Hot Takes: Yuri Tolochko, Vince Torres And Arad Winwin
Yuri Tolochko
Kazakh bodybuilder Yuri Tolochko is the kind of man who makes beards feel like a civic duty. The 36-year-old from Astana is a bodybuilding champion, activist, blogger, public speaking coach, and acting teacher, with four books of poetry to his name and a side career in opera direction. He first crossed into international headlines when he got engaged to a life-sized doll called Margo, but anyone who scrolled past the novelty quickly noticed the hairy chest, the thick beard and the muscles holding it all together. DNA Magazine featured him in a shoot by photographer Ivan Photowimm, captured both outside the Baiterek monument in Kazakhstan and in the studio. Photowimm said he had simply “captured the beauty of this amazing man”. That beauty, for the record, is very hairy.
Vince Torres
Vince Torres is the Spaniard London claims as its own. Born in Alicante and based in the UK, he’s the reigning Mister Universe England representative, a muscle hunk who speaks French, Catalan, Spanish and English. He came out at 14 with full family support, trained himself into a physique most people would write home about, and somehow still holds down a day job as a mechanical design engineer on consumer electronics you’ve probably used. Early riser, too. He’s at the gym by 6:30am, which is offensive behaviour but clearly works for him.
Arad Winwin
Arad Winwin’s backstory is as compelling as his face is photogenic. The Tehran-born model fled Iran at 22 after refusing mandatory military service, spent six months imprisoned in Turkey, and eventually resettled in the United States through the UN Refugee Program. From there he’s built a career as one of the most recognisable faces and bodies in gay media, with a jawline and abs that have done more for home workouts than any trainer on Instagram. DNA Magazine featured him in 2019 in a photo series by Eric Z Martin, and seven years on, the shoot still holds up. Some men age. Arad apparently does not.
