MODEL MONDAY: CHRISTIAN ERIC STRAWN

A few years ago, I was somehow added to the mailing list of the Dallas modeling agency On Display Men. The good news was that they had a stable of very hot guys. The bad news was that, despite their name--which sounded like a strip show--On Display Men followed the Texas Christian ethic of never showing men beyond shirtless or in very unrevealing bathing suits. It was like a chef who had a garden of  the best ingredients, but chose to use dehydrated veggies instead. They truly didn't seem to get that no one was interested in staid, dull pictures of men. So it was no surprise when they folded about a year and a half ago.

If anything good did come out of On Display Men, it was that some of their models made their way to other forums, and were picked up by agencies without the prudishness. My favorite of the models was picked up by New York Wilhelmina Models...

CHRISTIAN ERIC STRAWN

Born in 1986 in Ada, Oklahoma, Christian now spends most of his time in Oklahoma City, though he bases himself in Dallas and New York for his modeling.

Ironic that his name was Christian, since he came from an agency that practiced those values, which I have nothing against. I just think that the world of modeling is an odd place to employ that line of reasoning. 

From his very first days at On Display Men, it was clear that he was ahead of the pack. Even with the lackluster photos and the refusal to even show some hip, you could see that Christian was designed for big things. 

WIth a body like that, it's easy to look past that stunning face...

Now THAT is a megawatt smile!

A man in a suit is always sexy. This first pic has a slight 70s look to it, but Christian still pulls it off well.

With long or short hair, he looks great, but I must say that I prefer it short...

Bodysuits were MADE to be worn like this....

I don't know who Passioneye Photography is, and I am happy to have these pics, but I do wish the camera had focused more on Christian and less on the surroundings. Art is all about learning from your mistakes, and here are a few to learn from.

Was anyone interested in seeing that crusty hillside in greater amounts than Christian?

I get the geometry, but why so much space around him on all sides?

If you're going to show him from this angle, then put him in a swimsuit. Were we supposed to be admiring those baggy jeans? 

Again, geometry is a good idea, but why is the other concrete pipe in the shot?  Could someone teach this photographer to crop!

The only way to recuperate from that is a hunk and a puppy.  

These next two shots simply look like snapshots taken by a friend. That mint green shirt steals all the color in the pic, and the background is washed out. Still Christian marches on like a soldier. 

Don't fence me in...

ATHLETICS IN BLACK & WHITE

Christian was the quintessential man for a Cosmopolitan article. 

One on one. My favorite way to play. 

Recently Christian posted pictures of himself at a charitable event in Oklahoma City, which included wearing a Speedo and getting splattered with paint. 

Here we see Christian with a species of creature known as Luckius Bitchus

Only women would think to put paint all over that magnificent body. Sheesh!

This video from YouTube proves just exactly why I have so many reservations about groups like On Display Men....

The whole video is an exercise in What NOT To Do. They start with a hot shot of Christian, and then slap a HUGE name slug over top of him. You find yourself trying to look around it.   But as you follow the video, Christian is never filmed in good light.  Even when he is on the train tracks, in broad daylight, he is shown with his back to the sun, hence with shadows covering the things we want to see. It is an exercise in annoyance, where you find yourself shouting at the screen, "Get that thing out of the way!" "Turn him around!" "Move him into the light!" "Turn the freaking camera!

FIGHT for your RIGHT to enjoy Christian Strawn!

In 2008, Christian was in this mock video about John McCain as a presidential candidate...

CHRISTIAN ERIC STRAWN--CATCHING UP FOR LOST TIME