A Sexy Postcard

Yudatel Abromovich and the cult of the body

The benefit of physical activity to the body and soul is not a new discovery. During the interwar years, people were actively involved in sports, health, and looking sexy, taking care of their bodies and intentionally building muscle. Yudatel Abromovich would agree with us. He often kicked a ball around and played croquet with friends. As a player on the Šeduva soccer team he competed in matches with teams from other cities. At the same time, he also paid attention to developing his own body and making it beautiful.

Look at his photo. He's standing there half dressed, flexing his arms with his hands behind his back, a pose meant to show off his developed body. Clearly, Yudatel was proud of himself. He wanted to show himself off to others and sent this photo to his friend Shabsei Muzikant living in South Africa.

These sorts of photographs were shown to friends and sent as postcards in interwar Lithuania. Just ask your grandparents! The postcards show scantily clad men (and sometimes women) demonstrating the beautiful forms of their bodies achieved through strict discipline.

0:00