David Magazine v7_i32 | Unleash Your SUMMER SEXY

V7-32 08.09.23

Embrace Your Summer

Sizzle

Just How

Gay Is Barbie?

Spotlight:

Renaissance Weekend

+ Photos & More

DAVID I N

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AUG 09, 2023 V7-32 DAVID Magazine Peach Media 6050 Dawson Blvd, Ste O Norcross, GA 30093

MANAGING PARTNER & OPERATIONS Brian Sawyer brian@davidatlanta.com

EDITORIAL & SOCIAL MEDIA Editor-in-Chief Mikkel Hyldebrandt mikkel@davidatlanta.com

SALES | EVENTS Josh King Josh@davidatlanta.com Russ Bowen-Youngblood

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CONTRIBUTORS Russ Bowen-Youngblood Chris Azzopardi

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Just How

Gay

Is ‘Barbie’?

It Depends on Who You Ask

By Chris Azzopardi Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Let’s face it: “Barbie” was going to be gay. iconic but historically heteronormative dolls Maybe not gay enough, according to some portrayed by openly queer actors (to be gays. Maybe too gay, according to anti-gays. fair, no characters are straight or gay since The fact is, this is a movie about Barbie, and wherever Barbie goes, some inherent queerness will go, too. As a kid, I remember wanting to be Barbie’s best gay friend — I imagined we’d have some pretty fun sleepovers in her Dreamhouse. I also imagined some pretty fun sleepovers with Ken. So now that “Barbie” is a splashy, pinksoaked blockbuster, director Greta Gerwig serves up a feminist fantasia in which a dolls, according to Robbie, don’t have sexual diverse group of Barbies, including several orientation because they all just have plastic played by LGBTQ+ actors, reclaim their nubs down there). Scott Evans, who is Chris world from their Ken-ruling counterparts. As Evans’ gay brother, is a Ken, while queer a gay boy led into gay adulthood by strong “Love, Simon” actress Alexandra Shipp women, I am on board with all that girl power plays a Barbie. Trans actor Hari Nef also in Gerwig’s “Barbie.” plays a Barbie, and Kate McKinnon is “Weird I also appreciate that the film, starring Margot Barbie,” who emanates some real lesbian Robbie as the leading Barbie and Ryan vibes (McKinnon herself is openly lesbian) Gosling as the leading Ken, is full of queer particularly when she offers Robbie’s Barbie subtext that has sent right-wingers into a some more practical, everyday footwear — anti-queer meltdown because, god forbid, those being Birkenstocks. dolls should be for everyone. Fox News reported that a Christian news site “warns” that the film ‘“forgets core audience’ in favor of trans agenda and gender themes.”

Let them have their bigoted feelings while the rest of us admire “Barbie” for what it is: a coming-of-age film that lets underdogs come out on top. Here are five of the queerest things to love about “Barbie.”

1. LGBTQ+ actors play the dolls

2. Ken’s queer energy Queers actors are among those portraying the Barbies and Kens in Gerwig’s Barbie It would be a shame to feature Ken as Land. I’d say that’s remarkable, but that prominently as this film does without at kind of casting, where queer people are least winking at the queer boys, such as just in the mix of onscreen talent, should myself, who loved him. Thankfully, this fact is be the norm in all films. In “Barbie,” it is, realized in Gerwig’s “Barbie,” which suggests however, especially meaningful seeing the that Ken is both an object of desire for men,

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DAVID Magazine

including other Kens, and that he may even 4. The Indigo Girls be chasing Barbie for reasons that aren’t exactly amorous in nature. Maybe Ken needs When I first saw the trailer for “Barbie,” I Barbie like Jack needs Karen? couldn’t help but feel a sense of vindication The Kens in this movie, after all, are confused for the Indigo Girls, whose name I’ve often about who they should be, spending so much heard referred to in mainstream culture as time proving their masculinity because they “lesbian music” for the mere fact that duo are convinced that is how they should act. Emily Saliers and Amy Ray are lesbians.

