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Firefighter calendars are a type of decorative
Firefighter calendars are a type of decorative calendar
A calendar is a system of organizing days. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months and years. A calendar date, date is the designation of a single and specific day within such a system. A calendar is ...
that feature images of shirtless or scantily-dressed muscular men depicted as firefighters
A firefighter (or fire fighter or fireman) is a first responder trained in specific emergency response such as firefighting, primarily to control and extinguish fires and respond to emergencies such as hazardous material incidents, medical in ...
. They are typically marketed towards heterosexual women, and are often created by fire departments to raise money for charity.
History
The precursor to firefighter calendars werephysique magazines
Physique magazines or beefcake magazines were magazines devoted to physique photography—that is, photographs of muscular " beefcake" men—typically young and attractive—in athletic poses, usually in revealing, minimal clothing. During thei ...
, also known as beefcake magazines, which rose to popularity in the 1940s. These magazines depicted muscular men in minimal or no clothing performing poses. Physique magazines represented a shift in magazine culture from celebrity models to blue-collar
A blue-collar worker is a person who performs manual labor or skilled trades. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. The type of work may involve manufacturing, retail, warehousing, mining, carpentry, electrical work, custodia ...
models, such as firefighters, which would influence later decorative calendars.
When pornography
Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...
grew in popularity in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s, particularly after '' Manual Enterprises, Inc. v. Day'' made images of male full-frontal nudity legal, straight women began to be targeted as consumers of male-focused smut, which gave way to female-targeted calendars.
Decorative calendars featuring muscular men began to rise in popularity in the 1980s, and calendars depicting firefighters became ubiquitous. While some are created purely for profit, most use proceeds to raise money for charity. In the 2010s and 2020s, firefighter calendars began to feature both male and female firefighters.
In the 21st century, firefighter calendars have become popular in Asia, particularly Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
. In 2018, the Taiwanese government invited two models from the Australian Firefighter Calendar to visit a travel expo, and gave out over 10,000 calendars. The Australian models are considered celebrities in Taiwan, and their visits attract considerable media attention.
Other beefcake calendars
Calendars that feature muscular men regardless of profession are collectively called " beefcake calendars". Other types of beefcake calendars include those featuring college students, police officers, and Latino models.See also
* Nude calendar *Pin-up model
A pin-up model is a model whose mass-produced pictures and photographs have wide appeal within the popular culture of a society. Pin-up models are usually glamour, actresses, or fashion models whose pictures are intended for informal and aesth ...
References
{{reflist Promotional calendars Stationery Firefighters Charity fundraising