Vice: Scally Lads

“It’s a lot like drag, but at the other end of the spectrum,” says Phil. “A lot of guys in this scene have normal jobs, like working in an office or a bar – they’re not selling drugs from a council flat – so it’s a form of release. It’s role play, pretending to be something different to what you are.”

Because it is role play, a great deal of congruency is needed to keep it genuine. “You take a look at a guy on Trackies, he looks good, he’s got the gear,” says Alex, “but then you take a look at where he is – a room with a nice pink carpet and flowery bed sheets. At the back of my mind I’m going, ‘Oh, his name’s actually Jonathan and he’s an accountant from Surrey’. It ruins the fantasy. You can’t be too old, either…”

This congruency doesn’t simply stop at physical appearance, it extends to sex, too. “You’ll never have sex in a bed,” says Lee. “That’s so normal, it’s the missionary position, vanilla. I like to meet up with a guy in a pub, have a few pints and then go fuck in the toilets. I know some guys who won’t have sex at all – they’ll just wank off together because they think it’s how straight lads would do it.”

“Straight” and “straight-acting” are words you see a lot on Trackies profiles. Everyone seems to be looking for an archetypical straight boy, and I wonder if the extensive use of ALL CAPS and poor spelling are all front, just superficial attempts at fitting into loutish stereotypes...

Aleks Eror for the ever voyeuristic Vice.

Photo from trackies.com - possibly posed by models.