The term "it boy" (sometimes "it man") has been used to describe a male exhibiting similar qualities to an "it girl". In 1950, Clara Bow 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]
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]
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]