On having a man crush

One evening, I saw what appeared to be a string of Chris Hemsworth-approving tweets from two separate guys, one of Thor, the other of real-life, ponytailed Hemsbro by the pool. As I was about to brush their perfect abs aside, the hashtag #cuteguy caught my scrolling eye. I then realized this: guys do develop man crushes. It’s when a guy admires a fellow guy, but in a straight, non-sexual way. In a vainer vein, it’s also when a guy declares a fellow guy the superior version of himself.

Bro god of my teens: I looked up to 7th Heaven’s Matt Camden when I was a kid.

I mean, you’ll see it everywhere in varying degrees. Quick profile picture comments like “What a pogi guy this guy” or a straight up “Sexy” count as evidence of bro-to-bro approval. Over the course of my life I’ve had a few man crushes myself and here are the ones I recall.

Matt Camden from 7th Heaven

I was in fifth grade when I started thinking, wow, that’s a cool name. Barry Watson as a real name? Even cooler. His wavy hair matched his onscreen confidence, with which he gave advice to a misbehaving David Gallagher, or Simon. He was also a babe-peacemaker, stopping fights between high school girls who fought over him. Now I just can’t believe he’s 38 years old, fighting to get a break.

Bob Moffatt of The Moffatts

Bob was cooler than his twin brother Clint, despite the latter’s shaved head and bleached bangs out front. In sixth grade, I bought a cassette tape of The Moffatts’ album “Chapter I: A New Beginning” and Bob’s beats (especially on the cowbell on “I’ll Be There For You”) inspired me to teach myself the drums. Now he calls himself Robert and has a Facebook page that’s kind of going nowhere. 391 likes only?

Broffatt: Bob Moffatt of The Moffatts inspired me to learn the drums. He really had a way with the cowbell.

Val Sotto of VST & Co.

Okay, I sense a long-haired dude pattern. Val Sotto, though, was the real deal. Just look at his face; that is the deal. He may have looked like a glorified driver with the gold jewelry and moustache but the guy has a reliable falsetto, as heard in hits like Step No, Step Yes. I also read that he used to be stalked by girls in Greenhills during the ‘70s. Today, he is all mellowed down, working as a councilor for the second district of Parañaque. Cool guy.

Nathan Followill of Kings of Leon

This is a pretty recent, decent man crush. Not only can he muli-task drumming while chewing gum live, he is also a bro a normal bro can relate to. On Twitter, all he does is report the different types of tacos and burgers he gets to eat, his trips to “pasta paradise” and his sore feelings for various sports teams. People don’t need to be overly insightful to be followed on Twitter, and this guy is a fun example.

Follow Nathan: Kings of Leon’s Nathan Followill doesn’t know how to be uncool.

That dude in high school who had the word “DESTROY” on the back of his basketball jersey

All that made an impression on me. I remember wondering why I hadn’t thought of it first. I remember being so fascinated by the confidence, by the brevity of that statement. I remember staring at him during intramurals and watching him do what his jersey said. He was also friends with the guy who popularized black Adidas Samba shoes, so plus points for their inner circle of man crushability. I saw the guy recently, though, and I can’t say his current self should be number six on my list. I guess man crushes can change.

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