I\u2019d also love to know: why<\/em>?<\/p>\n I\u2019ll admit, my instincts veer toward skepticism (sometimes cynicism if I doom-scroll too much). Engagement has no gender; this is true. But when it comes to the fandoms these \u201cinternet boyfriends\u201d tend to attract, women will always prevail, and how. I immediately thought of the steep rise of romance in literature and cinema (romance remains the highest-grossing genre in literary fiction), and how both champion the HEA (\u201chappily ever after\u201d for the uninitiated), usually involving a heterosexual pairing.<\/p>\n What do women\u2014particularly young women who are also discerning beauty consumers\u2014want most? If you go by the countless TikTok videos, podcasts, and discourse revolving around dating culture, they want a handsome man who embodies conventional good looks (\u201cin finance, 6\u20195, trust fund, etc.\u201d), possesses emotional complexity and intelligence, and is secure enough with his masculinity to share his hypothetical girlfriend\u2019s feminine hobbies (like beauty). This would be sweet if done in earnest. I love introducing men to skin care products and fragrances they get excited about.<\/p>\n Connor Storrie at the 2026 Golden Globes, where he debuted Milk Makeup’s newest concealer.<\/p>\n <\/span>Photo: Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n But would I want to buy a M.A.C. Cosmetics lipstick from Rob Rausch\u2019s abs? Would Love Island<\/em>\u2019s Jeremiah Brown, The Summer I Turned Pretty<\/em>\u2019s Sean Kaufman, Tyriq Withers, or Jesse McCarthy inspire a trip to Ulta Beauty? The brand\u2019s holiday campaign featured these heartthrobs, captioned, \u201cHotties who shop at Ulta on Black Friday? That\u2019s my type.\u201d Why should Harris Dickinson\u2019s dewy, freshly-misted visage cause me to hit \u201cadd to cart\u201d any quicker than if it were featured on Hailey Bieber\u2019s face instead?<\/p>\n For those born post-9\/11, you\u2019d be remiss not to notice the rather unsubtle nod to early aughts marketing that featured hunky guys idling in proximity to the thing being marketed. Abercrombie & Fitch (the hottest mall store of the first decade of this century, arguably) stationed shirtless male models like sexy sentries outside the entrances of its stores, luring in customers: the girls who wanted to get a closer look and maybe a cheeky wink from the models, and the guys who wanted to shop at the store most associated with being a hunky guy. Of course, the models themselves were not for sale, but the point was that surrounding your store (or brand) with hot dudes made the brand more attractive altogether.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Connor](\"https:\/\/media.allure.com\/photos\/69b45f8ac655b481297441b1\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/connor%2520storrie%2520golden%2520globes.jpg\"\/)
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