Why Are Men So Ugly Now?

In this episode, I go on a very honest (and slightly chaotic) rant about something that’s been bothering me for a while: the devolution of famous male celebrity looks from the 90s to now.

Remember the era of impossibly handsome movie stars? The kind of men who looked like they were carved out of marble and existed on a completely different plane from the rest of humanity? The 90s and early 2000s were full of that kind of larger-than-life heartthrob energy. Movie stars looked like movie stars. They felt unattainable, aspirational, almost mythical.

Fast forward to today, and somewhere along the way the vibe shifted.

Instead of glamorous, jaw-dropping leading men, it feels like Hollywood is increasingly filled with guys who… look like the dude standing behind you in line at the grocery store. And I have questions. A lot of questions.

In this episode I unpack my frustration with how we got here:

• When did the cultural standard for male celebrity beauty drop so drastically?
• Why did the industry move away from aspirational star power?

This is not a scientific analysis. It’s a passionate, slightly petty cultural rant about aesthetics, celebrity culture, and why the era of the unattainable male heartthrob seems to be disappearing.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello everyone. Welcome to this episode of my podcast. I know I haven't uploaded an episode in a hot minute. Not that anyone really cares that much, but you know, I just thought I'd provide an update about how I'm going through it at work. That'll be another episode, but I don't want to rehash it today. So today's episode is going to focus on a topic I have always been passionate about. And it is how men are so fucking ugly. So without further ado, let's get into it. Why is the average man so fucking ugly? And I feel like as time goes on, they just keep getting uglier. And I don't know why. Like, I don't know if it's because my frontal lobe is now developed or what have you, but I feel like even up to from like the late 90s to from like the late 90s, early 2000s to now, I feel like men have just gotten uglier. Granted, it was more gradual. Like men didn't just get ugly so quickly over time. But I'm thinking about the heartthrobs in the 90s, and this is just for all famous people, right? From like the 90s up until now, because I'm on I'm I was born in 1994, and I'm thinking of the magazines and media I grew up watching, both because I'm Korean American, so I grew up watching mostly American and Korean media, and so the evolution, or should I say the de-evolve? What's the opposite of evolution? Let me let me Google this. I'm going through it today, guys. Opposite of evolution. It's like de-evolve. Like what is the antonym of evolution? Reverse evolution of the male species, looks-wise. I mean, I guess they are reverse evolving in other ways, but today I will try, even with my severe ADHD, ADHD to focus on just looks. But yeah. Anyways, back to what I was saying. I was comparing like the heartthrobs of the 90s up until now, right? And let's think of American men, right? I mean, of course, because American media had more white people, I'm going to be focusing on more of the white male celebrities I remember. Because, first of all, men were just never in my radar. I never really like stand men. I usually stand female singers and female like actresses and stuff like that. So from the men I remember, it was like Jesse McCartney, young Orlando Bloom, young Brad Pitt, young Johnny Depp. And of course, these men are all trash, but we can acknowledge how good looking they were. Even young Leonardo DiCaprio. And yes, Leonardo DiCaprio has let himself go. But with that being said, when he was young, he was very handsome. And I'm just afraid you don't see faces like that anymore on TV. Like, what do we have nowadays? Jacob Elordi is probably the most good-looking man in Hollywood I can think of. And that's fucking sad because like Jacob Elordi, while he is better looking than the average white man, he's by no means like hot enough to be some like new heartthrob on TV. Oh yeah, and we had young Chatting Tatum too, right? What happened to white boys? Although, again, I feel like men have just gotten uglier. Because we think of like even like with I'm trying to think of all the black male celebrities I know, right? Let me just take a look. See, I'm trying to use diverse examples here. Wait, Will Smith was very good looking. Will Smith is still good looking. Well, who else? I'm trying to think. I'm sorry guys. I just really like men just aren't on my radar, so I just simply do not remember. Uh Denzel Washington. Although I don't know if he's like a 90s. I feel like Denzel Washington is before that time. Yeah, because he was born, he's 71 years old. But like, either way, if he's 71 now, how old was he in the 90s? He's born, oh wait, he's 10 years older than my mom, Denzel Washington. Bitch, what the fuck? Okay, so Denzel Washington is born in 1954, meaning in the 90s, like 1999, he would have been 45. Oh my god, he's he's really aged like super gracefully. But, anyways, yeah, very good-looking man, right? Still good looking, and he was one of the heartthrobs of the 90s, right? I mean, and even before that. And we have who else? I mean, there's a lot of men are just ugly across the board, but even Tupac, for example, I feel like Tupac is like so handsome. I I know he's like, I've heard he's like a rapist. I don't I I haven't done any deep diving into that myself, but rappers are usually trash. So are we surprised? I'm I'm not surprised. Um, let's see. I'm I'm looking. I'm looking to see like uh black male. Let's take a look. Okay, so we have uh let's take a look. We have project optional. Hmm. I'm taking a look at like the black male heartthrobs, and I don't know anyone's I'm trying to think of the ones I know that I'm looking at right now. ASAP Brocky, he's good looking. I don't think he's like heart throb material I am okay that guy from Bridgerton is so good looking. I feel like we need to that needs to be the standard for for men. Uh Simon I I I can't say his name. I'm s Reggie? Is that how you say his name? Wait, wait, wait. I'm so sorry if I butchered his name, guys. I'm I'm googling how to say it. Give me a sec, guys. I'm so sorry. A mess. I I'm watching Why is it so long?

