A Complete Guide to Recognizing the Internet’s Boyfriends in the Wild
Since the Internet’s Boyfriend™ was first identified in his natural habitat—Benedict Cumberbatch of Sherlock was among the first documented specimens, his traits and identifiers illuminated in detail over at New York magazine’s The Cut—the genre of beloved famous guys has quickly expanded to encompass a whole array of boyfriend-subsets. Whether Marvel men like the Chrises and Andrew Garfield, character actors like Riz Ahmed and Kit Harington, or the almost-famouses like Idris Elba and Tom Hardy, here, we break down how the constellation of Internet’s Boyfriends™ fit together and take a closer look at how to identify each species in the wild. With an emerging freshman class including the new Spider-Man, Tom Holland, and Star Wars’s breakout star John Boyega, as well as evergreen favorites like Oscar Isaac and Jon Hamm, it’s about time to get to know the 10 types of Internet’s Boyfriends™ you might encounter in your travels.
1Slightly Alien British Character Actors
Who: Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Matt Smith. Where: The BBC. Wearing: Burberry.
2The Prestige Stars
Who: Riz Ahmed, Kit Harington, Rami Malek. Where: HBO or adjacent. Wearing: Dior Homme.
3The Sugar Daddies
Who: Jeff Goldblum, Kyle MacLachlan. Where: The hotly anticipated remake of the project that first made them famous. Wearing: A turtleneck; Balenciaga.
4The Actual Daddies
Who: Mahershala Ali, Oscar Isaac. Where: The playground, but also the Oscars. Wearing: Unfortunate hat choices. (Not pictured.)
5The Marvel Men
Who: Chris Evans, Andrew Garfield. Where: In a cryochamber, until the corporate overlords permit them to talk about the new movie. Wearing: Lycra.
6The Musicians
Who: Frank Ocean, Chance the Rapper. Where: The festival circuit; Tumblr. (Actually on the internet.) Wearing: Custom coveralls.
7The Objectively Beautiful Almost-Movie Stars
Who: Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Jon Hamm Where: Playing the antihero on that show you never finished; vying to be the next James Bond. Wearing: Doesn’t matter.
8The Nostalgia Boyfriend
Who: Milo Ventimiglia, Adam Brody. Where: A network dramedy everyone says is great but no one watches; the walls of your teen bedroom. Wearing: Whatever’s “in” among Brooklyn dads.
9The Man Who Can Do Both
Who: Donald Glover, Harry Styles. Where: Your dreams. Wearing: Fashion with a capital F.
10
Who: John Boyega, Tom Holland. Where: This year’s blockbusters. Wearing: Ask them in a couple months.
