From 1973 to 2016, when the magazine folded, the definition and shape of masculinity have evolved tremendously. While its medium was paper, not plaster, like the statues, the magazine was, in its simplest form, a means of distributing an ideal vision of the male body to the masses. The title, which dates back to 1973, has a scantily clad history of putting the male form on full display. It was the image of these pint-sized Adonises, which I encountered regularly while on a Roman holiday last summer, that immediately came to mind when I heard about the relaunch of Playgirl Magazine. And for 10 euros a pop, their sex appeal is a palpable, accessible thrill. With their tufted abs and manhood scaled to the size of a peanut M&M, these miniature macho men carved in the likeness of ancient heroes like Hadrian and David are mass-produced manifestations of male idealism. Shelves are toppled with tin gladiator helmets, enamel plates etched with the cityscape are glued to walls like stamps, and replica figurines of Michelangelo masterpieces are aplenty. The streets that slope down from the Colosseum are crammed with souvenir shops, their contents spilling with shiny toy relics of Rome’s past.
