Hot men can get away with anything – even murder. At least, they can in the court of public opinion. Obviously, I’m talking about Luigi Mangione, the alleged murderer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who made his first appearance in New York state court on Friday.
If you’ve been on social media lately, you might know him as the man photographed in loafers with crossed feet and shackled ankles, as he was pictured in court. The photo has since been labelled “iconic”. Other snaps showed Mangione, who also wore a green cable knit and chinos for the trial, smiling and smouldering throughout. Had it not been for the bulletproof vest and handcuffs, you’d be mistaken for thinking this was a fashion campaign.
For those who need a reminder, Mangione ascended to viral stardom in December when he was named as a suspect in Thompson’s murder. Photos of the 26-year-old swarmed the internet like honey to millions of very online and very horny bees, all of whom seemed rather quick to dismiss the multiple charges against Mangione – including murder as an act of terrorism – purely because they fancied him.
That attraction has given Mangione a substantial legal boost, too, with fans raising more than $500,000 (£395,000) for his defence fund. “I am overwhelmed by – and grateful for – everyone who has written me to share their stories and express their support,” he said in a statement before saying, rather in the manner of a celebrity fan club, that while it was “impossible for me to reply to most letters, please know that I read every one that I receive”.
At the time of Thompson’s murder, a law enforcement bulletin seen by US media claimed that Mangione was allegedly motivated by resentment at what he referred to as “parasitic” health insurance companies. Make of that what you will. Frankly, it doesn’t matter because it was enough for most of the internet to uphold this latest example of a “hot criminal” as a transgressive hero, even if he might’ve killed someone in cold blood.
The case surrounding Mangione is, in many ways, the most brazen display of misogyny anyone could ask for. Not least because he joins a long line of alleged criminals who are not just forgiven but fetishised and fawned over. Who could forget the way “hot felon” Jeremy Meeks sparked a global frenzy when he was arrested on weapon charges in 2014? Meeks went on to land several modelling campaigns and had a two-year relationship with Chloe Green, the heiress daughter of disgraced Topshop mogul Philip Green. And before Meeks, it was the serial killer Ted Bundy who, while on trial for the murder of 36 women, regularly had fans waiting for him outside the courthouse.
This kind of behaviour has a name: hybristophilia, which was coined in 1986 by sexologist John Money after he identified a trend of people exhibiting a sexual interest in those who commit crimes. But it’s one that generally seems to only apply to men. Take Amanda Knox, who was twice convicted and then acquitted in the murder of Meredith Kercher in Italy. Nobody fawned over her. Instead, the public mostly slut-shamed and humiliated her while presuming her guilt.
Some might argue that objectifying a female criminal in this way wouldn’t be acceptable due to the way women are consistently sexualised by society. That might be true. But it doesn’t make it okay for us to do it to men, either. By framing criminals as sex objects, we’re not only vindicating them but their behaviour, which is as disturbing as it is dangerous. What message does it send to other younger men who might go on to become criminal offenders? That it’ll be alright so long as you have a tight jawline? When the world is in the midst of so much political and sociological turmoil, I’m not sure this is the narrative any of us should be clinging to, at least not in the real world. Instead, I suggest people keep their vigilante fantasies where they belong: in their minds.
