An Analysis of 2023’s TikTok White Boys of the Month

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Being a straight single gal with an unhealthy amount of screen time dedicated to her TikTok For You page, I am often recommended fan cams of different male celebrities. This year in particular, I have become fascinated by social media’s propensity to elevate and obsess over one specific white man for a short time, only for him to be rapidly cast aside for the next carnal offering. 

I am not here to comment on the domination of the white man; I merely note the racial bias as another interesting feature of the craze. Rather, I am here to act as a historian, to document what might otherwise be lost. While 2022 gave us moustached Miles Teller and Anthony Bridgerton, but which famous people were edited the most to Lana Del Rey songs or ‘fantasise’ (sped-up) by Ariana Grande throughout this calendar year? I have taken it upon myself to document the ascent and decline of 2023’s varying hotties and notties, as detailed below.

January: Matty Healy, 34

That the controversial frontman of the 1975 was the most popular white boy online at the start of 2023 was surely a warning sign for the twelve months to come, with every bounce of the pretentious Mr Healy’s floppy curls akin to a modern hail of locusts.

Whether he was spotted with Taylor Swift, kissing his bandmate onstage in Malaysia in an infamously ineffective protest at the country’s anti LGBT laws, or making offensive and racist comments on a podcast, it seemed nothing could dull Mr Healy’s appeal. Even worse, these terrible and pretentious attributes only seemed to increase the ardour of the internet’s affections for ‘Ratty’ Healy. If there is a more apt comment on modern society, I’m yet to discover it. 
___STEADY_PAYWALL___

February: Pedro Pascal, 48

There was controversy over Twitter/X user @archivedilf’s recent DILFs of the year poll (Michael Sheen at 6?!), but no one was contesting the number one spot, graced by Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal. Although not a white man, Pascal was awarded the attention and adoration that TikTok typically reserves for their monthly crush. Whether spaced-out and smiling in a car with Nicholas Cage or simply eating a sandwich, every meme Pascal touched turned to gold, his stardom further propelled by ‘that one edit of him as a cowboy/spy in the bad Kingsman sequel’ (you know the one).

March: Paul Mescal, 27

Irish actor Paul Mescal made his name in 2020’s TV phenomenon Normal People, and I thought TikTok’s veneration of him could reach no higher fever-pitch than it did during lockdown. However, I had not banked on him breaking up with his fiancée, singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers, early in 2023 and the subsequent development of feverish theories as to why the darlings of Doc Marten-wearers everywhere had callen it quits.

Even though silver chains and mullets do nothing for me personally, speculation was so rife that Paul Mescal edits dominated my For You Page.

April: Joe Alwyn, 32

At the beginning of April, the world was rocked by the news that Taylor Swift had split with her boyfriend of six years, C-list actor Joe Alwyn. It’s easy to rewrite history in the wake of the Travis Kelce media frenzy, but when news of the breakup first broke, Joe was deeply mourned by Swifties. Sad edits and slideshows soundtracked by Taylor’s most heartbreaking songs honoured their fallen blonde soldier, the man who fought for Taylor when no one else would

Perhaps these mournful tributes were also paying indirect homage to the imminent decline of Joe Alwyn’s acting career which, failing one high-profile appearance in Bridgerton, is surely destined to languish into obscurity now the most interesting thing about him (his megastar ex-girlfriend) is gone. 

May: Corey Mylchreest, 25

Speaking of Bridgerton: every male lead on that show is guaranteed his moment in the spotlight, and in playing King George III in the Queen Charlotte spinoff Corey pushed a wheelbarrow shirtless, sensuously declared that he was ‘good with buttons’, and suffered from occasional bouts of madness. 

This of course made him an obvious candidate for TikTok pinup status. The Bridgerton series serves as an ongoing reminder that there’s nothing the internet loves more than idealising a time when men wore blowsy white shirts and delivered ardent monologues on love before the object of their desires. If enemies to lovers is involved, so much the better, and Corey Mylechreest delivered on all counts. God save the King!

June: Jeremy Strong, 44

Obsessive character actor Jeremy Strong’s final outing as the beleaguered Kendall Roy in HBO’s Succession truly set the internet alight over the summer. Strong’s portrayal of Kendall as the most pitiable of Logan’s children, desperate for his father’s love and success yet incapable of retaining it, was so compelling that users on TikTok made Barbie-themed edits relating to Kendall's crimes of vehicular manslaughter and claimed they could ‘fix him’, despite his family being canonically responsible for spreading far-right conspiracy theories and silencing victims of sexual assault. 

Strong himself received further attention for his confusing use of language in interviews, where he delivered nonsensical but earnest monologues on his acting process, and thus became beloved by meme-makers everywhere. 

An honourable mention for this month should also go to Strong’s Succession co-star Kieran Culkin, who played ‘babygirl’ younger brother Roman Roy. From romanticising his weird relationship to Gerri, to even more user claims that they could ‘fix him’, Roman and with him Culkin enjoyed a similarly frenetic level of attention online to the OG ‘eldest boy’ Kendall.

July: Cillian Murphy, 47

Cillian Murphy has long been celebrated by Peaky Blinders fans for his multifaceted portrayal of homicidal Brummie gangster Tommy Shelby. Yet thanks to his starring role in Christopher Nolan’s summer blockbuster, the biopic Oppenheimer, resulted in a sudden proliferation of Lana Del Rey-soundtracked edits and lustful memes honouring his haunting blue eyes and chiselled jaw: the famously reclusive actor had become the internet’s new collective boyfriend. 

