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Tumblr Sexyman

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Tumblr Sexymen are often depicted as skinny men in fan art, even in cases where the character is not originally human, such as this fan art depicting Bill Cipher from Gravity Falls.

In online fandom culture, a Tumblr Sexyman is a fictional character that unexpectedly gains wide online popularity as a sex symbol. Tumblr Sexymen are typically unique or "quirky" male characters, often villains, who are not conventionally appealing or even human. The phenomenon is named after the website Tumblr, although Tumblr Sexymen may also be popular on other social media platforms like Twitter and TikTok.

Definition

[edit]

Tumblr Sexymen vary greatly, although they generally are evil or otherwise have some sort of quirk that separates them from "normal" characters. They are typically a popular subject of fan art and shipping, with fan art often depicting them in the form of skinny white men, even in cases where the character is not originally human.[1] Isaiah Colbert from Kotaku described Tumblr Sexymen as typically having "a bean sprout physique" and "a theater kid's bravado",[2] while Ty Galiz-Rowe from Gayming Magazine said that they are "usually tall, white looking, dress well, and have a dark or evil side to them".[3]

The most commonly agreed upon criterion for a Tumblr Sexyman is a large and vocal fan following, with some characters failing to be considered Sexymen due to having smaller fandoms.[1] Adam Bumas of Wired called the Sexyman "a way to think about discrete fan communities as linked, part of a greater cultural movement".[4]

History

[edit]

The concept of Tumblr Sexymen originated around 2012, with the release of The Lorax. The central character of the film, the Once-ler, gained a substantial fandom, with multiple blogs being created that were dedicated to the character. The Once-ler was also the subject of a large amount of fan art and shipping, a pattern that would continue for other Tumblr Sexymen.[1] In addition, fans began to create alternative versions of the Once-ler and to combine these versions into ships; this phenomenon was known as "Oncest".[5] Tumblr Sexymen such as the Once-ler are especially popular among the LGBTQ community.[6]

In 2022, a tournament was held on Twitter to determine the most popular Tumblr Sexyman. The poll went viral, and received over 244,000 votes in total.[7] The poll ended on September 8, 2022, the same day as the death of Elizabeth II, leading to memes which associated the two events with each other.[8] In the final round of voting, Sans from Undertale had faced Arataka Reigen from Mob Psycho 100; Sans won the closely contested poll with 50.1% of the votes. Sans's win was followed by a massive influx of fan art and memes on both Twitter and Tumblr. In response to the event, Undertale creator Toby Fox wrote a fictional account which featured imagined details of Sans's victory.[9][10]

In January 2023, the rollout of a new polling feature allowed Tumblr to host its own Tumblr Sexyman competition, in which Cecil Gershwin Palmer of the Welcome to Night Vale podcast beat Sans to become the ultimate "Tumblr Tumblr Sexyman".[11][12]

In 2026, the three finalists of the year's Tumblr Sexyman contest were Senshi from Dungeon Meshi, Ryland Grace from Project Hail Mary, and Mr. Ant Tenna from Deltarune. The final contest received over 300,000 votes, and Mr. Ant Tenna was crowned the winner with 39.5% of the vote.[13] Following Tenna’s victory, Toby Fox wrote a fan fiction, similar to his response to the 2022 contest. It features the contest finalists, as well as the Dungeon Meshi main cast disguised as Deltarune characters (except Chilchuck) interacting with Tenna.[14]

See also

[edit]
  • Fictosexuality – Attraction to fictional characters
  • Nijikon – Attraction to two-dimensional characters
  • Rule 34 – Internet slang regarding pornography
  • Waifu – Fictional character that one feels attraction to

References

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  1. 1 2 3 Schmondiuk, Natalie (September 29, 2022). "Tumblr Sexyman Explained". The Mary Sue. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  2. ↑ Colbert, Isaiah (September 8, 2022). "Good News, Undertale Fans: Toby Fox Just Wrote A Sans x Mob Psycho 100 Story". Kotaku. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  3. ↑ Galiz-Rowe, Ty (September 8, 2022). "Sans Undertale wins Tumblr Sexyman 2022 bracket". Gayming Magazine. Archived from the original on May 6, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  4. ↑ Bumas, Adam (November 19, 2024). "How Fans Saved Sexypedia From Being Erased From the Internet". WIRED. Condé Nast. Retrieved March 15, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  5. ↑ Doyle, Jack (November 24, 2022). "These Are the Sexiest of Tumblr Sexymen". The Mary Sue. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  6. ↑ "A History Of The Once-Ler, The Unlikely LGBT+ Icon You Might Not Have Thought About In Years". BuzzFeed Community. July 12, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  7. ↑ Morrissy, Kim (March 20, 2024). "Toby Fox Reacts To Sans Undertale's Win Against Reigen As Ultimate Tumblr Sexyman". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  8. ↑ Diaz, Ana (September 9, 2022). "Sans from Undertale won the Tumblr Sexyman poll, and I haven't known peace since". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  9. ↑ Wolens, Joshua (September 15, 2022). "Toby Fox wrote a fanfic to explain why Undertale's Sans is the 'ultimate Tumblr Sexyman'". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  10. ↑ Hirun Cryer (September 9, 2022). "Undertale's Sans wins Tumblr Sexyman poll, inspiring Toby Fox to write the event's lore". gamesradar. Archived from the original on September 9, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  11. ↑ Baker-Whitelaw, Gavia (January 31, 2023). "Tumblr users have voted on the ultimate Sexyman, and it's Cecil from 'Welcome to Night Vale'". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  12. ↑ Hampton, Rachelle (host); Williams, Wil (guest) (February 22, 2023). "Tumblr Revived the Welcome to Night Vale Fandom: A poll to find the top "Tumblr Sexyman" reminded users how much they loved narrator Cecil Palmer". ICYMI (Podcast). Slate. Event occurs at 32:09. Archived from the original on April 6, 2024. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Tumblr Sexyman Contest 2026 Final Round". Tumblr. June 13, 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Reblog by @fwugradiation · 1 poll". Tumblr. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
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