unknown 5:58

Reggae.

SPEAKER_00 5:59

Reggae? Reggae is I'm so sorry if that's not how you say it, but I think he should be the standard for male heartthrobs. Because when I was watching season one of Bridgerton, I was just whoa, I was blown away because I haven't seen a man that handsome on the screen since the early 2000s, and I'm not even exaggerating. I need Reggae to be the like the baseline for good-looking men. Shonda's mind for casting him. I don't even know where she I don't was he famous before Bridgerton. Yeah, he's best known for his role in Bridgerton. So he wasn't even very famous before this. And Bridgerton only the first season came out in 2020. So he only really made his like big break in in his 30s, which is you know inspirational in a way, even though for men, men don't have to worry about like age as much as women do. But it just goes to show you ladies, it's never too late. But yeah, I remember seeing him on the screen, and I I I watched the first season of Bridgerton, actually, when it first came out, I think because I was my mom was watching it or my friend was watching it. I don't remember, and I remember seeing him on the screen when he first came out with the actress who plays the the Daphne, is that her name? I don't know her name, but he I remember seeing Ray Reggae with Daphne in Bridgerton and being blown away. And Daphne's gorgeous, but but because Reggae, because hot men are so rare, it's like I feel like I only ended up like focusing on him because again, hot men have become somehow a rare species. Like, what the fuck happened anyway? So going back, we have Denzel Washington, Will Smith. I'm looking at the the male heart throbs again. Let me go back. ASAP Rocky again. I don't I think ASAP Rocky is good looking. Would I put him in the heartthrob category? No, I don't think so. Aaron, Aaron Pierre is quite good looking too. I've seen him on TikTok from time to time and Twitter, but his eyes scare me a little bit. Um I'm not I don't think Lenny Kravis is good looking, and that's the hill I will die on. Idris Elba is very good looking. Yes, yes, yes. We need to Idris Elba, Reggae, and young Brad Pitt, young Donnie Deb. We need to bring fine men back into Hollywood and on the television. I'm so sorry. I am so sick and tired of seeing men who look like Adam Sandler and Adam Driver. I don't know what the Adam name must be cursed. Because why is every celebrity name Adam so fucking ugly? So yeah, we need to bring back hot men. And then I think about I don't know if you guys know too much about Korean celebrities. So back in the late 90s and early 2000s, there were so many heartthrobs on Korean media. There's this celebrity called Wanbin. Oh my god, Google him. He's so good looking. And who else? We have Cheng Usong. And who else do we have? Uh I'm Googling it, guys. I men again just aren't on my radar. I'm just I just have to give examples. Which is, and I just don't remember what these name men's names are for the love of my life. And so let me see. Oh, and young Tom Cruise. Oh my god, how could I forget? Oh my god, so handsome. Uh, so I'm looking to see who the heartthrobs were back in the 90s. Kusu, which actually also means cilantro in Korean, but he's also so handsome. Don't see men like that on TV anymore. One bean, like, I don't think there's a Korean man who has beaten one bean in terms of looks, like, ever. Like in the history of Korean entertainment that I know of, from like 80s onwards, I have never seen a man as good looking as one bean. And it's so unfortunate. He unfortunate he does not want to be on TV anymore. Like it he just he just values his privacy so much. And I just know his children. I think he has one daughter. I just know his child, his daughter is so beautiful. Oh, and we have like Kimura. I think Japanese celebrities actually aren't too bad looking back then versus now. Like, I feel like we have like we had like back in which I also watched some Japanese stuff, and I remember a big heartthrob in like the 90s for Japanese television was like Matsumoto Jun and Kimura Takuya. And I think Japan, I don't really know too many Japanese male celebrities nowadays, but I know Sakaguchi Kentaro is one of them. But like, yeah, aura-wise, like it's not beating Matsu Jun and Kimura Takuya. Like, I feel like the 90s male actors specifically, I don't know much about the singers. There was a different aura to these men that I feel like the modern men, male celebrities just aren't possessing, as the young kids call it. Is it aura farming? I hear nowadays. I'm I feel old, but you know, I hear like men, even if they're good looking, they don't have that aura they used to have. And even then, they're still and on top of that, they're uglier. Again, we'll