James McAvoy Is Not Thicc. Stop It.

This week, the internet has decided to target its thirst rays at James McAvoy, also known as Professor X in the current iteration of the X-men franchise. A picture of the actor, who seemingly has gone from twink to hunk overnight, has been circulating the internet and several outlets, including BuzzFeed and Hornet have heralded the arrival of a new thicc god.

now that armie hammer’s stint as the Internet’s Boyfriend is over, can we pls focus our attention on james mcavoy pic.twitter.com/bsWVpxhPrJ

— priya (@priya_ebooks) December 4, 2017

James McAvoy is thicc AF and we’re just weak in the knees.https://t.co/xG7ueesqGp

— Hornet Stories (@HornetStories) December 6, 2017

Here’s the problem: this is not what thicc is. This is probably closer to “swole,” a term that celebrates muscular bodies.

First of all, it’s important to remember that “thicc” is, first and foremost, black slang meant to appreciate curves, whereas mainstream (read: white) culture usually doesn’t appreciate curvier bodies. If you want to know how white culture really feels about thicc bodies, watch any episode of the Golden Girls and see how the girls use “big butts” as an insult.

Taking a term meant to appreciate typically-maligned black and brown femme bodies and then using it to appreciate a white, muscular guy isn’t the best look. You can still thirst for McAvoy, but calling this thicc?

Photography: Getty Images