An American magazine People снова выбрал «Самого сексуального мужчину года». В 2025-м этот титул достался британскому актеру Джонатану Бейли – тому самому, что играл Энтони Бриджертона в «Бриджертонах» и недавно мелькал в сериале Fellow Travelers, which featured romance, costumes, drama, and politics.
Bailey is openly gay, and this is certainly a big deal: for the first time in a long while People awards the title to a man who is open about his sexual orientation. But as appropriate as this move may be, there’s a certain awkward calculatedness to it—as if the editorial staff People She made her choice with an eye toward a progressive agenda, rather than a real “pheromone rush.”
Jonathan Stuart Bailey — an English stage and film actor who rose to fame for his role as Anthony Bridgerton in the Netflix drama series “Bridgerton,” for which he received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination in the category of “Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Drama Series.” Wikipedia
Born: April 25, 1988, Wallingford, United Kingdom
Height: 1.8 m
But here's the interesting thing: Bailey himself is chuckling about it. “Это огромная честь. Я невероятно польщён. И это полная абсурдность”, — he said in an interview with the magazine, holding an issue featuring himself on the cover.
Sex appeal is such a subjective thing. For some, it’s Ryan Reynolds’ muscles; for others, it’s George Clooney’s intellectual charm. And for us—sorry—Bailey brings to mind those moments in “Бриджертонах”, when he rolls his eyes at yet another plot twist. Sexy? Well, if you're a fan of drama and a nice suit, then yes.
Impeccable, polite, a little boring
Bailey is a charming, talented, and incredibly professional actor. But his public image is almost sterile. He doesn’t cause scandals, doesn’t get involved in politics (except perhaps very cautiously), and doesn’t make you want to write fan fiction right after an interview. Everything about him borders on perfection—as if “the sexiest man” is supposed to inspire trust rather than arouse desire.
It feels like People I chose a “safe gay guy”—pleasant, sweet, slightly ironic, but overall someone who doesn’t stir up any complicated feelings. But sex appeal, if you think about it, lies precisely in the opposite: in danger, in intensity, in unpredictability.
Sex Appeal the Safe Way
While in the ’90s and 2000s, the sexiest men were the ones who made you want to run away from them and kiss them at the same time—like Johnny Depp or Brad Pitt—we’re now in the era of “politically correct attractiveness”. This is when a man isn’t supposed to offend anyone or be toxic, but at the same time, he’s still “sexy.”
Why It's Important—and Still Boring
Selection People This can be seen as a step forward—it’s the first time the title has gone to an openly gay man, and a British one at that, rather than some American superhero from the Marvel franchise. For the industry, it’s still a symbolic moment.
Jonathan Bailey is a wonderful actor and, perhaps, the perfect neighbor on the same floor. But the “sexiest man” is the one who makes you forget about propriety and makes your heart beat faster.
A People This year, I chose not so much a man as the correct answer to the question: "How to be modern without scaring off advertisers."
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