These days it doesn’t take much to send the digital world into a Twitter meltdown. An ill-advised post-sex selfie or rumoured celebrity break-up will usually do the trick.
But last night the social media site went properly mental. Only it wasn’t in response to one of the evening’s headline news stories (Bob Hoskins passing away; Paxman quitting Newsnight; Gerry Adams being arrested; an exploding whale). No, it was all about Jennifer Lawrence being named the Sexiest Woman in The World by FHM.
As the Editor of FHM 100 Sexiest, the publication of this list is the culmination of months and months of hard work (yes, contrary to popular belief, compiling a list of the most beautiful women on the planet is immensely hard work.) In olden times (pre-2006) the only way to gauge the public reaction to the countdown was to go out and eavesdrop on blokes’ conversations in pubs, offices and schools. But today the reaction is instant, open, vocal – and, in this instance, surprising.
I wondered if Family Guy’s Lois Griffin, the only cartoon character to make the countdown at number 89, would prove controversial? Or maybe alleged drug-sniffing 54-year-old Nigella Lawson, the oldest candidate in the top 100, straight in at number 21?
But no. It was Oscar-winning, BAFTA-winning, hearts-and-minds-winning, Hollywood A+++ lister Jennifer Lawrence scoring the top slot that kicked off a storm.
The response was immediate and brutal.
@jakebarrow_ ““Jennifer Lawrence got FHM 100 Sexiest Woman? I know 8 blokes better looking than her.”
@stephbrownox: Ehhh how the fuck have I not won @FHM's sexiest women again!? Jennifer Lawrence is number one.. Pfft I'm well better looking than that cunt
@VardTash
And so on. And on. And on.
What was strange was that while there was a lot of bile spewing from the Twitter feeds of men who were apoplectic with rage at J-Law landing the number one spot, the response from female followers of FHM (there are more than you might think) was almost unanimously positive. #girlcrush was one of the most popular hashtags on our timeline.
I started to wonder whether the tens of thousands of votes that had catapulted J-Law to the top spot had all come from tweenage girls and Hunger Games superfans. But then, as the night wore on, things started to change. The number of hate tweets decreased, while the positive ones started flowing in.
@LukeRSalmon “#JenniferLawrence is spot on as #fhm100 sexiest woman. Beaut.”
@JakeGood “Jennifer Lawrence fhm sexiest woman in 2014…No arguments there #perfection
@Wozstein88: Jennifer Lawrence voted #1 in @FHM #100sexiestwomen. Properly deserved. I'd let her shoot arrows in me all day.
@RichardTheBurns “Things making me happy today:
- Mocha
- Potato cakes
- Jennifer Lawrence being voted sexiest woman in the world”
I reckon you can draw two conclusions from this. Firstly, when anything with even a modicum of controversy is published on Twitter, the haters are always first to the party. Like vultures to a rotting carcus, they swarm to the scene and feast on the flesh before anyone else has even had a chance to digest what’s actually happened and work out how they feel about it.
Secondly – and more importantly – British men’s perceptions of what is sexy is changing. Previously the top spots were generally occupied by picture-perfect supermodels and celebs who flaunted their flesh at any given opportunity. Now we have a winner who’s never even done a sexy photoshoot or posed for a men’s magazine cover.
Gone are the days of pouting, preening, specimens of pure perfection. In their place, a new breed of flawed superstar. Jennifer Lawrence is a kooky klutz – she falls over when collecting awards, photobombs red carpet interviews, and admits to having an armpit vagina. But it’s because of these things, not despite of them, that she’s nabbed the top spot.
She’s not the first unconventional winner, but on paper, this should have been Miley Cyrus’ year - her flagrant brand of sexuality has dominated the headlines for the past 12 months. And where did she place? 79th. A whole 49 places behind mumsy morning presenter Susanna Reid, who was number 30.
Is this a sign that we, as guys, are growing? I think so. Yes, we still drool when Rihanna posts a topless pic on Instagram, but overall we like our ladies more real, less airbrushed, than ever before - which is good news for everyone.
Jennifer Lawrence isn't aesthetically unattractive in anyone's books, but she does represent a new image of sexiness – and it’s one that may well prove to be a more important barometer of where we’re at as a society than anyone might realise. *
*Follow Dan on Twitter at @DanJudeFHM
Picture: Getty
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.