That societal pressure alone is a familiar Suddenly, here was Barbie, a beloved stress to any gay man, but “Barbie” does commercial figure, flipping the script on loosely put Ken somewhere on the spectrum that stereotypical notion, driving her pink of queerness, whether that be a quick cameo Corvette and belting out “Closer to Fine” as from Magic Earring Ken, modeled on gay she leaves Barbie Land for the real world. fashion and also known as “Cock Ring Ken,” or by showing Evans riding a horse stick in “You don’t imagine a folk lesbian duo to be in this hot-pink Barbie movie,” Tig Notaro told Trish Bendix at The New York Times. “Kind of just selfishly and personally, I feel like, ‘Yeah, we were onto something all these years,’ you know? It’s validating. Obviously it’s been a huge hit forever, but this is so next level.”

Perhaps as a way to emphasize this union of commercial and queer culture, openly gay Grammy winner Brandi Carlie and her wife Catherine cover the song on the soundtrack’s expanded edition.

5. Allan a way that doesn’t exactly register as totally Always an Allan, never a Ken. If Ken was the straight. Meanwhile, Gosling’s Ken gets object of so many queer boys’ affection, Allan kissed on the cheek by two other Kens, was the doll many of us could relate to — including Evans, during a homoerotic ballet when we weren’t daydreaming about being sequence that includes the lyric “put that Barbie, that is. Allan, portrayed by Michael manly hand in mine.” He does not seem to Cera, is the doll version of me at 13 years old, mind. avoiding all the Kens at the bus stop while I exclusively shuffled between women artists 3. Gender-neutral bathrooms on my Walkman. In “Barbie,” Cera’s Allan, who wears a crocheted button-down with One of the most obvious displays of queer colors that resemble a rainbow and whose inclusivity in “Barbie” involves just a few body isn’t tan and chiseled like the Kens, is words spoken by Will Ferrell: “gender-neutral right at home with the Barbies himself, not bathrooms.” I nearly applauded when Ferrell, so much the Kens and all of their abs and beloved for potty-humor comedies that swaggering machismo. For those reasons surely attracts those who have issues with alone, Allan is the outsider in all of us. transgender people using whatever bathroom they want, was running down the list of what Chris Azzopardi is the Editorial Director of you’d find at the Mattel headquarters. At Pride Source Media Group and Q Syndicate, the national LGBTQ+ wire service. He has interviewed a multitude of superstars, including Cher, Meryl Streep, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, GQ and Billboard. Reach him via Twitter @ chrisazzopardi.

Mattel, people pick whatever bathroom best suits them. For one of the biggest films of the year to be given the stamp of approval from a giant corporation that makes products for children, some of the same kids these antitrans bathroom bills affect, that’s a small victory.

DAVID Magazine

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Beyoncé the After Party As Atlanta prepares to receive Beyoncé for a whole weekend, X Midtown is making sure that you can continue the party after the concert with a two-day event that celebrates the queen Bey. Come out and listen to all her best hits while watching videos ofher very of best performances.

WHEN: Friday, August 11 and Saturday August 12 at 10 pm WHERE: X Midtown

The CVNTY Tour: Beyonce After Party with Kevin Aviance Join Wussy mag and come celebrate your Renaissance Weekend and Beyoncé all night long as the legendary icon in the true sense of the word, Kevin Aviance, is stopping in Atlanta for the CVNTY tour. You may recognize Kevin’s voice from Beyoncé’s “Pure/ Honey” which sampled Aviance’s legendary track “CVNTY.” The night will be hosted by JayBella Banks and will feature a very special performance by Kevin Aviance. Tickets available through DICE FM. WHEN: Saturday, August 12, 11 pm WHERE: Gallery at Underground ATL, 50 Upper Alabama St SW Do you want your event featured on this page? Email info@davidatlanta.com for more info on how to get your event or party highlighted here.

