We’ve had a few obvious big hitters in the last few weeks on Shameless Objectification [{href='https://thedebrief.co.uk/2014/04/emma-stone-takes-swipe-at-andrew-garfield-for-femininity-comment#.U1TZdm154uI' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'}, how you doing?) but this is the first time we’ve developed a raging crush on a postage stamp. The Finnish Postal service (Itella Posti Oy) have released a preview of their new range of stamps, featuring artwork from renowned Finnish artist, Tom of Finland (real name Touko Laaksonen).
Laakosonen died in 1991, but with a biopic of his life set to start filming soon, Itella Posti Oy decided that now was the time to honour the artist, who is known as ‘the most influential creator of gay pornographic images.’ He's also a massive gay icon, said to have influenced Freddie Mercury and The Village People.
The Finnish post service said of the stamps: ‘His emphatically masculine homoerotic drawings have attained iconic status in their genre and had an influence on, for instance, pop culture and fashion. In his works, Tom of Finland utilized the self-irony and humor typical of subcultures… The drawings on the stamp sheet represent strong and confident male figures typical of their designer.’
Certainly beats a picture of the Queen on your birthday card from your Nan. So let’s objectify away…
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Picture: Itella Posti Oy
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.