Zelenskyy and the Strangely Horny Hero-Worship of Politicians

Summary

The content discusses the phenomenon of people, particularly American women, sexualizing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy amidst the Russian invasion and humanitarian crisis.

Abstract

The article addresses a troubling trend that emerged soon after Russia's invasion of Ukraine: the objectification and sexualization of President Zelenskyy by some social media users. Despite the gravity of the situation in Ukraine, with Zelenskyy leading his country through a severe crisis, the online discourse has included posts reducing him to a sexual object, with users fantasizing about him and making light of his circumstances. The author expresses concern over this meme-ification and the underlying lack of empathy, the tendency to admire someone in a superficial and sexual manner, and the application of a Hollywood-like hero narrative that seems to overshadow the real-life tragedy unfolding. The piece questions the appropriateness of such reactions and speculates on the potential for self-reflection should the situation deteriorate further.

Opinions

The sexualization of Zelenskyy by some individuals on social media is inappropriate and indicative of a lack of empathy for the real-life crisis he is managing.
The phenomenon reflects a broader issue of admiring public figures in a way that is overly sexual and devoid of genuine respect for their actual achievements and challenges.
The portrayal of Zelenskyy as a Hollywood-esque hero is criticized for being a form of escapism that trivializes the complex and dire situation in Ukraine.
The author suggests that if the situation in Ukraine worsens and Zelenskyy were to lose his life, it might prompt a more serious and respectful form of admiration, free from objectification.
There is a call for readers to reflect on their own reactions and the impact of their public discourse, especially in the face of humanitarian crises.
The article implies that the internet's tendency to create memes and jokes about serious figures, similar to past humor about Chuck Norris, is unsettling and disrespectful in the context of a real-world conflict.

Don’t act like I’m the weird one for noticing it

When I saw Russia’s invasion of Ukraine begin and the subsequent chaos ensuing, the last thing I expected to see within a week was a social media post talking about how Zelenskyy could, like, get it.

Zelenskyy’s Official Portrait, 2019

I didn’t see a single post like that, I saw many. In case you were lucky enough to miss it, don’t worry, I’ll fill you in! It’s (what seems to be) mostly American women sexualising a man who’s fighting for his country — saying he’s daddy, going into great detail about what they would do to/with him and making thirst traps (if you don’t know what these are, you’re gonna have a blast on Google later). The average post can be boiled down to: “is it just me, or is Zelenskyy kinda sexy?”

No, it isn’t just you. WHY is it not just you? Why is this a thing?

I saw a Reddit thread where a woman talked about how he makes her want to wear a dress and rub his feet when he gets in from work. To reiterate, she was talking about her fantasies regarding a man who already has a whole family of his own, who is currently facing a humanitarian crisis. A man replied and repeated everything she said (haha, a man wearing a dress and doing an act of subservience to another man, funny!). Someone else stated that the only reason Zelenskyy is vertically challenged is because of the sheer weight and size of his testicles. Yes, they’re now talking about him the way the Internet used to talk about Chuck Norris.

Zelenskyy is currently in the fight of his life while you sit in your room and talk about him like he’s a fictional character. This meme-ification is so unsettling and it’s difficult to pinpoint why. Is it the lack of empathy? Is it the inability to admire someone without sexualising them? Is it the strange Hollywood lens through which people are holding him up to ‘hero’ status? It’s probably all of the above, and then some.

I don’t even want to put this out there but God forbid, if everything goes to absolute hell and Zelenskyy loses his life, how will these people feel? Would the situation now be serious enough to warrant admiration devoid of objectification? Would they even realise they’d done anything worthy of self-reflection? Probably not.

Not that this is a new phenomenon.

the original “one who could like, get it”

Just as an FYI, before you jump into the comments saying that I’m overreacting to the supposed ‘sexual’ nature of the posts referenced, I could only really point out the ones that don’t violate Medium’s terms. There are plenty of very overtly sexual posts that you can easily find by looking for them yourself. If you still disagree, then feel free to rage at me in the comments :)