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Bye, Rodent Boyfriends! From Taylor Swift to Lana Del Rey, Hollywood is setting a new standard for their other halves.
The pop cultural side of X/Twitter erupted into a frenzy after a report revealed that singer Lana Del Rey married alligator tour guide and alleged Trump supporter Jeremy Dufrene in Louisiana.
Yet I wasn’t surprised, not in the slightest. It seems Del Rey is only the latest in a series of famous ladies who prefer men who exude this masculine archetype.
Whether it’s superstar Taylor Swift smiling ear-to-ear after she is swooped off her feet by Travis Kelce at Wembley Stadium or Bella Hadid moving to Texas and riding horses with her cowboy boyfriend Adan Banuelos, these pop culture icons are glowing beside a different type of man than the entertainers they used to date.
After the vice presidential debate, Politico claimed that women could see JD Vance's beard as "conveying aggression." At a time when our media is quick to vilify masculine features as toxic or "negative," some pop fans are bold enough to state the obvious: feminine women are drawn to masculine, chivalrous men.
In response to the news that Del Rey got a marriage license to wed Dufrene, one woman on X/Twitter commented, "Lana can have anyone she wants. Men that know how to be men will always win.”
“I knew my queen was based,” a female fan replied.
If women love the trends that portray men as submissive and feminine (such as last summer’s bizarre “hot rodent boyfriend” craze), then why do statistics show that women are disappointed with the dating scene?
The Survey Center on American Life reports women are more likely than men to be unable to find someone who meets their dating expectations. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly half of Americans say dating is harder now than it was 10 years ago.
Maybe women are attracted to men who hold themselves to higher standards and embody virtue and respect despite our society’s ridicule of masculinity as oppressive to women.
According to the 2022 edition of the General Social Survey, married women with children report being "very happy." "Among married women with children between the ages of 18 and 55, 40% reported they are 'very happy,' compared to 25% of married childless women, and just 22% of unmarried childless women."
Most women still desire men who can protect and lead and with whom they can see building a future.
Contrary to the child-free lifestyle folks like Chelsea Handler preach, more young women are ready to find profound fulfillment with their future husbands and families. The bedrock of this future includes masculine men who stand up for values far from being old-fashioned: chivalry, decisiveness, and protectiveness.
Rather than viewing these traits from a feminist lens and declaring them as toxic or oppressive, young women are applauding manly men and young families because they recognize how unappreciated they are in our current culture.
I hope Hollywood, especially Gen Z, realizes that women don't want to leave behind masculine men. The success of women is not dependent on the emasculation of men. Genuinely confident and successful women know that the world needs strong women as much as masculine men.
As we leave 2024 behind, let’s include its effeminate 'rodent boyfriend' trend on the list of things we won't miss.
Stephanie Samsel is a participant in the Network of enlightened Women’s 2024 Student Media Fellowship.
Follow Stephanie on X @StephSamsel and Instagram @StephanieSamsel.
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