They say men are dogs — well, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.
While women of yore may have yearned for a strong, silent man, and Millennial ladies lust after tattoo-covered, soy milk-sipping hipsters, Gen Z women are pawing for a different breed of fella.
“Golden Retriever Men” have been hailed as the generation’s new heartthrobs, beloved by young, social media-addicted singletons.
On TikTok, videos with the hashtags “#goldenretrievermen” and “#goldenretrieverboys” have collectively clocked up tens of millions of views, setting hearts aflutter.
But what is a Golden Retriever Man? It doesn’t refer to the owners of the dogs, but to the men who actually possess the same qualities as the canine. Think: sweet, gentle, affectionate, and eager to please (not to mention easy to train.)
Many of the men also share some physical attributes with the breed: an adorable smile, big brown eyes, and tufts of golden hair.
Urban Dictionary defines the distinctive type of gent as “a significant other that is easygoing and makes it fairly simple to maintain a happy and fulfilling relationship.”
Taylor Swift’s new NFL squeeze Travis Kelce has frequently been cited as a “Golden Retriever Man,” thanks to his sweet nature and lumbering puppy dog mannerisms.
Others include super-smiley singer Shawn Mendes, “Spider-man” star Tom Holland and British TV personality Sam Thompson.
One TikTok user lucky enough to snag a “golden retriever man” explained why she loves his qualities in a video that has gone viral on the platform.
“Golden retriever boyfriends are the best,” TikToker Teresa James bragged. “Someone who balances out your chaos and wants to see you smile. When he’s having a bad day, he surprises me with flowers just to see a smile, which is all he wants.”
“Forever grateful,” she further gushed.
Dating coach Hayley Quinn told The Huffington Post that she’s excited about women’s enthusiasm for such men, saying they make great long-term companions — just like the actual animal.
“It’s not difficult to see the appeal of a golden retriever boyfriend,”‘ she stated. “The truth is that whilst certain traits we’d associate with ‘bad boys’ such as confidence and assertiveness can be viewed as attractive, long-run good partnership qualities of being caring and considerate win out.”
“There’s often a gap between what makes us attracted to someone enough to go on a first date with them, to what makes us choose them as a long-term partner,” she added.