Hoards of fans raced to make edits of Murphy’s cinematic back-catalogue, with a clip of him as psychotic villain Jonathan Crane in 2005’s Batman Begins (‘Would you like to see my mask?’ - this edit has 1 million likes) proving especially fruitful. Other favourites included Murphy’s besuited turn in Inception, and even revived interest in Watching The Detectives, a straight-to-DVD romcom he made in 2007 with Lucy Liu, such was the desperation for ‘boyfriend’ footage of Ireland’s most spectacular set of cheekbones. 

August: Ryan Gosling, 43

It would be neglectful of me to discuss a year in pop culture’s men without talking about the Barbie cast. I considered giving Gosling and Murphy joint White Boy of the Month honours for July, but Ken memes proved to have surprising longevity throughout the summer, so August is hereby devoted to Ken’s equally devoted actor, Ryan Gosling.

Mostly known for fluffy romantic roles (The Notebook, Crazy Stupid Love) or looking angsty (Blade Runner 2049, Drive), Gosling’s comedic turn as the hapless Ken was as surprising as it was satisfying. 

This revival of the Ryan Gosling fandom stands as testament to the fact that being an internet darling doesn’t just require dashing good looks, it also requires a sense of grace, humour, and Kenergy. From ‘sublime!’ to his post-ironic GQ ‘Essentials’ video, Gosling was celebrated for his comedic talents and not just his washboard abs. Although, TikTok didn’t mind those either. 

September: Jacob Elordi, 26

In 2023, Jacob Elordi, a 6 foot 5 Australian Adonis, transcended from teen poster-boy to the lead in prestigious Oscar-bait films like Saltburn and Priscilla, and in September the internet lapped up each fresh film-festival turn from the well-dressed star and his mullet.

What endeared Elordi to the internet was not just his handsome features: he claimed that before playing Elvis in Priscilla, he had only heard of the King of Rock and Roll through the Disney animated film Lilo and Stitch, crowning himself as the himbo king of the year. 

I draw the line at declaring myself ready to slurp Jacob Elordi’s cummy bathwater as Barry Keoghan did in Saltburn, but there’s no shortage of people online wanting to take on the role. 

October: Josh Hutcherson, 31

Halloween heralded the return of short king Josh Hutcherson, propelled back into the throes of internet celebrity ten years after his first blast with fame in the Hunger Games trilogy thanks to his appearance in the Five Nights At Freddy’s film. 

Whilst the film was a critical failure, there was nothing but positive feedback for Mr Hutcherson from TikTok, who quickly knuckled down to make edits of the newly-bearded actor and declare that they would happily spend five nights at his house. 

At 5’5, Hutcherson significantly brings down the average height of the white boys on this list, but for that he should be proud. Amongst the white boys there may be minimal diversity in appearance and even profession, but Josh Hutcherson is here to represent the short kings of the world, and to remind all the insecure boys in your Hinge likes that height matters far less than they think.

Such was Hutcherson’s power that a decade-old edit of him set to ‘Whistle’ by Flo Rida became the new ‘Krissed’ meme going into November. I now scroll through TikTok in fear of a Josh Hutcherson jumpscare.

November: Tom Blyth, 28

The Hutcherson revival also had something to do with renewed interest in The Hunger Games: November saw the release of the prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which told the origin story of the villainous President Snow.

Selected to play the young version of this fictional megalomaniac, responsible for orchestrating the deaths of hundreds of teenagers through the Hunger Games and personally killing/torturing many more, was English actor Tom Blyth. 

Alas, Tom looked a little too good sporting his bleached buzz cut and white t-shirt, and many left the cinema finding that they simply had to make edits of this blue-eyed, broad-shouldered future dictator. This resulted in some very funny memes, guilty thirst edits, and a new inversion of Snow’s personal affirmation: ‘Snow lands on top (of me)’.

December: Timothée Chalamet, 27

Whilst Tom Blyth was relatively unknown before he became TikTok’s White Boy of the November, the same cannot be said for that of December. For at the close of the year, the most celebrated of them all was once again the original, the unparalleled, the White Boy: Timothée Chalamet.

The close of 2023 saw Timmy returned to his rightful place at the top of White Boy pile, a position he has held on-and-off ever since he first catapulted to fame six years ago in Call Me By Your Name. Whilst Chalamet had been a presence throughout the year thanks to a highly publicised relationship with Kylie Jenner, his impression of Troye Sivan on Saturday Night Live, and an iconic ad for Bleu de Chanel, it was his turn as the eponymous chocolatier in Christmas release Wonka which truly signified his return to TikTok preeminence. 

With Dune: Part Two set to hit cinemas in March, the continued supremacy of Timothée is assured. But which other white boys will rise up to take their place amongst the 2024 roster? Apple TV’s World War Two drama Masters of the Air is coming out in January, so I predict a redemptive comeback for the show’s leading man, full-time Elvis impersonator Austin Butler, and hopefully more interest in his co-star, a personal underrated white boy favourite of mine, British actor Callum Turner. 

As to how the rest of the calendar pans out, we can only wait and see. I would profess myself excited, but I really ought to be getting out more. 

Words: Elsie Clark