Some eagerly await the winners of the Academy Awards. Others are interested in Nobel Prize winners or Olympic medalists. But, for tabloid fanatics, one of the most important days of the year is when People Magazine bestows the “Sexiest Man Alive” title. In a celebrity world where beauty serves as currency, who is the richest? Who is the sexiest of all the sexy?
This year, People’s answer was actor and filmmaker John Krasinski. Our sexiest man’s most notable role was Jim Halpert on “The Office,” but he also directed and starred in “A Quiet Place” and had the leading role in the Prime Video series “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan.” He is married to actress Emily Blunt and has two daughters.
Readers had lots to say about this choice.
Many were disappointed. In the comments section of the debut article, one reader commented, “Just walk the streets. There are many sexy men that could be on the cover of "People" magazine. This guy is good looking but really???” Another commenter briefly summed up their distaste by writing, “NOPE!!!!!”
Yet, other people were delighted with the choice, as Krasinski has been a heart throb since his days on “The Office.” His beefy glow-up from his role as a Navy SEAL in the movie “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” didn’t hurt either. Interestingly, what readers emphasized was his status as a doting family man. “Fortunately for the world we live in, our idea of what is sexy has changed,” a commenter wrote. “John is adorable, a good husband and father, funny and smart. What could be sexier than that? Raw animal magnetism only takes you so far.”
No matter which camp you agree with regarding Krasinski, this year’s Sexiest Man Alive is a continuation of a peculiar 39 year history. It is a tradition that seems to reside in a different universe: one that exists outside of the confines of modern political correctness. People’s sexualization of male celebrities has cemented it as a pop cultural landmark. John Krasinski is just the newest celebrity caught in the cross-roads of Sexiest Man Alive.
People’s first Sexiest Man Alive was Mel Gibson in 1985. Though starting as somewhat of a joke, it was a massive hit, selling almost 2 million copies. This led People to continue the segment. Some prominent names that followed were John F. Kennedy Jr. (1988), Tom Cruise (1990), Brad Pitt (1995 & 2000), George Clooney (1997 & 2006), Johnny Depp (2003 & 2009), Channing Tatum (2012), Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (2016), Michael B. Jordan (2020) and Chris Evans (2022). These are just a few highlights from the star-studded lineup.
Sexiest Man is a cash cow for People Magazine. In 2014, Sexiest Man provided about 3% ($30 million) of People’s total magazine revenue. The Sexiest Man section on People’s website is flooded with articles tangentially related to either Krasinski or the results from the Readers’ Choice Poll, where readers vote for their favorite men in 15 different categories. Titles like “Just a Bunch of Sexy Photos of John Krasinski” and “The ‘Sexy’ Degrees of Separation: How We Connected Every Single Past Sexiest Man Alive” are fluff pieces in this category. Sexiest Man is a massive content farm for the publication.
Despite the fact that People polls readers, the ultimate decision for Sexiest Man is not democratic. The magazine’s editors decide based on multiple factors: feedback from female celebrities, focus groups and the current cultural zeitgeist. People Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Dan Wakeford told CNN that Michael B. Jordan was a clear choice for Sexiest Man in 2020 because of his activism for the Black Lives Matter Movement (in addition to his attractiveness).
So, discovering the Sexiest Man Alive is not a true investigative feat. No one is digging through films or modeling archives to find the most symmetrical and handsome face. Rather, it’s a strategic choice to see who fits the times the best and as follows, who will sell the most copies. So, amidst all these factors, what made John Krasinski People Magazine’s choice?
Krasinski is attractive for sure, but the Sexiest Man has to be the whole package. I think Krasinski’s biggest draw is his reputation as a caring father. Instead of leading with his professional roles, his debut article opens by saying he “prefers just being a husband and father, who binges documentaries and relishes bedtime stories with his kids.” This feels like an effort to appeal to the 47% of readers who are Age 25-54, a demographic receptive to family values. The fact that his latest project “IF” is a family movie contributes to this overall branding.
Moreover, in light of the controversy surrounding Krasinski's appointment, I realized that People Magazine’s choice may not be as wholesome as it seems. Picking someone who is a more debatable Sexiest Man Alive over a classic like Glen Powell or Pedro Pascal could be a strategic choice. Or maybe it was because those exact actors declined. Regardless, all of the social media discourse about whether Krasinski is deserving or not increases engagement and readership for People. If a more universally-agreed upon celebrity was chosen, readers would accept it and there would be less online interaction. People Magazine then boosts in relevancy at the cost of sacrificing Krasinski to internet trolls.
At the end of the day, this whole phenomenon is odd. It feels strange that I spent a whole article opining on the merits of a tabloid’s Sexiest Man Alive feature. Why do we still have something like this in the cultural landscape? Sexiest Man Alive is like a remnant of toxic early 2000s tabloid culture. All the media could talk about were female celebrities’ looks, their weight, their fashion. Sexiest Man does just that—fixating on appearance. One could wonder if the fun of the spectacle is worth the hate that male celebrities receive when certain readers dislike the choice. It is certainly a morally grey area.
Maybe Sexiest Man Alive will keep adapting to modern times by adopting a veneer of progressivity. We have the beginning of this trend with the 2021 Readers’ Choice Poll “Sexiest Vaccine Selfie.” How enlightened.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.