You've heard the term soft boy, but what does this viral aesthetic really mean? These 11 celebrities are here to show you.

This year has seen a resurgence in the soft boy aesthetic, but it goes beyond just style.&nbsp;As the name suggests, soft boys are male-identifying individuals that display more tender traits,&nbsp;from how they act to how they dress, that are stereotypically associated with&nbsp;the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/giant-flowers-at-valentino-show-autumn-winter-2018-2019">feminine</a>. In touch with their emotions and often outfitted in a cardigan or vintage tee, soft boys challenge toxic masculinity.&nbsp;If you use the word &quot;beautiful&quot; to describe him, he&#39;s probably a soft boy.

The soft boy has been re-popularized on <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop%20culture/tiktok-accounts-follow-guide-2020">TikTok</a>, with accounts that embrace the aesthetic skyrocketing to Internet fame and gaining an array of dedicated followers.&nbsp;Soft boys share style similarities with <a href="https://parentology.com/what-is-an-eboy-on-tiktok/">e-boy</a> fashion, characterized by traditionally feminine shapes, painted nails, and typically a&nbsp;floppy haircut. Much of the fashion associated with soft boys can be traced to <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop%20culture/got7-fashion-evolution-jackson-wang-park-jin-young-k-pop">K-pop boyband</a> aesthetics, as they explore more androgynous modes of expression.

soft-boy-aesthetic-bts.jpg

In the fashion world,&nbsp;any recent designer runway features soft boy equivalents&ndash;<a href="https://www.lofficielarabia.com/Men/celine-homme-summer-2021-the-dancing-kid-e041f00f-241b-4890-a135-d44e86155570">Celine&#39;s Spring/Summer 2021 men&#39;s collection</a> had hoodies and flannels galore, while both <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/men/Amoako-Boafo-dior-mens-spring-2021">Kim Jones&#39;</a> tenure at Dior Men and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/louis-vuitton-fall-2020-mens-runway-show">A</a><a href="https://www.lofficielmalaysia.com/fashion-week/alessandro-michele-cast-his-design-team-as-the-faces-of-gucci-epilogue">lessandro Michele&#39;s</a>&nbsp;direction for Gucci&#39;s&nbsp;men&#39;s collections have been marked by designs that skirt the boundaries of the masculine and feminine. Reacting to today&#39;s progressive ideals, designers are encouraging men to explore a less rigid sense of what it means to dress like a man.&nbsp;Fashion has never been more fluid, and the soft boy style is a manifestation of this.&nbsp;

If you&#39;re still having trouble picturing what a soft boy looks like, plenty of celebrities fit the bill. Think Timoth&eacute;e Chalamet or &nbsp;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/harry-styles-fashion-moments-golden-music-video-tattoos-shirtless">Harry Styles</a>. Something else that might differentiate a celebrity soft boy is that they&rsquo;re actually&nbsp;softies. Styles once <a href="https://www.wonderwall.com/news/harry-styles-sends-fans-pizza-ahead-snl-3005355.article">sent fans</a> awaiting his Saturday Night Live&nbsp;performance&nbsp;pizza and bagels, and more recently, <a href="https://www.eonline.com/news/1203292/heres-the-adorably-bizarre-story-of-how-harry-styles-ended-up-feeding-a-fans-fish">fed a fan&#39;s fish and left a handwritten note</a> for her after stopping at her house when his car broke down.

Here, L&#39;OFFICIEL rounds up some of the most endearing and stylish celebrity soft boys.

Decoding the Soft Boy Aesthetic

Recommended posts for you

Fashion

Salma Hayek Pinault: the upcoming film "Without Blood" and Kering Foundation projects

Fashion

Nicole Kidman discusses her career, upcoming film "Babygirl", and Netflix TV series

Fashion Week

Fendi Spring Summer 2025 Show Marks: “A Century of History”

Fashion Week

Ferrari, sensuality and freedom for Rocco Iannone's spring summer 2025

Fashion Week

Bottega Veneta: The Enchanted World of Matthieu Blazy for Spring Summer 2025

Fashion Week

Fresh concreteness for Burberry and the spring summer 2025 show

Fashion Week

Versace surprise, the women's spring summer 2025 fashion show

Fashion

Venice Film Festival 2024: The most beautiful looks on the Festival's red carpet