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It boy

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For the 2013 film, see It Boy. For the song by bbno$, see It Boy (song).
Robert Mitchum was one of the first male movie stars to be labeled an "it man" in 1950s.

An "it boy" (sometimes "it man") is an attractive young man who is perceived to have both sex appeal and a personality that is especially engaging. The term was coined as the male equivalent of an "it girl".

History

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In 1950, actress Clara Bow, for who the term "it girl" was coined, identified Robert Mitchum as an it man.[1] In 1995, Entertainment Weekly referred to Leonardo DiCaprio as "Hollywood's 'It' Boy" because of his "blazing talent and dashing baby-faced looks – a combination of the mystic and the mischievous – that have the praise faucets gushing buckets".[2][3]

In 2024, Vox published an article titled "Every Hollywood 'it' boy is a white guy," criticizing the entertainment industry for focusing almost exclusively on white actors in the 2020s.[4] This phenomenon has also been coined 'Twitter's White Boy of the Month' online.[5] Names often associated with this trend include Jacob Elordi, Paul Mescal, Jeremy Allen White, Robert Pattinson, Josh O’Connor, Matty Healy and Logan Lerman.[6][7]

Examples

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2010s

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South Korean boy-band BTS was called an "It boy" band by Billboard in 2017.[8] In 2018, Vanity Fair referred to Timothée Chalamet as an 'It' Boy".[9] In 2019, Jimin was first called "it boy" for his role in the world of fashion by the Spanish website Flooxer Now and described as such by other media.[10][11]

2020s

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In 2021, Teen Vogue referred to Yeonjun, as "K-pop's fourth-generation 'It' boy" due to his participation in New York Fashion Week.[12]

In 2024, American journalist Jack Schlossberg has been described by Politico as an "internet it-boy",[13] and by the New York Post as "political it-boy".[14] Jin was named a 'fashion 'It' boy' by Elle.[15]

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References

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  1. ^ Waterloo Daily Courier, 21 September 1950
  2. ^ "Hollywood's 'It' Boy". EW.com. March 24, 1995. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
  3. ^ "'It' Boys". New York Magazine. March 28, 2003. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  4. ^ Cunningham, Kyndall (2024-06-17). "Every Hollywood "it" boy is a white guy". Vox. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  5. ^ "Twitter's White Boy of the Month". Know Your Meme. 2019-08-29. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
  6. ^ Dazed (2023-09-13). "A definitive ranking of the white boys of the century". Dazed. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
  7. ^ Garafano, Lauren (2023-01-16). "It's Time To Play Smash Or Pass: "White Boy Of The Month" Edition". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
  8. ^ Herman, Tamar (2017-09-21). "BTS' 'Pied Piper' Is Filled With Tough Love Towards Fan Culture". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  9. ^ Harwood, Erika; Amchin, Jordan (2018-10-15). "Timothée Chalamet's Blazing Beautiful Boy Press Tour". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  10. ^ 방탄소년단 지민(BTS JIMIN), 세계 패션 산업에서도 인기 입증!. apsk.co.kr (in Korean). December 2, 2019. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
  11. ^ 미국 MTV, 방탄소년단 지민은 실트황제. n.news.naver.com (in Korean). April 22, 2020. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
  12. ^ "TXT's Yeonjun Is Making His NYFW Debut". teenvogue.com. February 16, 2021. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
  13. ^ Nazzaro, Miranda (2024-08-20). "Who is Jack Schlossberg? JFK's grandson speaks at DNC". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
  14. ^ "Fans are thirsting over JFK's grandson, Jack Schlossberg, after he's named Vogue political correspondent". 2024-07-11. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  15. ^ "The Fashion IT Boy, Here Are 6 Times BTS' Jin Served Major Style Inspiration - Elle India". 2024-08-08. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
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