Lust List 2015

We aren’t supposed to like the Lust List. As serious journalists, this level of objectification should be beneath us. Besides, we have real standards to uphold. And classical beauty isn’t one of them. So maybe I’m just a creep. Because no matter how much I try to deny it, this has become one of my favorite issues of the year.

What’s good journalism, anyhow, without a little voyeuristic curiosity?

This year we took it a tad further. In addition to asking reader-nominated finalists the usual probing questions, we coaxed them into sharing stories of their own lust for life.

They left us with plenty to ponder, like conflicting ideals of beauty, cultural representation in a progressive Southern city, and that nagging question of exploitation. Ultimately, we attempted to turn what might otherwise be a guilty pleasure into an issue about the politics of desire. By examining the personalities behind your initial attraction, we hope to reveal something about the inner life of our city. Something intimate, perhaps, yet profound. And if we somehow missed the mark, you can always just ogle the pictures.

— Rodney Carmichael

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2015 Lust List Party. Featuring beats by DJ Hands of Grace. 9 p.m. Fri., Feb. 13. Whiskey Park at W Hotel - Midtown, 188 14th Street. RSVP by Feb. 12 to rsvp at creativeloafing.com for free entry before 11 p.m.

Plus: You voted for Atlanta’s sexiest celebrities. Now check out the winners, MK Ultra and Brandon Fulton (better known as the Urban Cowboy).