JH MAIN EVENT online@davidatlanta.com and social media

Photos by: Russ Bowen-Youngblood

Unleash Your S

By Mikkel Hyldebrandt

4

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7 As the sun-kissed days of summer envelop us in their warm embrace, we find ourselves basking in the glow of newfound confidence, radiance, and allure. The hot summer months have a magical way of igniting our inner flames, inspiring us to step out of our comfort zones and embrace a sexiness that’s uniquely our own. From outdoor workouts that sculpt our bodies to vibrant social interactions that light up our spirits, summer gifts us with the tools to fully embody our allure.

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Even though summer is nearing an end, it is time for you to embrace the sizzle you’ve cultivated and explore how you can harness the energy of the season to maximize your sexiness potential.

Summer Sexy

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Elevate Your Summer Sexiness

Fashion Confidence Enhancers

Lightweight, hydrating skincare products infused with vitamin C to enhance your natural radiance and combat any suninduced skin stress. This serum is a perfect pairing under SPF.

Opt for stylish, comfortable swimwear that celebrates your body and underlines the sexy – maybe go for a brief to expose even more skin?

1) Versed Stroke of Brilliance Brightening Serum, $20 Take control of your brows and give your face a different kind of definition with this must-have product that thickens and shapes for face-framing brows in seconds.

2) Glossier Boy Brow Clear, $18 Deeply nourish and hydrate your skin for that coveted glow and experience the indulgent scent that will have others move in closer to catch a whiff of your warm, sunkissed skin.

3) Saltair Santal Bloom Body Lotion, $14 Summer is at its peak, and you may want to switch up your scent game so that is aligns with your hotter and better self. Like this smoky and woodsy fragrance that will also take you effortlessly into fall.

4) Hawthorne Play Cologne, $50

5) Nasty Pig Neon Brandmark Bikini, $59 (available at boynextdorrmenswear.com) Make those last parties of summer matter with some sexy gear that will not only boost your confidence but will also be fun to play with.

6) CELLBLOCK 13 Huntsman Neoprene Harness, $78 Show off your progress with a mesh polo that showcases your body while still keeping you covered – now that’s sexy!

7) Obey Rolling Mesh Quarter Zip Polo Shirt, $90

BLAKES Funday Sunday online@davidatlanta.com and social media

Photos by: Russ Bowen-Youngblood

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Dining

BARS 2 Blake's 3 Bulldogs 4 Friends

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227 10th St NE 893 Peachtree St NE 736 Ponce De Leon Ave NE

9 10 & Piedmont 991 Piedmont Ave NE 10 Campagnolo 980 Piedmont Ave NE 16 G’s Midtown 219 10th St NE 17 Henry’s 132 10th St NE 19 La Hacienda 900 Monroe Dr NE

6 My Sister’s Room66 12th St NE 7 X Midtown 990 Piedmont Ave NE

fitness

BARS not on map

spa/bath

1 FUTURE ATLANTA 50 Lower Alabama St. SW Suite 180

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14 Urban Body Fitness 500 Amsterdam Ave NE 15 Flex Spa

76 4th St. NW

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NEW ONLINE CALENDAR of EVENTS

User submitted .

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20 BJ Roosters

2043 Cheshire Bridge Rd

22 Tripps

1931 Piedmont Cir NE

Dining

24 Las Margaritas Closed Temporarily

Retail

1842 Cheshire Bridge Rd

26 Barking Leather 27 Southern Nights

1510 Piedmont Ave Suite A 2205 Cheshire Bridge Rd

28 Heretic 29 Tokyo Valentino

2069 Cheshire Bridge Rd 1739 Cheshire Bridge Rd

30 Gravitee Fitness

2201 Faulkner Rd NE

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32 Atlanta Eagle 1492 Piedmont Ave NE 33 Felix's 1510 Piedmont Ave NE 34 The Hideaway 1544 Piedmont Ave NE 35 Mixx 1492 Piedmont Ave NE 36 Oscar's 1510 Piedmont Ave NE Mary's 1287 Glenwood Ave SE Sister Louisa’s Church 466 Edgewood Ave SE Lips Atlanta 3011 Buford Hwy NE 465 Boulevard SE The T Woof's 494 Plasters Ave NE

Retail

39 Boy Next Door 40 Barking Leather

Fitness

1447 Piedmont Ave NE 1510 Piedmont Ave NE

41 Equilibrium Fitness 1529 Piedmont Ave, Suite L

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DAVID Magazine

DAVID Magazine

Check out David Magazine Online & more!

