Tom Hintnaus
February 15, 1958—
This Olympic pole vaulter from Brazil became Calvin Klein's original male sex symbol in the early '80s as the face—and the package—of the then-closeted designer's underwear line. Hintnaus and Klein (and, of course, shooter Bruce Weber) were at the forefront of sexualizing the male figure in advertising, ushering in an era of torso-worship in broader pop culture.
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| Makes you wanna take a quick pole, huh? |
In an October 1980 interview, Hintnaus was speaking of pole vaulting but might just as well have been summing up the modeling trade:
"A vaulter has to have a little bit of crazy in his personality, too. He can't be afraid of anything. At the same time, the vaulter has to have a keen mind so he can follow the competition and know when to pass and when to jump. It can be like playing chess. And that element of risk in it is what makes it exciting."
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