Idris Elba is 'People's sexist man alive

PeopleTV/YouTube pswordwoman/Twitter Remix by Samantha Grasso

We are pleased to inform you that People’s ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ is finally Idris Elba

Elba has BEEN the sexiest man alive, but whatever.

Photo of Samantha Grasso 

Samantha Grasso

Streaming

Posted on Nov 6, 2018   Updated on May 21, 2021, 2:21 am CDT

The people have spoken, and after last year’s disappointing disaster of Blake Shelton being named as “Sexiest Man Alive,” People has listened.

In the year of our lord 2018, the magazine has crowned Idris Elba with the title.

That’s right! For the first time in (at least one) years, the people agree with People on its sexiest-man designation, with Elba sharing a title with the likes of Actual Sexy Men such as Dwayne Johnson, Chris Hemsworth, and Ryan Reynolds. It’s also noteworthy since the distinction often goes to a rotation of white men who are given the title again and again.

The cover of Elba’s issue, with the actor smiling broadly and propping a cable-knit-cardigan’d elbow atop his knee, calls him a “sweet, smoldering superstar.” And the internet couldn’t agree more.

https://twitter.com/ira/status/1059674962317914113

https://twitter.com/Megan_Sass/status/1059673906661990402

https://twitter.com/tigers182/status/1059672883922919425

The most interesting part of Elba’s selection, IMO, is that People stated in their video of their announcement that the sexiest man needed to be someone who respected women—aka, someone who isn’t going to be outed as a Bad Man amid the entertainment industry attempting to take sexual harassment and assault more seriously. Which, you know, should have been a goddamn bare minimum requirement before Elba’s reign as sexiest man. But it doesn’t hurt that the magazine is signaling that being publicly known as an abusive asshole isn’t grounds for praise or recognition. (Last year’s pick, Shelton, had a history of racist and homophobic comments.)

Elba selected as our sexiest man alive isn’t just an injustice righted—it’s a sign from God, the woman herself, that we have at least one November election that turned out better than expected, and with any hope, will have several other wins to come.

The British actor, after all, used his cover announcement to encourage people to vote in the U.S. midterm elections. He’s sexy and knows what’s at stake!

https://twitter.com/annehelen/status/1059679688891752449

READ MORE:

Watch People‘s full video of Elba’s sexy charm and lack of bad angles below:

Share this article
*First Published: Nov 6, 2018, 10:41 am CST

Samantha Grasso

Samantha Grasso is a former IRL staff writer for the Daily Dot with a reporting emphasis on immigration. Her work has appeared on AJ+, Vox, Splinter, Los Angeles Magazine, and Austin Monthly.

Samantha Grasso