It boy

For the 2013 film, see It Boy. For the song by bbno$, see It Boy (song).

Robert Mitchum was one of the first male movie stars to be labeled an "it man" in the 1950s.

An "it boy" (sometimes "it man") is an attractive young man who is perceived to have both sex appeal and a personality that is especially engaging. The term was coined as the male equivalent of an "it girl".

History

In 1950, actress Clara Bow, for who the term "it girl" was coined, 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]

Examples

2010s

• BTS, South Korean boy brand founded in 2010. ^[5]

• Timothée Chalamet (b.1995), American and French actor. ^[6]

• Jimin (b. 1995), South Korean singer, songwriter and dancer. ^{[7] [8]}

2020s

• Yeonjun (b. 1999), South Korean singer, songwriter and dancer. ^[9]

• Jack Schlossberg (b. 1993) American political commentator and author. ^{[10] [11]}

• Jin (b. 1992), South Korean singer and songwriter. ^[12]

• V (b. 1995), South Korean singer and songwriter. ^[13]
• Bach Buquen (b. 2006), French influencer and model. ^[14]
• Jacob Elordi (b. 1997), Australian actor. ^[15]
• Callum Turner (b. 1990), English actor. ^[16]

Gallery

• 
  Robert Mitchum
• 
  BTS
• 
  Timothée Chalamet
• 
  Yeonjun
• 
  Jack Schlossberg

References

1. Waterloo Daily Courier, 21 September 1950
2. "Hollywood's 'It' Boy". EW.com. March 24, 1995. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
3. "'It' Boys". New York Magazine . March 28, 2003. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
4. Cunningham, Kyndall (2024-06-17). "Every Hollywood "it" boy is a white guy". Vox. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
5. Herman, Tamar (2017-09-21). "BTS' 'Pied Piper' Is Filled With Tough Love Towards Fan Culture". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
6. Harwood, Erika; Amchin, Jordan (2018-10-15). "Timothée Chalamet's Blazing Beautiful Boy Press Tour" . Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
7. 방탄소년단 지민(BTS JIMIN), 세계 패션 산업에서도 인기 입증!. apsk.co.kr (in Korean). December 2, 2019. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
8. 미국 MTV, 방탄소년단 지민은 실트황제. n.news.naver.com (in Korean). April 22, 2020. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
9. "TXT's Yeonjun Is Making His NYFW Debut". teenvogue.com. February 16, 2021. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
10. Nazzaro, Miranda (2024-08-20). "Who is Jack Schlossberg? JFK's grandson speaks at DNC". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
11. "Fans are thirsting over JFK's grandson, Jack Schlossberg, after he's named Vogue political correspondent". 2024-07-11. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
12. Sinha, Ekta (2024-08-08). "The Fashion IT Boy, Here Are 6 Times BTS' Jin Served Major Style Inspiration". Elle India. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
13. Narain, Anadya (2025-12-30). "From Rooftop Chaos To Gym Session, Here's How BTS Celebrated V's Birthday!". Hauterrfly. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
14. Cordero, Robert (2024-10-21). "The TikTok 'It Boy' Who's Getting Men to Wear Makeup". The Business of Fashion. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
15. Sinha, Ekta (2024-01-11). "Jacob Elordi Is The New Fashion 'IT' Boy Of The Internet And With Good Reason". Elle India. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
16. Leslau, Tania (2025-01-14). "Fashion's It-boys to have on your radar for 2025". HELLO!. Retrieved 2025-12-30.