The British movie magazine ‘Empire’ selected Benedict Cumberbatch, the British actor, as the sexiest guy in the world. Many people may be surprised by the magazine’s proposal because there are so many attractive actors out there in the world, who perhaps have greater looks and a more muscular body. However, if you have watched the Sherlock series on BBC, you will surely give a nod of agreement to this result. Most people were disappointed at his appearance when he was first casted in the role of Sherlock. But surprisingly, after watching Benedict’s acting, most of them perceived him to be a perfect sexy-looking Sherlock. How can we explain this? It may be because of his acting skills which make him look extremely handsome. But, perhaps it is because of his distinctive role in the drama, Sherlock. He excels in thinking logically and making deductions with only a little evidence. As we can guess from the example above, recently, men with intellectual beauty are sexier than those with physical beauty. So let’s talk about the men who represent this new type of beauty.
1. What Is ‘The Man With a Sexy Brain’?
The phrase ‘the man with a sexy brain’ appeared for the first time when Nancy Lang who is a Korean pop artist posted a comment about her ideal type of man on SNS. She defined the phrase as referring to a man who is sensitive and witty and has love for humanity. This phrase has gained sensational popularity and was chosen for neologism by the National Institute of the Korean Language. It is emerging as a trend in Korea and under the influence of it, reality TV programs which demand people to use their brains has sprung up recently. A reality program named ‘The Genius’ on tvN is the best example of this kind of reality program. It was so popular that it was produced for four seasons. With this as a start, various programs have covered it and one of them made its title with it. In addition, this kind of man has become many women’s ideal type.
2. Conditions For Sexy Brains
What makes a sexy brain? Does High IQ or a diploma from a prestigious university make one? These can be one aspect, but they are not always necessary for determining a sexy brain. You may think that a man with a sexy brain is similar to another Korean neologism, ‘A Mother’s Friend’s Son’. This kind of man means an outstanding person whose mother usually compares with her own children. He usually goes to a prestigious university, gets a stable job and is a good son. In a word, he is an ideal son for all Korean mothers. You may not know their differences. However they have very distinct characteristics. Although they are both intellectual and successful in their profession, the sexy brainy one has much more personal appeal than a mother’s fantasy boy. They have a sense of humor and they are very modest about their successful accomplishments. If you think ‘a mother’s friend’s son’ is a man who has a lot of knowledge, the man with the sexy brain is a man who has wisdom. Therefore if you want to have a sexy brain, you should have passion in your field, consider other people and try to develop your sense of humor. In conclusion, to have a sexy brain is much more difficult than to become a mother’s ideal boy. However, the harder it is to have it, the more attractive it is. So it is worth the effort.
3. What Does ‘The Man With Sexy Brain’ Suggests to Us?
Korean women’s ideas about the perfect type of man have changed with the times. There were various kinds of the ideal types such as a handsome boy who is as pretty as a girl, a man who is muscular, a bad guy who could be referred to as a “homme fatale” and a man who has an outwardly curt manner, but in reality takes care of a girl. And now, ‘the man with a sexy brain’ is emerging among Korean women. This change means a change of women’s standards toward men. The new emerging standards put great emphasis on internal beauty rather than external. The best point of ‘the man with a sexy brain’ is that he is a suitable partner for an enjoyable conversation. It is difficult to remain in a good relationship if he lacks common sense or has a prejudiced perspective, no matter how handsome he is. Although a man might have a lot of knowledge in various fields, it is also hard to be attracted to him if he has an attitude of showing off his knowledge. Therefore it is their strongest point if they can continue a conversation with humor and interests in various fields. In addition, one of the reasons for their popularity is that many women want a man who has a lot of things that they can learn from. This trend receives positive comments in that it evaluates the inner side rather than mere appearance. However, there are other voices of concern, in that people can tend to judge man solely by his intellectual ability.
4. Emerging Stars With Sexy Brains
- Hong Jin-ho
Hong Jin-ho was a famous professional gamer of the game ‘Star Craft’. You can easily perceive his cleverness as a professional gamer by his sharp playing style and game strategies. However the reason he is well known for his intelligence is because he appeared on a TV show named ‘The Genius’. It was a reality show where 13 players play various games such as board games and poker until just one man is the winner. He was the winner of ‘The Genius’ season 1. Through this show, he showed his amazing talents of observation and creativeness through play. In addition, his attitude to keeping faith with his game players and to play fairly with his ability make him a man with a sexy brain’.
- Tyler Rasch
Tyler graduated from Chicago University and he is now studying political diplomacy at Seoul National University. Although his educational background is good, this is not only reason that he is a man with a sexy brain. He became famous for his smartness by appearing on the TV show called ‘Nonsummit’. The show features 12 members of various countries and they talk about particular topics in the show. In the debates, he showed his excellence in logical thinking and extensive knowledge. He also plays an important role in keeping to the right direction of discussion whenever other members wander off the point. In addition he has a high level of competence in Korean, he uses four-character Chinese idioms very well. The last points that make him sexy are that he has a sense of humor and he is humble in spite of his high intellectual ability.
5. Where Are The Women With A Sexy Brain?
If there are men with sexy brains, then there must be women with sexy brains. For example, entertainer Choi Jung-moon graduated from Seoul National University, which is one of the best education institutes in Korea, and ‘Ha-nee’ from famous girl band ‘EXID’ can speak Chinese and English fluently. However, the women with sexy brains are not as popular among men as men with sexy brains are among women. What are the differences between men and women? There is a difference of appearance between male and female celebrities who are called ‘the men or women with sexy brains’. In many cases, the men are not handsome and their jobs are various such as comedians, singers and actors. On the other hand, the women usually have good looks because most of them are actresses or singers. Men can give off their charms when they use intellectual powers, regardless of their appearance. However, women’s intellectual powers are not strong enough to surpass their outward appearances to men.
This is because patriarchal and male-dominated customs are still very alive in some parts of society in Korea. The men who are obsessed by this fixed idea tend to be intimidated by smart women instead of being attracted to them. They also think they are unnatural. This is why ‘the woman with a sexy brain’ is not emerging as a trend although there are so many smart and competent women.
There are some people who think the trend of the man or woman with a sexy brain is negative. Because they think it tends to emphasize people’s ability too much for judging them. However, if they grasp the true meaning of the word, which means people who are passionate about their work, have a sense of humor and kindness, then they can see this trend with a more positive view. Of course, it is important to take care of your appearance. However why don’t you develop your abilities and improve your inner beauty first? From now on, let’s try not only for a sexy body but also for a sexy brain!