A snapshot of Gay Atlanta’s favorite destinations. View their ads in DAVID & visit their websites for weekly event listings.

SNAPS MIDTOWN

BLAKE’S ON THE PARK blakesontheparkatlanta.com 227 10th St NE BULLDOGS 893 Peachtree St NE FRIENDS NEIGHBORHOOD BAR friendsonponce-atl. com 736 Ponce De Leon Ave NE MY SISTER’S ROOM mysistersroom.com 66 12th St NE X MIDTOWN xmidtown.com 990 Piedmont Ave NE THE T modeltatlanta.com 465 Boulevard SE

WESTSIDE

MARQUETTE 868 Joseph E. Boone Blvd NW 840ATL 840 Joseph E. Boone Blvd NW ANSLEY

ATLANTA EAGLE 1492 Piedmont Ave NE

CASA ALMENARA 991 Piedmont Ave NE casa-almenara.com HENRY’S henrysatl.com 132 10th St NE LA HACIENDA lahaciendamidtown. com 900 Monroe Dr NE

FELIX’S 1510 Piedmont Ave NE

TUK TUK THAI FOOD LOFT TUKTUKATL.COM 1745 Peachtree Rd NW

THE HIDEAWAY 1544 Piedmont Ave NE

DEKALB

MIXX mixxatlanta.com 1492 Piedmont Ave NE OSCAR’S oscarsatlanta.com 1510 Piedmont Ave NE

CHESHIRE

WOOFS woofsatlanta.com 494 Plasters Ave NE

HERETIC hereticatlanta.com 2069 Cheshire Bridge Road

EAST ATLANTA, GRANT PARK & EDGEWOOD

BJ ROOSTERS bjroosters.com 2043 Cheshire Bridge Road NE

DINING MIDTOWN

MARY’S marysatlanta.com 1287 Glenwood Ave SE SISTER LOUISA’S CHURCH

sisterlouisaschurch.com

466 Edgewood Ave SE

LIPS ATLANTA atldragshow.com

3011 Buford Hwy NE

RETAIL MIDTOWN

BARKING LEATHER AFTER DARK barkingleather.com 1510 Piedmont Ave NE CHESHIRE

SOUTHERN NIGHTS VIDEO 2205 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE ANSLEY

BOY NEXT DOOR MENSWEAR

boynextdoormenswear.com

1000 Piedmont Ave NE, Ste A GCB & PLEASURES brushstrokesatlanta.com

1510-D Piedmont Ave. NE

FITNESS MIDTOWN URBAN BODY FITNESS urbanbodyfitness.com 500 Amsterdam Ave N CHESHIRE GRAVITEE FITNESS graviteeatl.com 2201 Faulkner Rd NE SPAS/BATHS ADULT FLEX SPA flexspas.com 76 4th St NW

EMAIL iNFO@DAViDATLANTA.COM FOR FREE BUSINESS LISTINGS THERE IS ROOM FOR YOU!

BARS & CLUBS

We all have those moments of ‘wait, did they just say that?’ Lucky for you, we compile the best of the best right here on this page.

Want to join in on the b*tch session?

Submit your own nuggets to info@davidatlanta.com.

Gays coming out of a bathroom stall like it’s a clown car.

Every single day there is something to do, and I am sick of it.

As gay people, it is our right to lie to straight coworkers when they ask what we did over the weekend.

They said they wanted fairytale, but when I showed up to curse their firstborn, suddenly I’m the jerk?!

Never mind the nuances of any labor dispute. The side with the obscene amounts of money is in the wrong.

Your religion does not prohibit me from anything. It prohibits you. Learn the difference.

If my silly level get too low, I might die.

DAVID Magazine

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