we'll use modern-day examples. We have Timothy Chalamet, Jacob E. Lordy. Who else? Who else we got? That's who's famous these days. Um, famous male actors. Okay, let's take a look. Um, and they they have to be younger. Ryan Gosling, so ugly. I'm sorry, I really do not understand the appeal of modern oh, I'm sorry, Ryan Gosling, Jeremy Allen White. That man looks like he touches young people, and I'll just leave it at that. He looks like he would date a woman half his age. And we have what do we have? I don't know any of these men, but I just see them on TV and they just piss me off. Paul Masquell. I Paul, I feel like I I used I lived in Melbourne. I did working holiday there for about seven, eight months, and I every single white man with facial hair I saw around Melbourne looked like fucking Paul Mascell. I I he is the most generic looking white man I have ever seen in my life. Like I'm is he like and I watched my my old housemate and I shout out Sarah. I we watched the sh the show he was in. I can't remember what the show name is called. Like it's like the Irish TV show. I'm trying to remember what it's called. Normal people, because she's in she's obsessed with that show. So I was watching it with her, and you know, bless her soul. She's lovely soul, right? And you know, she doesn't like it when I attack her favorite actors. But I was watching it and I'm like, genuinely, what is the appeal of this man? I I I really don't understand. Noah Centeneo. Oh my oh my god. And again, I don't think Noah Centeneo is like ugly. Like he's actually, I would argue, one of the better looking ones out of like Jacob Elordi, Timothy Chalamet, and all of them. I would argue he's one of the better looking ones. But the problem was he like let himself go and he went like fucking insane, and he's a nut job now, so he's like let himself go. So now he's like lost his like sp like spark, whatever. Okay, Harry Styles, I'll give credit where that man was gorgeous when he was young. Like when he was because you know, white men peak in their 20s, and specifically their early to mid-20s. Once they hit that 25 mark, they go downhill. Okay, God bless Tom Holland. Love that man, but he is not good looking, and I don't know how he became the face of just like heart throbs in Hollywood. I'm Zendaya, she's not gonna listen to this. No shade, but um I I don't see it, girl. I'm so sorry. He's cute, I think he's adorable. Like he get he very much gives like cute little brother vibes, and maybe that's what Zendaya is, maybe that's her freak. Like he and he matches her freak, you know? And he seems like a nice man, like he treats Zendaya very well, he's not insecure about himself. I think personality-wise and acting well, he's a good actor. I've watched him in a few stuff he's been in. But we're we're talking about men's looks, right? I I'm so sorry, girl. I just I don't see it. I don't see it. And right now I'm Googling famous actors 2026. And oh yeah, right. I was like, did does Harry Styles even act? And I remember he was in that one movie with what's her name? Pew Pew? Florence Pew, is that her name? I I didn't watch it, I don't watch a lot of things, guys, because I'm very, very lazy. Um, I I prefer watching Korean series, not because I think Korean series are inherently better or anything like that, but one, to keep my Korean not as rusty, and two, because Korean shows tend to not be separated into seasons. I fucking hate seasons. Why, okay, for example, like with American TV shows, there they'll be on average like five seasons, right? And every it takes two years for every season to come out. Bitch, I don't even remember what I did yesterday. How do you expect me to remember the last season of a show from over two years ago? Oh that's why I don't I avoid like just Western TV shows because of the whole season thing. But anyways, what were they saying with that? But I just oh, that's why I watch more Korean series, and so I just I didn't know Harry Styles acted. I don't know where I I lost my train of thought again. This is what happens when you have ADHD and Pedro Pascal. I think he's very charming. I I do admit Pedro Pascal is very charming. Do I think he's good looking? This is probably a hot take, but I do think he's good looking for his age. He's 50. Let's look at Pedro Pascal when he was young. I'm open to being proven wrong. See, I I feel like he looks better now. I he okay, I'm so sorry, but I'm actually looking at this picture of Pedro Pascal. I don't know where this is from. It's a refinery 29 article. I didn't read it, I just saw the picture because I Googled images of him when he was young. And I'm so sorry, ladies, but he looks like I I really don't want to get hate on the internet for this, but he