Everyone remembers where they were when the pictures of Jacob Elordi as the Creature in Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” dropped. 

With the Creature’s pale blue skin and stitched together appearance, it appears as though it was made to be unappealing. Its almost-human stature dips into the uncanny valley in a way that unsettled my friends and I upon our first watch. 

However, we seem to be in the minority. 

Anyone with internet access has seen the many thirst tweets, posts and videos surrounding Jacob Elordi as the Creature. From commenting on his long brown hair to just how fit the Creature seems to be post-animation, many viewers have looked to the Creature as a slightly disturbing yet clearly popular object of attraction.

A popular example is a tweet from X user @inbedwithjade, who asked, “Do yall mind if I have a big huge fat crush on him….? Is that cool because…… duhduhduhduh daaaaaaamn 😮‍💨”

But at what point is it a cause for concern?

Few things about the Creature are conventionally attractive. Beauty seemed to be the furthest thing from the creator, Victor Frankenstein’s, mind as he chose bodies simply based on their physical health and usefulness for his purposes. 

The only thing that stands out in favor of the alluringness of the Creature is the man behind it. Jacob Elordi has long been a male beauty standard since his breakout role in the film trilogy “The Kissing Booth.” 

Since the initial film in 2018, Jacob Elordi has had continued success in roles like Nate Jacobs in “Euphoria,” Elvis in “Priscilla,”  and Felix Catton in “Saltburn,” all of which center around his looks to some degree. 

Though this is certainly not Elordi’s fault, it has led to a concerning trend where it seems impossible for the general public to separate him from his characters. 

In “Frankenstein,” the Creature is not just the Creature. As viewers, we know that Elordi is underneath all the prosthetics, and thus the Creature becomes another version of Elordi that we can admire and pine after.

His acting becomes secondary to his looks and he is simply an object that the audience can dissect, undermining all the hard work that goes into his profession. 

Not only does this erase the time and effort that Elordi put into truly becoming the Creature, it damages the film itself and the effort it puts behind detailing the human condition. 

The movie transforms from a unique retelling of the first Science Fiction novel into the Jacob Elordi monster movie, robbing it of the emotional depth and analysis that the film deserves. 

The objectification of Elordi only harms him and the movie, yet it seems to be almost second nature to most viewers. What is the solution?

As audience members, we must view everything critically and question even our own first impressions. Before forming steadfast opinions, we must ask ourselves why we think that way and what led us to our conclusions.

Do we find the Creature attractive because of his physical appearance or the person behind it? Are we watching the movie as it is or letting our preconceived biases cloud our judgement? Both questions are important to be a critical viewer. 

Even for more casual enjoyers of “Frankenstein,” it is quite simple to review where your opinions come from. Recognizing the acting throughout the film before the attractiveness of the actors may be difficult in today’s vain culture, but it is essential to fully embrace and appreciate the media that you watch.

There is no shame in finding Jacob Elordi attractive! I certainly do. However, the admiration can be done through the watching of different interviews and social media posts to allow for a fully present viewing of “Frankenstein.” 

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Hi! I’m Hannah Planey, A Magazine’s editor-in-chief. My staff and I are committed to bringing you the most important and entertaining news from the realms of fashion, beauty and culture. We are full-time students and hard-working journalists. While we get support from the student media fee and earned revenue such as advertising, both of those continue to decline. Your generous gift of any amount will help enhance our student experience as we grow into working professionals. Please go here to donate to A Magazine.