Mike Arlen

Mike Arlen’s Guys – Popular UK self-published gay magazine from the 1980s. Created by London-based photographer Mike Arlen, the publication was known for its “raw and real” aesthetic, documenting the fashion and subcultures of the era. It had a certain niche appeal that focused on bodybuilding and young men who were well-endowed; it often featured specific fetish glimpses like white PE kits and military uniforms. Mike Arlen is now considered a pioneer because he documented a side of gay life that was raw, unpolished, and street-focused that many other photographers of the time ignored.