looks like a drug addict. He looks like that kid who went through like an alternative emo phase and never got through it and is just toxic now. I'm not saying he actually is as a person. I I'm pretty sure Pedro Pascal is like LGBTQ. That's my I'm sure, and this is not a hot take. I think many people think this, but specifically in the show he's in, I don't know what NYPD blew from 2001. I didn't even know he was he's been acting for this long because I feel like he blew up fairly recently. But, anyways, back to what I was saying. I did not know he was acting for this long, and I'm looking at pictures of him from 2001, and it's giving joker vibes, guys. I'm so sorry. He was not handsome when he was young. I think he's very charismatic and charming now, but object okay, I don't want to say objectively speaking, because at the end of the day, beauty is subjective, even though I think men have gotten uglier, and I will die on this hill. But I just I don't see it, guys. I'm so sorry. I he has gotten better looking as he has gotten older, but I just guys, I don't see it. I'm so sorry. And who else we got? Um, let me see. Take a look. Yeah, I just I don't know why men are so ugly these these days, and then oh, I was gonna get into creating men now, right? So obviously we had heart throbs like uh I'm gonna Google this. Okay, I'm googling who was who was who was popular back in the day, right? So I'm seeing Chimpyo, Pyong Jun, yes, Ijongde. Which when he was young, guys, that the main character of Squid Game, I Jong de, he was very good looking. Song Sung on, yeah, yeah, these are I Beng on. I Beng on was the one of the voice actors. He was the voice actor of not Chinoo, but the dude who controls the devils. Yeah, he's really he was really good looking when he was young. He's still pretty good looking, even though he cheated on his wife, very messy man. But you know, I give credit where due. I give credit where due. But anyways, but now we have people like fucking Kimzhono. And again, no shade, but Kimzono is just He looks like every other average Korean man on the streets. And then we have who else we got on each Namja Peu. Okay, I'm I again men are just not on my radar, so I actually have to Google them to figure out who who we're talking about. Okay, Ichemian actually isn't bad looking. He's a lot younger than me. I think he's born in 2000. Yeah, he's actually not too bad looking. I feel like there's a pool of men, and there's still some hope for the Korean entertainment industry. So let me take a look. Uh we also oh ijong hook. I need Koreans to drop the bad nose jobs. Like, what what is up with Korean beauty standards for men specifically? I mean, I do know some female celebrities who have pretty egregious nose jobs, but especially the men, I just because you know, with I feel like with female faces, I feel like men when they get work done in Korea, I feel like more they when they get their eyes done, they don't go for that like big dolly look. The big doll-like eyes that Korean women tend to go for. So they don't do their eyes as dramatically. So when they're getting an implant in their nose, that is the height of the Eiffel Tower, it looks super uncanny. And a lot of Korean male celebrities do this to their faces, and I'm like, genuinely, why the fuck would you do this to your face? Okay, so I'm looking up the popular male celebrities right now. So we have the only man in on this list who I think actually there's two of them. Uh, and each ten, so three. So I'm looking at like a top 20 list. Chaunu, absolutely, that man is gorgeous. He doesn't have the aura that the 90s actors did, but just objectively speaking, just phenotypically, physically, he is as attractive. He's the only one though. He is as attractive as those men from the 90s, just looks-wise, aura-wise, no, aura-wise, nothing is beating the men from the 90s, celebrities-wise. It doesn't matter whether what country. Well, I mean, I'm talking specifically from a Korean and American perspective. But yes, within the two countries of Korea and America, nothing is beating the aura of the 90s male celebrities. And yes, I know they're all problematic, but we're just going off of looks here. I just don't know what the fuck happened. Like, why did the standards for men go into hell? I need to know. Someone needs to like leave a comment and tell me because I don't get it. Okay. Oh, wait, oh me, Minho too. Meanho from Chinese. He's also very handsome. But Dawn. Daun has the most egregious, one of the most egregious nose jobs in Korean entertainment industry. Like, I'm so sorry. We're adding him to the egregious nose job list. Che Whick. I don't think a lot of non-Koreans know this man, but he's like quite a popular actor. He's been in some like pretty major roles. Oh, he was in Parasite. He was one of the characters in Parasite. That was his most major role, like abroad. He he was popular before that, but he's so I just I've seen every time I go to like some cafe in Korea, it's like I lived in Korea for seven years, and I go back every year. So, and I'm there for long periods of time. So he I've seen so many Korean men on the streets who look like him, and people's excuses are like people will make the excuse for him, like, oh, he's cute. He's like an ugly dog. He's uh, you know, those ugly, cute dogs, he looks like that. And Idoyun, again, I do think he's like pretty good looking, but as a like, I would say Idoyon, he was in the glory. He was Hong Yeo's uh romance partner. I would say he's good looking, but he's just like for if I'm looking at everyday men, right? He's just like above average. He's not again, he's not he's not like unattainable. I feel like I could find a man like Ido Young if I looked hard enough, like at a club. Uh he would be like the most popular guy at the club, but. Like I would still see men like him in in the wild. I would not see a man like one being in the wild. Eminho, this is a hot take, I don't really get the hype. Um, he's like he's good looking, but I just he's very in Korean. There's a word for it, it's called Dikyada, where he's like very greasy looking. I don't I don't like it. I just he's good looking, he's just not my type. He's not, I don't think he's universally attractive. Or maybe this is my again, this is biased, but I will I will die on the hill that men have gotten uglier. 2 p.m. Chunho. Paksojun. Oh my god! That man is so fucking ugly. I'm sorry, I like yelled in my mic. I like legit, and Paxojun has he's pretty famous, and he's been in so many major roles, and he's so fucking ugly. I genuinely do not get the appeal. And he's known, he's notorious for being quite sleazy. And again, I think I don't know if the height is what has these girls in a chokehold. I I really don't know because again, tall men are not some like Korean men are pretty tall guys. I don't know if you guys have been to Korea or whatever. Korean men are not short, so I just again, he's a type of man I could see in the wild very often. Uh Chong Ain, I also don't see it. He's also balding, so uh Pakbu Gom is cute. I don't think he's like ethereal looking, so yeah, um, I'm not gonna get too much into this list, but yeah, I'm just explaining like basically like the how the quality of the male faces have deteriorate deteriorated over time. And I actually posted a TikTok about this, and it did well for how many followers I have. I think the video has about like 80,000 views or something like that. And I was reading the comments, and apparently it's happening to like Filipino actors too. And some people said that some people mentioned that it's also happening in their countries. I someone said Chinese actors are still good looking. I don't know any Chinese actors besides like Fun Bing being in a and like Tang Wei and a few others because I don't really consume a lot of Chinese media, so yeah, I don't know much about Chinese celebrities, but you know what? I'm I'm gonna Google this. Let me let me see. Chinese actors 2026. Let's just Google it. Okay, let's see if I find them good looking, and again, I know I'm not the end-all be all of who's who's good looking, but I need to know for myself. I'm so sorry. I I'm looking at uh a post from Chinese drama data of the 2026 Dragon TV New Year's Eve Gala official lineup with some of short drama actors, and maybe this is because these are short drama actors. Maybe this isn't a good let me look up okay. I'm looking at netizenschoice.com, guys. Most handsome Chinese actors 2026. Let me let me be the judge of that. I love judging people. Maybe I'll maybe I'll do the Filipino actors next too. We'll we'll see. We'll see. Why isn't this site loading? Okay, I'm gonna have to do another site. Okay, why is my internet so egregiously slow today? Okay, this is like real. I don't want to watch a video. I want like a list. Bring back lists. Okay, I'm looking at he's worth 20 million dollars. Again, guys, I'm so sorry, but his nose implant is fighting for its life. Wang Hodi. Um He's alright. I mean, I he's just a bit for me with East Asian men specifically, I like a more minimalist look, like more. I don't want to sound because I guess they're East Asian, so I can't really be racist, but I like a more Asian look, like more oriental. Okay, I'll use the word, and he's just a bit dolly, doll-like looking, and I'm just not vibing with it. Ren Ren Jia Lun. We have he's worth 30 million dollars. I'm sorry guys, again, objectively speaking, objectively being my standards, he's not terrible