How the West Got Shirtless: Beefcakes, the Stampede, and Queerness

For one special summer edition, Hot Dogs & Hot Takes on History becomes Hot Cakes & Hot Takes on History. Diving into a surprising chapter of Calgary's visual history, we ask a very important question — just how much shirtless cowboy photography can one city produce before people start asking questions? Historian and author Kevin Allen returns to explore the world of "beefcake" imagery that flourished around the Calgary Stampede throughout the twentieth century. Originally created to celebrate rugged masculinity, athleticism, and the ideal western man, these photographs often featured remarkably sculpted cowboys, ranch hands, and athletes posing in various states of undress. The intention may have been to promote strength, virility, and frontier values. The result, however, was often something a little more... complicated. 

Kevin examines photographs, advertisements, postcards, and popular culture, and how these images reflect changing ideas about gender, masculinity, and desire. Along the way, he'll explore how queer audiences found meaning in images that were never intended for them, and why some of Calgary's most iconic symbols of masculinity have aged into something unexpectedly homoerotic. This conversation is a reminder that history is rarely as straightforward as it appears — and that sometimes the most revealing stories are hidden in plain sight, usually without a shirt. Come for the hot cakes, stay for the realization that Calgary has been accidentally serving queer subtext for decades.