The Real Problem With TikTok's 'Fruity' Boy Trend

Cruise around TikTok these days and you're bound to stumble on one: A young woman, standing next to a presumed beau, pointing out their "feminine, vintage-Levi's-wearing, tote-bag-carrying, mustached little boyfriend." If you haven't seen one of those, maybe it's the person saying "if my friends think you're a little bit fruity" then you're their type. Keep scrolling and you'll see commenters saying they're "manifesting my little gay boyfriend." Earlier this month, a piece in Dazed explained the trend thus: "Fruity boys" are "the new soft boys." The slang term, the latest in a long line of similar monikers going back to "metrosexual," aims to identify a new archetype: a man who is usually straight who possesses a set of nebulously feminine or queerish qualities, or a "zesty aura."