looking, like he's decent looking. Do I think he's like 90s heartthrob level good looking from like Korean male standards? And again, I know that even within East Asia, there's like my like just like differences in the beauty standards, right? Uh but but I feel like a lot of Chinese women also find Korean male celebrities attractive, and they also tend to hold the same some similar beauty standards towards like Korean celebrities too, because a lot of Chinese people also consume Korean media, and I just I don't see it, guys. I'm sorry. And then we have number seven is Gong Jun. Again, the I is do the egregious nose implants also have Chinese men in a chokehold? Okay, now we have Yang Yang. Oh, Yang Yang is not bad. Okay, Yang Yang is pretty good looking. Okay, number six is Yang Yang. He's he's not bad looking, okay. Okay, let me see if he has a nose implant. I feel I feel like men these days all have nose implants. Like, can we bring back men who don't have nose implants, please, in East Asia specifically? Wang Yibo. Guys, I'm so sorry. He's worth 45 million dollars, and I don't even think he should be worth a fifth of that. I'm so sorry. We have Shukai at 45 million, and it looks like again, his nose implant is fighting for its life. Like, his nose implant in this photo is quite literally like sticking out. It's like it's like protruding out 45 million. We have Xiaojan at 50 million. Guys, I'm so sorry. These men are just Andy Lao, Andy Lao was good looking. Yeah, Andy Lao was good looking. I remember Andy Lao, he was very handsome, Andy Lao, Andy Lao young. Because I think he was in a few Wong Korwai movies, right? Yeah, he was, he was, yeah, yeah, yeah. I remember. This man was very see Andy Lao. Very handsome. And his aura is unmatched. Like, see, it's not just the looks, guys, it's also the aura. And the actors these days just aren't giving that aura. Tony Tony Tony Lung, is that is that is he is he Chinese though? Let me actually Google this. Tony Lung. He's Hong Kong, so let me look up. I think he was also in a few Wong Kurwai movies. Hmm, Tony Lung Young. I don't know if he was the best looking. I won't lie, guys. I don't think Tony Lung was that good looking. Okay, let's see. Chinese actors famous 90s. Let's let's Google this. Okay. Um Aaron Gok Gok. Uh let me see. I uh Jackie Chan was never known for being like handsome though, so I need to look up famous Chinese male actors from the 90s. Okay, I feel like we need to I feel like they also gave me really shitty photos. So let me take a look at I need no, I need older actors born in 90s. No, I need people who are famous in the 90s. It's harder to find stuff for China. Maybe I'm just really bad at searching. Okay, I got we're gonna Aaron Aaron Aaron I'm gonna call this Aaron. I can't say his last name. I'm so sorry. I'm gonna butcher Aaron Cock. I don't think it's cock, but um uh I was calling Aaron. You know who I'm talking about. I'm looking at photos of him when he was young. Okay, minus the teeth. Okay. Oh no, actually, no, his teeth are cute. I'm looking at a different video. Oh my god. What when did men get this ugly? He was so handsome when he was young. I'm actually like taken aback. What the fuck happened? Okay, so we we saw we confirmed that Aaron was very handsome when he was young. Okay, I'm gonna Google other Chinese male actors to see how much uglier men have gotten. Um okay. Jet Li. Jet Li Young. Jet Li, I've heard of. I I don't know what he's famous for. Ah, yeah, he's been in a few Hollywood movies. So I do remember him, his name. Let me see what he was young, though. Uh yeah, he was pretty cute. He's giving like boy next door vibes, though. I wouldn't call him like heartthrob material, but he's not bad looking. Um, okay, like uh again, he's just like boy next door vibes. I I wouldn't call him like nine. I don't think Jet League was necessarily known for his looks, though. Okay, famous Chinese male actors from the 90s. Okay. I just guys I need to lock in. Okay. Um okay. I I'm really I can't find anything within this time frame of my podcast. But yeah, what was I going with this? I I I will die on the hill that even with Chinese male actors. Again, I've only used Hong Kong people, actors as an example. But Hong Kong people are technically ethnically Chinese, so I guess it works, right? And a lot of mainlanders consumed Hong Kong media. I don't know about now, but in the 90s, Hong Kong media was consumed globally. Korean people were also watching Hong Kong movies. So and the Wang Karwai movies are still popular today. So I I will say, based on the list that I have again, maybe the the standards for mainland China and like Hong Kong are different, but based on what I've seen, and please let me know if I'm being