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Identity

From Fuccbois to Soft Boys: Have You Encountered the Trend Boy?

Our lives are populated not by men but by Fuccbois, Soft Boys, and Alt-Lit Bros.
A Trend Boy sinking into the sea. Image via Nabi Tang / Stocksy

You might know him as the Fuccboi, Brogrammer, Softboy, or Alt-Lit Bro. The Trend Boy has many names.

The Trend Boy looks different depending on how recently you were broken up with (and by whom). The Trend Boy is always ready to pop up in a new form: reading different books, wearing a different kind of sweater, enjoying different typical leisure activities. When one kind of Trend Boy dies, or is lit on fire, or walks into the sea, a new one arises to take his place. You are never safe from the Trend Boy.

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It's kind of fun to consider the Trend Boy. "I'm the definition of a Trend Boy, ha, ha," says the Trend Boy. The Trend Boy shares articles about himself with witty captions. He is self-effacing, in on the joke.

Actually, it is his joke.

The Trend Boy texts, or doesn't. He writes you overly long emails in florid prose, or he sleeps with you and doesn't get in touch for weeks afterwards. The Trend Boy blames his poor behavior on work, or he doesn't have a job and lacks ambition. The Trend Boy chooses his friends over you every time, or makes you ditch your friends to spend more time with him. Whatever he's doing, he knows it is bad and he does it a lot.

Whatever he's doing, he knows it is bad and he does it a lot.

The Trend Boy knows wearing a fedora would make him a certain kind of Trend Boy, so he wears a different hat. The Trend Boy hates getting caught. He seems like a Good Guy, or he is open about Not Being A Good Guy. In either case, he acts the same. The Trend Boy is a proud male feminist, or "more of a humanist," or appears legitimately invested in fighting misogyny. The Trend Boy adopts or ignores these beliefs as he pleases.

The Trend Boy never has to be better; he's just a trend. There are lots of him, and anyway another one will come along soon. The Trend Boy gets a lot of chances.

We all kind of like the Trend Boy. "The guy I'm seeing is such a Trend Boy," says a girl on the subway. The girl on the subway is going to have her feelings hurt. Her friends will be like, "Classic Trend Boy." Next time, she will date a guy who listens to a different kind of music. That guy will hurt her feelings too.

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It's tempting to think the Trend Boy is bad because he is the kind of man who wears ironic T-shirts, or longboards to work, or has a mustache. It's tempting to think the next one will be different because he doesn't wear socks, or is a vegan, or isn't. It is very depressing to consider the trend that unites the Trend Boys.

The concept of the Trend Boy puts a stylish haircut and specific pair of shoes on a widespread, systemic problem. It implies that drinking rosé and routinely lying to one's sexual partners are two equal and optional pastimes out of many. It puts the mistreatment of women on the same level as statement socks. The Trend Boy is a very cute name for something we already have words for, but they are not as nice.