Rough Trade

Is the phrase "rough trade" still in wide use? I know what it means, having consumed a good bit of vintage porn over the years, but do others?

The exact use varied, but the term generally referred to traditionally masculine-looking working-class blokes with big muscles and tattoos who turned tricks for men, usually as a top, and were on the prowl for a wealthy sugar-daddy who would keep them on the payroll. Often a rough-trade lad was quite alpha and dominant, and sometimes he downright humiliated and degraded his trick.

I have a sense the term is no longer widely used, because most men are out, at least to a certain degree, so they no longer have to pretend to be straight whilst quietly patronizing rougher men on the side. But the rough trade look still persists, even if unintentionally, and I would classify this lad as one.

The originals for these photos are much larger than they appear below and total more than one hundred sixty in number. To download the complete set in a free zipped folder, you'll want to click here.