As the biggest superstar in the world, every girl wants what Taylor Swift has – including the same kind of partner.
Gen Z women have said on social media that they want a strong, rugged “protector,” just like Swift's burly American football boyfriend Travis Kelce, rather than a skinny, fashionable type.
TikTok, the video-sharing platform favored by teenagers, is being flooded with girls declaring they are “joining the trend” of choosing “strong” men like Kelce.
The 34-year-old Ms. Swift and the 34-year-old Kansas City Chiefs player, nicknamed “America's Golden Couple,” have been together since September and their romance is in the public eye.
One TikToker said in a video that has been liked 6,000 times: “We are now in an era where Generation Z, who used to like skinny men, are now attracted to men who can protect them.” “Taylor Swift was instrumental in this trend by dating Travis Kelce.”
Gen Z women have expressed on social media that they want a strong, resilient “protector,” just like Taylor Swift's burly American footballer boyfriend Travis Kelce
Harry Styles and Timothee Chalamet – previously raved about for their baby faces and rail-thin frames – were seen as the kind of men Generation Z now shuns.
A video explaining the change says: “Throughout history, men have been the warriors, the defenders, the cavemen.” They have hunted and fought, but now they don't really have the chance.
“It’s our basic instinct – males fight other males and are more attractive to females when they win.”
Harry Styles – previously raved about for her baby faces and rail-thin frame – was seen as the type of man Generation Z now avoids
“Even in animated films, we love the prince who fought for Sleeping Beauty and killed the dragon, and he didn’t even know her.”
One person commented on the video: “I think guys who know how to fight are the hottest thing in the world.”
The trend of choosing stronger men stems from a phenomenon that has swept TikTok known as the “Twink Erasure” theory.
“Twink” was originally a term used primarily by the gay community, describing men with a baby face and a slimmer build.
Trends in recent years have resulted in men who fit into this category being celebrated by women as the most beautiful and desirable men.
But people on the platform now believe that “twinks” gain weight to become more attractive to women.
An image of 28-year-old Chalamet, which users of the platform claim shows that he has gained weight and can no longer be considered a “twink,” has gone viral.
Taylor Swift pictured with her former boyfriend Taylor Lautner, who fits the “twink” type
Videos claiming this was part of a wider “Twink Erasure” have been liked up to 500,000 times.
Ms. Swift is credited with starting the trend because her previous partners, such as actor Tom Hiddleston and The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, were typically smaller in stature and “artsy.”
Her boyfriend of six years, 33-year-old actor Joe Alwyn, is 6 feet 3 inches tall, three inches shorter than NFL player Kelce and of slimmer build.
Ms Swift and Londoner Alwyn had a very private relationship which ended in April last year.
The Shake It Off singer is currently enjoying a highly publicized romance with Kelce. After Kelce's team won the Super Bowl earlier this month, Ms. Swift ran onto the field in front of a crowd of cheering fans and kissed him.
He saw a 20 percent increase in sponsorships after Ms. Swift began attending games.