Erick Hall, a GayVN-nominated OnlyFans model from New York City, dedicated his latest YouTube vlog to the controversial topic of gay dating standards, opening the conversation with a discussion about a viral tweet by X user @hellasnowy:
The tweet takes aim at the unrealistic expectations gay men put on each other when searching for a partner. But Hall dissects the statement further, by considering one’s physical and psychological responses to another person or partner and muses on the way someone might react or feel when a certain person or characteristic enters the room. Further diving into the reality of the situation, he goes on to talk about expectations one might set for oneself or others and vice versa, how the reality of maintaining and upholding a six-pack is equivalent to making a million dollars!
As the conversation continues we then hear about the worldwide expectations for the gay community around the world, young or old: the expectation to stay young and beautiful forever as well as value in your looks. As Hall states in the video, “If you want to improve your looks, there’s a higher chance of you winning.”
Does seeing those more beautiful than yourself make you want to follow in their footsteps, or do you value your own decisions on the standard of beauty? Changing one’s look is not always equitable to finding love or the perfect partner. The standards themselves are not inherently toxic but it’s the standards you hold yourself to that matter. You can find love without traveling, skincare, or a six-pack, but you won’t find it constantly looking down. There’s something to be said about finding someone who you find attractive physically versus someone who is within your own self-interests. When you always value a certain type of person over yourself you can find it hard to see the good in the little things about your own life.
As the video reaches its conclusion, Hall mentions the masculine and feminine representation in gay relationships, how most “Ideal” gay relationships are seen as two big beefy guys or one large and one small, and how from the outside as a society we judge and value those relationships because of how they present to the public. When two beautiful people are together everyone loves it, when two people are just happy to love one another it gets pushed aside. In conclusion, Gay Dating Standards are only as toxic as you allow them to be, authenticity is the true essence of love.
Watch Erick Hall’s latest YouTube vlog below: