Move over rat girl summer, TikTok celebrates the hot rodent boyfriend trend
People have always found beauty in the combination of charisma and unusual features. The early 1990s were controversially filled with the pale skin, dark under-eyes, and bony frame of the heroin chic look. In the last few years, the internet has had an obsession with actors and influencers who look like Tim Burton charactersāthink TimothĆ©e Chalamet and Emma Chamberlaināand now the cultural lens has moved over to rodent men. Thatās right, Hollywoodās sexiest heartthrobs are now being likened to mice and rats but in the most flattering way possible!
@lindsrhiann āis this funny?ā ādoesnāt matter, itās trueā #greenscreenvideo #fyp
ā¬ In My Room - Insane Clown Posse
What are rodent men?
Simply put, rodent men are guys with rodent-like features, meaning that they are often skinny and brunette, with a long, chiselled jawline.
Who would have thought that Gen Z could transform the epithet āratā to a new moniker for hot? It certainly wasnāt on my 2024 bingo card but Iāve started to expect the unexpected.
Some critics have noted that this trend is nothing but another iteration of āugly hotness.ā In case youāve forgotten, content creator Violet Marmur first coined what became known as the āhot uglyā TikTok theory in 2021. In it, the self-proclaimed ugly hot theorist hypothesised that people are either āhot hotā or conventionally attractive, āhot uglyā and subjectively attractive, or āugly hotā and attractive despite having āuglyā features.
Keeping that in mind, itās easy to see that rodent men might simply just be another synonym for the hotness discovered in men with unusual, unconventionally attractive features.
Which actors are rodent men?
Iām so glad you asked. First on the list, we have ārat menā or ārat boyfriendsā. In terms of appearance, rat men have black or grey hair paired with uniquely sharp and pointy features. Popular examples include Josh OāConnor, TimothĆ©e Chalamet, Barry Keoghan, and Matty Healy.
Just learned from @yoalexrapz that Gen Z wants "hot rodent boyfriends" and OMG I see it now.
— Bre S (@fearmeitsbre) June 3, 2024
THEY LOOK LIKE FREAKING SEWER RATS.
I hate it, because like every girl I've talked to who is between 15-20 are into this.
Bring back masculine men.š pic.twitter.com/UyohkL3Vyt
Then, we have āmice menā of course. Mice men have lighter brown-ish hair, softer rodent features, and smaller eyes. Some of the internetās favourite mice boyfriends include Mike Faist, Harry Styles, Kieran Culkin, and Jeremy Allen White
Iām sorry but theyāre the guys from Challengers pic.twitter.com/76pUWElEEM
— Francesca Fedelešµšø COMMISSIONS OPEN (@peacchip) May 8, 2024
Why are rodent men so controversial?
Well, men donāt appreciate being called rodents for one. Some men are even calling out a potential sexist double standard, noting that women would strongly oppose being likened to animals that are known for damaging properties and spreading diseases.
maybe the incels are right, the media would NEVER treat the women like thisā¦ justice for
— irl girl (@fruktflicka) June 5, 2024
(rodent) men ā¤ļøāš©¹ this is absolutely not hilarious or true https://t.co/lZDto8nEb2
This isnāt exactly true. In the past, we witnessed the emergence and widespread popularity of rat girl summer. The trend was about women embracing rodent characteristics, such as nibbling on snacks all the time and chewing noisly while rotting in bed. Sounds like a good time to me.
After all, rodents are also known as intelligent pets and witty cartoon characters. Anyone remember the 2007 movie Ratatouille? I suppose itās up to the individual men to define whether they like their new classification. But one thing is for sure, gone are the days of the golden retriever boyfriend. People are looking for edgier, sexier and broodier rodent men now.
