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12 October 2026

16 years of gay pin-up zine meat: Take a look inside the new book celebrating queer photography

What is it about guys in pants, in their own bedrooms, kitchens and living rooms, that makes for such profoundly revealing photography? After 16 years, meat’s Adrian Lourie speaks to Attitude Uncut to discuss the queer indie publication’s journey so far

By Adrian Lourie

a composite of three images of topless men shot in their homes, the far right picture shows two men, so four in total
Models from meat zine over the years (Images: meat)

Count the candles – gay pin-up zine meat is 16! Founded in 2010 by photographer Adrian Lourie, the one-of-a-kind publication celebrates the everyday man on the printed page – which is previewed in the new issue of Attitude Uncut.

But what is it, exactly, about guys in pants, in their own homes – bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms – that makes for such profoundly revealing photography?

a photograph from mat magazine showing a man sitting down in a living room

To mark the milestone, Lourie is dropping a major retrospective book – meat: The First Sixteen Years.

This archival deep dive will feature men from all 76 zines, five books and 10 calendars, and is on shelves now.

The project meant “looking back through more than 800 photo shoots, [which] is no mean feat,” Lourie tells Uncut.

an image of a nude man in black socks on all fours on a bed with white sheets
two men sat in underwear in a living room
two men sat naked in a living room on a grey sofa, one sat on the floor, the other sat behind him on the sofa

“More diverse expressions of masculinity”

“These photographs bring back so many memories of fun, friendship and the countless hours spent photographing hundreds of men.”

“What emerged was not just a collection of photographs, but a record of the changes that have taken place within the gay and queer male community: from clothes and styles to the much wider and more diverse expressions of masculinity.”

a photo from meat magazine showing a man in underwear standing by a bicycle in his home

Here, we take a look at 16 photos that tell the zine’s remarkable story, from humble kitchen backdrops to an issue in San Francisco.

To read this article, check out Attitude Uncut: The Heat Issue now on Apple News+ and the Attitude app.

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