Exclusive: Stanchris Debuts New Documentary About Bears

We get the exclusive scoop on Stanchris’ brand new documentary Unbearably Beautiful: Bear Week in Provincetown, now streaming on his YouTube channel (and below). Read on to learn more.

Chris Stanley, better known as Stanchris, first came to bears’ attention by his bold declaration for his love for us across his social media platforms. Having garnered fame and over a million followers thanks to viral man on the street type interviews and travel vlog content, it was shocking for the mainstream to see a young, handsome twink (though he’s more of a twunk now) proclaim his attraction to bigger/ harrier guys. He was often ridiculed for his admission and told that he was “doing it for the likes and attention”. He garnered further notoriety (and unsolicited commentary) from the public when he later announced his relationship to reality star Bret LaBelle due to the 27-year age gap between them. It was sometime after this proclamation that we came to know the pair and interviewed them for the magazine.

A lot has happened in Stanchris’ world since then including the release of two music videos: “Chase” which featured LaBelle in all his video vixen glory, and the more recent “Wet Dream” which was a collaboration with Gregory Dillon. Earlier this summer he released the short film Second Thought in conjunction with his good friend and fellow content creator Art Bezrukavenko, in which the pair tackle the age-old quandary as to whether its better to wait instead of jumping right into bed with someone. And then of course, there was the documentary I Went to the Smallest Pride in America! in which Chris took us to Morgantown Pride in West Virginia, for which he garnered some headlines.

The budding filmmaker returns now with his latest documentary Unbearably Beautiful: Bear Week in Provincetown in which he gets to explore one of his favorite topics.

“I just really like bears!” Chris tells me when asked why he made the film. “I wanted to showcase the love and energy I feel during Bear Week in Provincetown. There’s also been a bit of a shift in the gay world where dad bods and chubbier guys are starting to be better appreciated and I wanted to celebrate that since gay beauty standards tend to be unrealistic. I also wanted to reiterate to the world that everyone is beautiful and that we should appreciate how attractive everyone is.”

As editor in chief of Bear World, I was one of approximately 20 people interviewed for the documentary which focuses on the attitudes that the gay community and bears themselves have towards their bodies and the community. It looks at society’s perception of us with our often bigger and harrier bodies, for better and for worse.

“I was surprised at how long it took a lot of the bears I interviewed to accept their own bodies” Chris shares. “I think bears are so hot and I have mostly experienced them as super fun and confident people, so it was a shock to me to realize how many of them struggled with confidence issues. I was happy to hear though that the bear community helped these guys to be comfortable with themselves. That’s why I love this community so much, they make everyone feel welcomed.”

Body image and identity is something that many of us and our newer bear siblings struggle with. I asked what an ally and admirer like Chris thought could help with that and he said:

“Just trying to love yourself and definitely more representation in the media and also by being active in the bear community. These are the people that are going to love you and not judge you.”

Very wise words indeed.

As to what the future holds for Stanchris, he’s got a lot of irons in the fire, so to speak, including work on a feature called Scraps, an LGBTQ+ skateboarding film, more short films and documentary ideas involving Taylor Swift and religion’s impact on queer people. However, he promises to keep up with his street interviews and vlogs. The best is yet to come.

Watch Unbearably Beautiful: Bear Week in Provincetown below: