My “Man Calendars”, 2018-2020

During my single period I used to make my own calendar each year with images I’d select of my favourite “hot men” (or as later evolved, whoever was bringing light to my life). I took this idea from someone I followed on Instagram who’d do something similar digitally, I decided to take it a step further and get it printed!

I started doing this in 2018, which was when I was having a lot of fun living in a shared house (with some wonderful people) and working on repairing my self-esteem after a break-up. Having the calendar up on my wall was somewhere I could remind myself that I was living a life now with friends and activities, and if it was looking a little empty it was a nudge to get something set up.

I moved out in 2019 to live by myself, this was a necessary move but I started to have a period of loneliness and was feeling isolated so – as well as a bit of silliness that cheered up the room – the calendar was more important as a touch stone that my life wasn’t as empty as I felt like it was at times – and somewhere I could demonstrate that I was making an effort with online dating (I do not miss those days!) … and then obviously 2020 happened!

In 2020 I met my partner, which is why the calendars stopped (I didn’t think I needed it in the same way)! He keeps asking if I’m going to throw or tidy them away, as they are just sort of cluttering up the office at the moment, so before I do that I wanted to document them!

They really are a little look back through time to what I had going on in 2018-2020! Some of these choices have stood the test of time, others not so much.

This was my first calendar. I was extremely tickled with the idea of it and I had a lot of run putting it together! It is a proper look back at the TV and movies I was watching at the time.

I am particularly proud of the cover of this one, made up of images I couldn’t find high resolution enough for a main page but I didn’t want to go to waste!

January: Adam Driver

I have had a thing for Adam Driver since I first came across him in Girls. I couldn’t explain his magnetism, but it’s some combination of his height and his mannerisms, and being a really great, sensitive actor. After he appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) I was enjoying seeing him ‘around’ more in media and interviews.

February: Jamie Dornan

My intro to Jamie Dornan was as the Huntsman in Once Upon A Time and I never really got over him being killed off so early! I have no nor have any desire to see Fifty Shades of Grey, so his presence on the 2018 calendar has nothing to do with that movie other than it meant he was ‘around’ in the media, though I think is probably the reason for whatever sexy photoshoot I got this image from!

March: Eddie Redmayne

So Eddie Redmayne blipped onto my radar with Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them (2016) and Jupiter Ascending (2015). I confess I did really enjoy that first Fantastic Beasts movie, and especially him as Newt and his lovely coat. I also loved how he chewed up ALL the scenery in Jupiter Ascending, he knew what movie he was in and he had a great time.

April: Ben Adams

AKA “Ben from A1.” Ok so back in the day I was never fussed about Ben. In his boyband heyday he had those classic 90s curtains, and honestly even in the 90s I never thought that was a flatting cut on a man! But, then one day I stumbled across his Instagram, and now… Oh boy now, fully grown adult Ben with his nice haircut and his chest hair… yes. In 2020, the weekend before the first lockdown, I saw him with A1 on a tour with other 2000s Boybands and man, it made me feel like a teenager again!

He has also grown even more in my esteem since “the worst kept secret” came out and he revealed he was indeed “Keith” in Norway’s 2021 Eurovision entry Subwolfer (one of my favourite things that’s ever happened).

Anyone that’s ever heard him sing never had any doubt.

May: Ryan Reynolds

May is my birthday month so I must have been really into Ryan Reynolds at the end of 2017! The Proposal (2009) is one of my favourite rom-coms, him and Sandy Bullock is just perfection. Also seeing him get Deadpool (2016) and clearly be having fun doing what he wanted to do always makes a person more attractive! (This is going to be a common theme!).

June: Taika Waititi

I’ve definitely cooled off on Taika in recent years (especially post the huge disappointment of Love & Thunder), but in 2017 Thor Ragnarok had come out and became one of my favourite MCU movies. I also loved What We Do In The Shadows (2014), and he was always a lot of fun in interviews.

July: Rahul Kohli

I loved iZombie (2015-2019) and the entire cast, but always had a soft spot for Ravi! Rahul Kohli was also very active on social media, really into “geeky stuff” and was one of the more fun people I followed.

June: Charlie Weber

I must have discovered How To Get Away With Murder in 2017! Charlie Weber as Frank made an impact on me, I think it was that beard!

August: Chris Messina

I loved The Mindy Project (2012-2017) and especially Chris Messina as grumpy Danny! I wished he’d been able to grow as a character for a happily ever after with Mindy, but I understood why the things didn’t end that way.

October: Idris Elba

Of everyone on this list, surely this one needs the least explanation? I am trying to think in 2017 what I might have been watching him in. Potentially Luther, definitely Thor Ragnarok, and probably another rewatch of US version of The Office!

November: Chris Evans

I had been rather lukewarm on Chris Evans until Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) came out and I felt like the Captain America role really came together, and I got it!

December: Richard Marsden

I loved Robb Stark in the ASOIAF books, and I LOVED Richard Marsden playing him in Game of Thrones.. and the grew to hate how the TV show ruined him character (IMO).

January: Karamo Brown

Apparently Queer Eye came out on Netflix in 2018, I thought it was older than that! I just loved Karamo’s energy and his empathy when talking with the “heroes.”

February: Charlie Day

I absolutely love It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and I especially love Charlie the character. Charlie Day is insanely talented as an actor and musician. I regularly just look up clips of the times Charlie sings in the show!

March: Jason Dohring

I am a huge Veronica Mars fan, and I adored Logan Echolls. Veronica and Logan are still one of my all time favourite TV romances, and I still rewatch it all every couple of years (but only seasons 1-2… Piz does my head in too much in 3!). Anyway, I think Jason made the 2018 calendar due to his appearance in iZombie, but I may also have been on a VM rewatch too!

April: Chris Hemsworth

Thor: Ragnarok really raised Thor up as one of the funnier MCU characters, and seeing Chris Hemsworth get to play into the sillier side of his character just made him more attractive!

May: Anthoni Porowski

Look, there is something about Anthoni from Queer Eye that just makes me melt. He is obviously, objectively insanely hot but his boyish grin, puppy dog energy and incredible empathy on that show really does something to my insides. Oh he is the food guy!

June: Jude Law

This is 1000% because of him playing young Dumbledoore in Fantastic Beasts. I can’t fully explain it… but Jude Law Dumbledoore did things to me. Again, I think some of it is the costumes in those films. Just fantastic coats.

July: Matt Smith

I did love Matt as the 11th Doctor, but I think he made the calendar because I stared watching The Crown (2016-2023) and I thought he was amazing as Prince Philip!

August: Rahul Kohli

He made the cut again!

September: Paul Rudd

Ok, as with Idris Elba, no need to explain this right?

October: Adam Driver

Making the cut again!

November: Wes Chatham

I love The Expanse books and I loved the TV show. Wes was a perfect Amos Burton for me.

December: Eddie Redmayne

Another returner!

The calendar evolved here from specifically a “hot man calendar” to just I guess people I like to look at, or just make me smile.

January: Trixie Mattel

I think 2019 was the year I got really into RuPaul’s Drag Race which led me to discovering UNHhhh with Trixie and Katya, and really falling for Trixie (obviously not in a romantic/sexual way, that would be weird). I loved her more ‘out there’ make-up, her spikey humour, and that she is a really talented musician. I genuinely like and listen to her music. Her Moving Parts (2019) documentary made by her partner was also great, and showed her to be a more reserved personality out of drag that I could identify more with that many other drag queens I’ve seen content from.

February: Katya Zamolodchikova

Trixie’s partner on UNHhhh, Katya has a much more chaotic energy but the perhaps unlikely seeming chemistry between the two is so fun to watch – especially every time she loses it laughing at Trixie. As well as being hilarious, Katya can speak multiple languages fluently, including Russian.

March: Paul Rudd

He’s back, no explanation neded.

April: Anthoni Porowski

Every new season of Queer Eye he makes melt.

May: Jason Dohring

Back again!

June: James Acaster

I think I probably watched James’ incredible Netflix comedy special Repertoire around 2019. It is hilarious, and the interconnected shows were nothing like I had seen before. I also started to get into podcasts in this year on my commute, and to take a break from all the true crime stuff I’d started Off Menu with James and Ed Gamble. They’re both so funny but I have a soft spot for James.

He also had a very memorable appearance on the celebrity version of The Great British Bake Off.

July: Jemaine Clement

I have loved Jemaine since Flight of the Conchords, and of course also What We Do in The Shadows. I might have rewatched both around 2019! I think I also saw him in An Evening With Beverly Luff Lynn and Legion in 2019. He’s always a welcome sight!

August: Bobby Berk

Another Queer Eye guy! Bobby is so sweet and he does so much more work that then rest of the gang, he transforms a whole house, and always feels like gets hardly any recognition for it!

September: Paul Holes and Billy Jensen

Well this one didn’t age well! In 2019 I was listening to the Murder Squad podcast (still the days where I listened to My Favourite Murder). Paul Holes was a cold cast investigator involved in the Golden State Killer case, and Billy Jensen was a journalist who had also worked on reporting the case (and helped finish his friend Michele McNamara’s book on the subject after she died – I’ll Be Gone in the Dark). When the killer was finally caught (thanks to DNA evidence) they started a podcast to look at other cold cases.

At the time I guess these seemed very cool to me (particularly Paul Holes). But multiple allegations of sexual misconduct came out about Billy Jensen in 2022, and it was cancelled. I’d got fed up with the whole scene before all that, the pandemic really put a stopper on my interested in a lot of true crime.

October: Chris Evans

He’s back again! I had scene Knives Out (2019) by this point, but I think I couldn’t find a high res enough image of Chris in one of those incredible jumpers from that movie!

November: The Hot Priest (Andrew Scott)

This is very specifically The Hot Priest from Fleabag and if you’ve seen it, you know why.

December: Taika Waititi

Back again, still before Love & Thunder happened! These days he just seems a bit sleazy to me.

I love that I used to do these for myself, they still make me chuckle now! But it probably is time to throw them away because I don’t have a good spot to store them!

What would your version of the “man calendar” be?