Andy

Andy arrived at my apartment and we spoke before taking photos. He told me about his life as a sex worker, the erotic wrestling scene and his transition into doing go-go dancing. When we did start taking photos, he did have some apprehension because it was a new experience for him. I found it a little odd, but he warmed up very quick so it was not big deal.

I know Andy from Instagram. Prior to the pandemic, I got into the indie wrestling scene and started following a prominent gay wrestler, EFFY, and the algorithm and our proximity just made Andy show up in my feed one day.

Andy told me his story, how wrestling was a big part of his childhood and was unknowingly a sexual awakening for him. He began erotic wrestling right out of high school, when he still identified as straight, though now he identifies as bisexual. This lead him to learning how to actually wrestle from a local wrestling school, the Santino Bros., where a straight teacher picked up very quickly the vibe Andy was putting down and suggested he get into the “video scene” which is just as it sounds: erotic wrestling on video. I mentioned to Andy that a lot of these fringe sports (wrestling, bodybuilding, MMA) have an underground scene where men will make money doing sex work. It seems like a much more lucrative endeavor than putting your body thought hell and back.

Andy noted that he was a jobber when he was doing more erotic wrestling. A jobber is the wrestler who will lose the match to make the face (hero) or heel (villain) look good. He mentioned that most guys hired for erotic wrestling are either jobbers or heels, playing the submissive or dominant role in the sexual scene. I guess no one wants to be defeated by the face, or maybe it’s just an incredibly rare occurrence.

Andy was more than happy to take some very over-the-top campy poses with him flexing, which I was elated to hear. Wrestling’s incredibly campy nature lends itself so well to erotica, so it’s no wonder that there are many people who get into the “video scene.” There is also just a charm to wrestling that has a similar quality to very old porno from the 70s and 80s. Andy mentioned that he wanted to film something in the same vein one day, which I’d be more than happy to film. The line between art and erotica is very thin, but so is the line between erotica and cheese.

More recently Andy has begun go-go dancing at local bear bars and wanted some photos to highlight this new career path. I was more than happy to take a few photos in his go-go gear. I noted that he looked “cute” in his gear as he danced and flexed. He feigned frustration, saying that he had to overcome the feeling of inadequacy from being labeled “cute,” which had its advantages in erotic wrestling and now in the go-go and leather scene. There is a very sensual power behind “cuteness,” that I can’t quite put words to. It’s hard to explain when a guy is cute, it easily bleeds into sexy, perhaps as part of that dom/sub dynamic. It’s hard to say, but I think I know a few people who could elucidate on the topic for me.

Finally I took some nude photos of Andy. And look, I am very pleased with my shots and I think he looks fantastic, but I think it is safe to say there is more eroticism communicated when he is in gear. It’s a fascinating concept but it makes sense as his job for several years has been to be sexy while in some amount of clothing. Even if a few of his nude shots feel almost demure, he was perfectly fine with taking direction to try a few different poses. Ultimately, his cuteness does shine through, which I believe adds to his relative success in the scenes he’s been apart of these past years.

Afterwards, we talked a bit about his future plans in go-going, in the pageant leather scene as well as a bit about music and video games. I was very happy to work with Andy and to finally meet him in person. I wish him luck as a go-go and hopefully I’ll see him strutting his stuff at the bars one of these days.

You can follow Andy on his Instagram and his Twitter (NSFW) and you can catch him go-go dancing in the Los Angeles area.