“Hey, Aren’t You McVie?”

One day K told me, “I’m thinking of putting a clearer picture of myself in my blog. What’s it like to have your blog readers know what you look like?”

I never really bothered with that question until recently. I personally have a problem with people who get star struck with—and stuck on—the online McVie. After all, The McVie Show is for show, and there are aspects of the offline me that this blog doesn’t display.

Remaining anonymous in one’s blog gives the said blogger an air of mystery that makes one even more attractive—especially if one writes well. Putting a picture lessens the mystery and forces one’s readers to take sides—Deal or No Deal?

Having a picture in your blog isn’t really a big deal, especially if your reader base is limited to friends and those who personally know you. But readership begets popularity—or notoriety. And having more strangers know what you look like, the more likely that someone in the metro (and trust me, Metro Manila is a small town, really) will recognize you.

The first time it happened to me was in the bathhouse. Someone actually approached me and asked, “Aren’t you McVie the blogger?” Thank god I’ve a generally unflappable personality. I was also asked the same question in Bed more than once. The second time someone recognized me in the same bathhouse, thank goodness he didn’t run away screaming, “Ayan na si McVie! Baka ma-feature ako sa blog niya!”

So far I’ve not had sex with any of the guys who approached me in either bathhouse or Bed; they just like me for my pleasing personality, wry and wicked wit, and my way with words. Hehehe. Those who are attracted to me do not approach me in public, of course; private email is the medium of choice. What happened to those who emailed me in private? I’m sorry, that’s offline topic.

So if you’re thinking of putting a picture in your blog, ask yourself, “What is my ultimate objective in being so OUT there?” Personally, while I’m not officially out to my family (pramis!), I’m out to everyone everywhere; being out on the Internet was my way of coming out while avoiding potential family drama. But aside from that, I don’t see why I need to hide who I am. I work in an industry that is so accepting of the gay community. At times it’s actually an advantage to be gay; either that, or I’ve stumbled upon a way to make my sexual orientation actually work to my advantage.

If you want to have an air of mystery, keep your face offline. If you have a “This is me!” attitude, then showing your face is just the final seal of authenticity. Get real, in other words.

Having said that, here are two cautionary tales.

Tale number one: I met someone in Bed. It was obvious we were attracted to one another—he was smiling at me from across the room. We exchanged saliva and numbers, and then agreed to meet for dinner during the week. Things were okay, until I found out that while he’s not in denial, he wasn’t out to a lot of people; he was very careful to the point of paranoia. Uh-oh. I decided to tell him about my blog. Later that night he checked it out then texted me: “OMG, you’re a gay online celebrity!”

*TOINK!*

Tale number two: last Friday I was in a bar in Malate for the second time in my life. I saw the cutest guy ever—chinito eyes that make me weak in the knee (one knee lang, if knees then I’d have collapsed in a silly mess), cute face, a hot bod and a general aura that screamed, “I smell really great up close!” in contrast to most everyone inside the bar. I looked him in the eye; he looked back. But then he broke his stare and moved on; there was a puzzled look on his face. Hmmm? The second time he passed in front of me; I looked into his eyes again, but he was busy headed for the bathroom.

Later I spied him near the ledge. I stood close to the wall, wanting to take a break from the pushing of the crowd. Suddenly I saw him approach me. And then, GASP! He wrapped his arm over my shoulder. Whoa!

And then he said, “You’re McVie, right?”

Oh.

I practically stammered, “You’re a reader of my blog, I see.”

“No,” he replied. “I’m a fan!”

Uh-oh.

I asked him if he had a blog. He said yes, but that it’s “fucking personal!” I asked for the URL; he told me, “Hey, how about you write about my blog?” I agreed, “But just let me read your blog first, and then I’ll see what I can do.”

Well, he ended up kissing a tranny, while I ended up reading a very interesting blog. Check it out now, the funk-soul brother. (FYI, conservatives are warned to stay away.)

Hey, what’s a gay online celebrity to do, right? Let’s keep the fans happy. (Mr. Boytoy, thanks for the shout-out too.)