A “thirst trap” is defined as “a social media post, especially a selfie or other photo, intended to elicit sexual attention, appreciation of one’s attractiveness, or other positive feedback.”
These have been used in the past by politicians looking for an edge in their respective races. Remember the picture of Vladimir Putin riding a horse bare chested, or the video of John Kerry windsurfing, or multiple images of Arnold Schwarzenegger showing off his massive pecs?
So the quest for the highest pretty boy status continues in the current presidential race with Francis Suarez bragging about his 5K times, Vivek Ramaswamy showing off his considerable tennis skills, Joe Biden riding his bike, and a shirtless Robert Kennedy pumping iron.
The latter may have worked with at least one voter when he tweeted, "Dude this is badass. I may be switching to RFK."
Don’t get me wrong - physical fitness is is a good thing, but when a picture dripping with testosterone becomes more interesting than a public policy statement, we have to question our thinking.
Is the level of a candidate’s masculinity now a measure of his "fitness" for office?
It seems that it might be.
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