This week, the New York Times’ Style editors tried to do a trend-watch piece and it’s getting mixed reviews. The trend? “Rodent Men.” Actors or celebrity men who are some being designated as “rodent men.” Not to be confused by “rat-faces,” which really confused me. When I say someone looks like a rat or has a rat-face, I do not mean it as a compliment. It means that someone’s eyes are too close together and their features are too rat-like. The NYT seemingly explands the idea that Rodent Men are distinguished by not just their physical qualities but by their vibe and aura. Which… is very strange. The NYT says that some of the notable Rodent Men are: Jeremy Allen White, Josh O’Connor, Mike Faist, Barry Keoghan, Rami Malek, and Matty Healy. Josh O’Connor is NOT rat-faced, but he does have the look of a very sweet-faced cartoon mouse. Mike Faist, I will grant you, sort of has rat-like features. As does Matt Healy. But Rami Malek? Barry Keoghan? This whole concept doesn’t make much sense.

“Rodent Men”: What are they? Tiny men? Men who eat garbage? Some kind of furry science experiment gone wrong?

According to the tabloids, they’re actually the most physically desirable thing a man can be at this particularly disorienting moment in American history. Exemplified by the faces of actors like “The Bear”’s Jeremy Allen White and “Challengers” leads Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor; as well as the 1975 band member Matty Healy and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, hot “Rodent Men” are a loose category that seems mostly to refer to men who look a bit like mice or rats.

Rodent Man: An unconventional mousy man with a toothy smile, and instead of a chiseled face like Brad Pitt or Chris Hemsworth, it’s more pointy. It’s important for their faces to be angular, that’s the dead giveaway. That and big ears. They come off as edgy and elusive.

[From The NY Times]

My confusion is “a bit like mice or rats.” There’s a huge difference between someone who has mouse energy versus someone who has rat energy. As I said, Josh O’Connor looks like a sweet mouse and I’m appalled that someone would call him a Rodent Man. But Matt Healy? Everything he does and everything about him is so rat-like, so he IS a Rodent Man. I feel like we should talk about Glen Powell here too – his eyes are too close together and the man has a ratty vibe.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.