Even the most recent softboy wouldn’t exist without the growing influence of K-pop. For trans boys and men, he’s an identity to be claimed with pride by those who don’t fit a particular mold. To some, he’s also the fuckboy’s deceptive brother. At least, that’s the dream.īut the softboy has a longer history than his current form. He’s nonthreatening, nontoxic, and knows how to wear a pastel. The softboy is part identity, part aesthetic. With toxic masculinity under a long-overdue microscope, the time is ripe for a gentler, kinder sort of man.Įnter the softboy, also known as the softboi.