Reykjavík Grapevine - 11.09.2015, Síða 40

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RESTAURANT
ÍSAFOLD
They were the men of Bears On Ice, and
they came here to party. Also to sightsee.
“When someone hears the word
'Bear,' or thinks of the bear scene, they im-
mediately picture a certain look,” Frosti
Jónsson, creator and lead organizer of
this and all previous Bears On Ice events,
told me. The “look” he refers to is approxi-
mately this: a hairy man with a large, burly
build, more often bearded than not, and in
his late thirties to early forties.
In reality, this image is just the tip of
the iceberg. The bear scene has an entire
subcultural taxonomy, mostly descriptive
of physical characteristics, and occasion-
ally attitudes. You've got your standard
issue bears, your daddy bears, your mus-
cle bears, red bears, polar bears; cubs,
chubs, otters, and pups; foxes, silver foxes,
wolves, etc.
From here, one can expand on each
category even further (perhaps ad infi-
nitum), incorporating personality traits,
race and ethnicity, as well as kinks. There
is even a term for the female friend of a
bear—she's called Goldilocks (though
Bears On Ice is a men's only event).
This IS Iceland's
bear scene
Bears On Ice began simply enough. “In
Iceland the gay scene is very small,” said
Frosti, “and at that time [2005] there was
no bear scene at all—which is the scene
that I like.”
Iceland's small population, and a
complex combination of other historical
and contemporary factors, hasn't easily
allowed for a diversification and prolif-
eration of subcultures within the larger
LGBTQ+ context. Really, there isn't much
LGBTQ+ cultural space or scene at all,
aside from the one massive, yearly Pride
event, which takes precedence for financ-
ing, scheduling, and manpower. Room for
smaller events with a more specialised
target audience is hard to come by. “So in-
stead of waiting around for someone else
to do it,” Frosti said, “I just did it myself.”
“I got a message from these two guys
from London just asking if it was a good
idea for them to come to Iceland to throw
a one-off party. But I wanted to make
something more out of it,” Frosti said. “So
I decided, 'Let's do three days, and call it a
Bear Event.'”
In its first year, eighteen men attended
Bears On Ice. A success, certainly, but a
humble one. The event quickly caught
on, however. By the second year, atten-
dance was in the mid-twenties. In 2015,
the eleventh iteration of Bears On Ice sees
upwards of 150 international attendees,
along with a number of Iceland natives.
“We've been fortunate to have had very
likeable men from all over the world come
in and join us,” Frosti said. “And many of
them use the opportunity to come visit
Iceland—to spend an extra few days, do-
ing side trips and sightseeing.”
In this way, Bears On Ice demonstrates
a healthy compromise between Iceland's
booming tourist industry and a self-
directed, local sub-culture. Rather than
sacrificing idiosyncratic elements of cul-
tural identity for tourist bucks, Bears On
Ice has found a healthy merger—provid-
ing a particular cultural experience with a
chance to view Iceland's natural offerings.
The full package for the weekend's events
include a tour of the Golden Circle, and a
trip to Blue Lagoon.
And, as with most things in Iceland: “It
has become a lot bigger, but it's still much
smaller compared with other interna-
tional bear events,” said Frosti. “We're try-
ing to keep it manageable. You should be
able to meet people and remember their
names.”
Beef. As far as the eye can
see, beef
One of the weekend's notably meatier
events was the “top-off party” Friday
night at Lavabarinn, which exemplified
many of the positive benefits of such an
event—body positivity, acceptance and
nurturance of variety and diversity within
a community. As Frosti said: “Inclusivity is
the key word.”
Of course there is the added bonus of
being surrounded by nothing but the type
of person to whom one is attracted (buffet
style), but that always seemed secondary
to the forging and nurturing of social con-
nections.
What was most apparent about the
group was the diversity of age, shape and
body type, and to some extent race and
ethnicity (though less diverse in that re-
spect than at other international events).
All in attendance were equally on display
in a non-judgmental environment. And,
ideally, all would feel the same level of
confidence and comfort. For some, it may
even be one of the rare occasions when
they feel so comfortable in their own skin.
“Everyone here is so welcoming,” said
Joe, a self-described “polar bear” from
the States who flew out with his partner
for a sightseeing trip. Bears On Ice was
serendipitous, happening on the same
weekend. “It's a great group of guys. And
there's none of what you can sometimes
get at other bear events—A-list muscle
bears strutting around, looking down on
others.”
This issue of exclusion within the bear
scene has increased as the subculture has
grown and evolved. There is a real divide
that has formed between those obsessed
with idealized male body image, along
with maintaining the appearance and an
air of hegemonic masculinity [-if possi-
ble, please include a picture of shirtless
Vladimir Putin riding a grizzly bear
here]—to the exclusion, and derision of
“feminine” men, trans men, men of colour,
and overweight men.
However, these ideals are not at all
the kind Frosti envisions for Bears On Ice.
“For us,” he says. “It's all about being ac-
cepted for the way that you are.”
The afternoon trip to the Golden
Circle had already made fast friends of
the Bears On Ice. This helped when there
The Tip Of The Icebearg
This past weekend, an international cavalcade of burly men inundated the City of Reykjavík
and its surrounding natural wonders. Who were these burly men? What did they want? Why
were so many of them wearing cargo shorts?
Photo Páll Guðjónsson
Words Sam Wright Fairbanks
Grapevine's resident homosexual gives the rundown
on the beefiest event this side of the 64th parallel
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- ok?