bushnstache: Ty Arthur

Ty Arthur was a familiar face of Nova Studios from the late 1970s into the 1980s, when physique photography had pretty much stopped pretending that men were looking only for bodybuilding inspiration. The Greek-statue alibi was fading, the photography was getting more direct, and Ty was made for that moment.

*All photos credited to Nova Studios from the late 1970s to early 1980s. Photographers unknown.

1. Ty Arthur kneeling in a bed with a brown comforter.

I like Ty because he looks so much like a guy I could have actually known. He's the college kid who lived down the street, maybe ten years older than me, home for the weekend mowing the lawn or working under the hood of his car. He'd throw a ball around with the neighborhood kids and stop to talk to my parents. He could have been from New Jersey, L.A. or the Midwest. Very all-American, just not the blond version.

2. Ty Arthur holding a rugby ball in shoes and socks.

3. Same shoot as above but from behind.

4. Ty with unknown model in an outdoor shot.

He was obviously handsome and beautifully built—broad shoulders and chest, tight waist, strong sturdy legs, with a little more softness and roundness behind. But none of it feels overly polished. Even that shaggy dark hair looks like he could slick it back for a nice dinner and wake up the next morning and leave it exactly as it was.

5. Ty pulling off a jockstrap in the locker room.

6. Ty pleasuring himself in the showers.

7. Ty soaping up.

8. Ty Arthur in the kitchen with apron and hotdogs.

That's probably what makes Ty sublime for me. He doesn't seem to be trying very hard to be sexy. He just is. There's something familiar about him that lets me forget the studio, the photographer and even the fact that I'm looking at a photograph.