It is crazy to think that Arnold Schwarzenegger was governor of California for nine years!

When I think of politicians, old boring fogies that take themselves too seriously pop into mind…not the Terminator flexing in his undies! This photo definitely enhanced my opinion of Ah-nold; the fact that he would let the controversial artist Robert Mapplethorpe capture his muscly physique snags him serious R-E-S-P-E-C-T points in my book. Clearly this photo session occurred at the height of Schwarzenegger’s bodybuilding career, at which point he had already won Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia.

Given the curvaceous nature of those pecs and quads, it’s not surprising that Mapplethorpe felt the need to photograph this Austrian specimen of sinew - the gay photog totally a thing for muscular dudes. While his desire to capture hunkiness was largely due to his sexuality, Mapplethorpe also claimed that he loved photographing extremely burly men because they reminded him of Michelangelo’s figures in the Sistine Chapel. And we have to give it to him, the Italian God is crazy buff.

As hard as it may be to believe, Mapplethorpe did not want his photos to been as sexual or titillating, but rather sensual and beautiful. A fine line if you ask us. If you like this piece and want to look further into this sizzling artist’s career, I suggest you proceeded with caution because this photo is definitely on the PG end of his portfolio. With a penchant for BDSM, explicit nudity and sexual acts are commonplace in Mapplethorpe’s art. Some call is tasteless and obscene; I call it honest and stunning. I guess beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. Just ask Arnold’s housekeeper.