‘Elska São Paulo’ features the beautiful men of Brazil embracing their queerness

21st July 2021 BWM Staff

This time, the spotlight is on the beautiful men of São Paulo, Brazil!

Back in April, we reported that Elska Magazine had chosen to shine their light on Dublin, Ireland for their latest issue. This time around, the publication, which is dedicated to revealing the bodies and voices of LGBTQ men around the world, has decided to feature the men of São Paulo, Brazil, according to The Advocate!

Shot last November and December, just as Brazil was starting to reopen, a city full of hope for the future and queer energy that had been locked away in the shadows of lockdown was revealed. It has been said that the local men of São Paulo were excited to be featured in Elska because they wanted to let the world discover what Brazil has to offer.

Elska São Paulo allows the world to see that São Paulo is truly one of the queerest cities on the planet. This issue not only illuminates the resilience of the men of São Paulo, but it is also being released during a time when the world is starting to see better, happier times.

“We’ve taken Elska to thirty-three cities around the world so far but nowhere did we have as much interest among local guys to take part as in São Paulo,” says Elska editor and chief photographer Liam Campbell.

“People were just so easy-going and proud to share their stories and show their bodies in front of the camera. We chose to visit Brazil for its famed diversity, which we found in spades, but we didn’t expect the locals to be so proud of their diverse nation and welcoming community. It makes me proud just to have met them, and I look forward to returning to Brazil one day soon and finding more of what this amazing country offers.”

Elska São Paulo is divided into 11 chapters over 212 pages, with each chapter being dedicated to a different guy and filled with a selection of photos taken in their neighborhoods and homes, and features them dressed in their own style — and sometimes not dressed at all. Shot by Elska Editor-in-chief Liam Campbell, the photographs are honest and spontaneous, with each guy revealing aspects of their own personal style and personality.

Each chapter also contains personal stories written by the models themselves. The stories speak about everything from anime to transitioning, sexual discovery, eroticism and adapting to COVID-era reality.

Elska São Paulo is available at select stores around the world and online at elskamagazine.com. Also available with Elska São Paulo is a special companion zine called Elska Ekstra São Paulo, which contains five more guys from Brazil and some behind the scenes tales and bonus outtakes from the photoshoots.