Here’s what feels like the millionth story about Heated Rivalry. Apologies in advance if you think it’s all we can talk about, but well, it kind of is. Otherwise we’d be forced to talk about things like ICE and Trump, and that’s not what you’re here for.
As mentioned previously on this site, Heated Rivalry has become a sensation not just for the stellar cast, story, and production, but even moreso for the public’s Beatlemania like reaction to the series. At last count, there are nearly 2 bazillion fan pages and profiles across social media, and every step a cast member takes is documented and shared with the world.
Earlier, Wonderland Magazine posted an interview and photo shoot with Hudson Williams.
The photos are very cool, but they seem to have this undertone of …. gay. That’s not to say that a hot guy in a jockstrap eating a banana couldn’t be a metaphor for world peace. And the banana doesn’t symbolize anything more than your eggplant emoji. You know, it’s a cock stand-in. There, I said it just in case it wasn’t obvious enough for anyone.
Another photo features our man wearing a skirt. And ok, I guess straight guys can wear skirts too, but again, feels kinda gay to me. Then there’re a few more photos …
Not sure if you can see this, but all those hands grabbing at Hudson — they’re mens’ hands. Hudson seems quite happy having those men claw at him. Then there are more jockstrap photos — one posed in front of a pink refrigerator no heterosexual man would ever own.
So what? Who cares? Well, this feels (again) like queerbaiting. Hudson is keeping his private life private, which is absolutely fair. But for all that privacy, every image we get shown seems to have a gay undertone. Check out this piece from Wonderland Magazine. Again, virtually no women in sight, and nothing that would make you think Hudson likes the ladies.
All the while, heterosexual women are devouring this content. He’s so cute, I love him, and all of that. Heart-eyed emojis abound. There’s an old concept that women subconsciously find straight men threatening. Deep down, they’re predators in search of sex. But gay men are safe. They’d never hurt a woman. Hell, they don’t want to even touch one. In that spirit, it’s easy to love Hudson & Connor. They’re beautiful men that aren’t scheming to ravage your ladyparts. They’re almost neutered — women want to bake cookies with them, and do their hair — not drag them to bed.
The more that concept perpetuates itself, the deeper we get with that desperate desire for Connor and Hudson to insist their private lives remain private. What would happen if Hudson was unabashedly straight? At the very least, we couldn’t hold onto the fantasy that Hudson/Shane was truly in love with Connor/Ilya. It also makes Hudson less safe. It makes women think of him as just another hot guy who wants to get in their pants. You know, men are men.
Come to think of it, other than a few episodes of Three’s Company, have you ever known a straight guy deny being straight? In the case of Hudson Williams, it’s good for business. Or maybe he’s gay?
