned a dirty word if you were to go some place in public (like church), where this action would reflect on you as a parent (or from the eyes of an investigator--on the church as a whole)?
Sure. Very calmly. But I have stewardship over my kids and I am supposed to correct them. Again, it would be very low emotion. If people who have stewardship over any of the involved people wish to discuss it with them- great. But getting all worked up on a message board is not "correcting" someone.
And for the record, I think just about one of the worst ways to choose your response as a parent is worrying about how things reflect on my as a parent. Raising kids isn't about me. It is about them. If I look like a jerk or choke down a little humiliation in the line of duty so be it.
Posts: 7937 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
I see your point, MomsDword, but a parent has direct stewardship over their child, especially during the younger years. The relationship is different when it's simply another church member. Imagine how we would all act if we thought it was our personal responsibility to chastise every time someone's actions reflected poorly on the church.
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I am not convinced that our willingness to "correct" other members reflects very well on the church either.
Posts: 7937 | Registered: Jun 2005
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Will someone please explain to me how being outraged about this calendar does anything other than provide the makers with free publicity and waste energy that would be better spent on something else?
Seriously. I went to a local water slide park this summer, in the nearby college town. Lots and lots of 20-something beefcake walking around with water droplets glistening on their oh so tan skin and swim trunks down below the hip bones. I imagine there were likely some gay men there enjoying the same vista. Oh the shame of it! I'll never give my money to that establishment again!
Posts: 3170 | Registered: Sep 2001
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posted
Will somebody please explain to me why being opposed to this calendar makes you the target of scorn?
Posts: 1261 | Registered: Apr 2006
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