ignorant, the even the mainland Chinese special territory area, what have you, actors have gone uglier. Okay, I'm so sorry. The the men are just not getting any more handsome. Someone needs to tell me what's going on. Was there some like era of like, let's be accepting of all men? I I also blame the the phenomenon of not shaming men for their bodies on this because there was there was this whole movement. I want to say it was like in during was it during COVID or was it like right before COVID? I can't remember. But there was I was seeing tweets of like, oh, be accepting of men with dad bots, dad bots. Men are not the ones giving birth, men are not supposed to be fat. Why are we normalizing men having pot bellies? Okay, maybe a dad bot doesn't go into potbellied territory, but they it goes into them having a gut. It goes into men not having a flat stomach territory. And I don't think men should have fat on their stomachs. Men are supposed to be thinner, men's body pat body fat percentage is not supposed to be high. So why the fuck do they look like that? Why the fuck, as a man, are you built like you're six months pregnant? And why has this become a movement where we're accepting fat men? And I do think that also plays a part. But then my best friend was telling me that there was also some movement of like accepting men, or I can't remember, like except men regardless of their looks, and I feel like that's why men have gotten uglier. Maybe red pilling also plays a role in this. I have no idea. I'm getting so worked up because I just can't believe the the evolution, the reverse evolution, the the antithesis of evolution, how men have gone from the Homo sapien species to Neanderthals in the span of less than 40 years. Maybe I think it also has to do with the fact that I don't know about other countries, but specifically with Hollywood, in regards, well, I would say all talent. A lot of talent, right? We're seeing more like Neppo babies in Hollywood, right? A lot of people with connections, a lot of people with money. Jacob Ilordi comes from money. Taylor Swift comes from money. Although Taylor Swift technically does is categorized in the early 2000s pop stars, because I think she debuted in like 2005 or something like that. But either way, after that, I feel like female pop stars, white female pop stars were never talented again, the same way that they were back in the day, right? And I feel like ever since that, Taylor, people like Taylor Sift started to debut, and then we start to see an increase in like Nepo babies with like the the Kardashians and the Jenners, and then Jacob E. Lordy also comes from a very affluent family, and all these Neppo babies entering Hollywood. I feel like the quality of the talent and the looks has decreased substantially, especially with the men. I feel like the women are still good, because of course we have higher standards for women, right? So women are always just gonna be better looking than men by default, but the men have just gotten significantly uglier, the point where it's become insufferable. I I don't want to see another average-looking man on my television. The reason I turn on the television is to see good-looking men that are unattainable, that I cannot see out in the wild. That's why I turn it on the TV. It's to escape reality, right? I don't want to turn on the television being like, let me just step right back into reality. I I use media as a form of escapism, even with the books I read. I only read crime books, guys. I only read books that involve murder and solving a crime and plot twists, because those books are exciting to me. I don't actually read romance novels, but in terms of the media consume I cons consume, right? I consume a lot of romance media-wise, especially with webtoons and with Korean media, right? I consume mostly Korean media. In terms of like long-form media, I usually consume Korean media. It's just easier, easier for me. And I hate that we've, as a Korean society, they've gone from unattainable heartthrobs who just by looking at them make my heart beat fast to fucking average ass looking men on the streets. I'm trying not to yell in my apartment. Average looking men that I could find at the club, at a hunting pooch, which is like an area where like girls and boys get together to like mingle. I I am so tired of seeing mediocre men on in romance dramas with fucking egregious nose implants and fucking crooked nose implants when I'm trying to escape from reality. This is not a form of escapism for me. Seeing men with bad nose implants. I can walk around in Kangnam and see that shit. Bring back good looking men in 2026 and onwards, okay? Thank you. And this with this I conclude today's episode. Thank you for listening, guys.