How 'White Boy Summer' Became The Ultimate Bruh Moment

It seems like every passing season needs a definition these days. No longer are we content with simply recognizing the weather changing, they have to have an attitude behind it. Hot Girl Summer started it all in 2019, living on in the hearts and minds of many, and fall has been claimed by Christian girls everywhere. It was only a matter of time before someone pointed out that men have been left behind in this equation — and Chet Hanks has been the one to do that … if you’re white, at least according to some online.

On his Instagram last Friday, Hanks made a video for his forecast of summer 2021, captioned “Is it bout to be a #WhiteboySummer or am I trippin ???? Tag a REAL vanilla king #Respectfully.” The clarification that he was “not talking about Trump, you know, NASCAR type white” did not stop people from criticizing the phrase’s potentially racist overtones, but the offense also helped generate its fair share of social media attention.

Hanks has made previous claims to viral fame. His appearance at the Golden Globes last year debuted a questionable Patois accent and widespread bafflement at the fact that he was actually related to his famous father that seemingly everyone adores. A few short months later, he produced a memorable reaction to his parents' coronavirus diagnosis. His new creation adds to this public persona, a confusing mixture of celebrity parentage, cultural appropriation and wannabe cult-figure status.

White Boy Summer was almost guaranteed success as a meme because the ideas behind it (whether serious or sarcastic) draw a parallel with how memes have satirized men and masculinity in the past. Hanks’s blond and muscular appearance calls to mind the Chad archetype, something which is underlined by the commitment he outlines in a subsequent video to helping his fellow white boys “evolve.” The comparison he makes may be between Pikachu and Raichu, but in meme terms, his vision calls virgins everywhere to finally make the upgrade.

As well as this, there’s an embrace of a "Dudes Rock" mindset. The catchphrase turned movement claimed to empower men by rebranding some of the more harmless negative stereotypes about them as a good thing, whether that be sleeping on a bare mattress or bulk ordering energy drinks off Amazon. Where the original conception of Dudes Rock was built on a sense of irony, White Boy Summer takes itself a little more seriously, working for self-improvement as well as self-acceptance. It’s not just about seizing the moment, you have to give off the right impression doing it.

That said, these improvements aren’t necessarily of the "being a better person" kind. Unlike the Megan Thee Stallion phenomenon it is inspired by, White Boy Summer is as much about aesthetics as it is philosophy. Notwithstanding his thoughts on slang to describe attractive women, when Hanks set ground rules, he appeared to be dictating a dress code. Monochrome and sneakers were in, anything you might find in the wardrobe of someone on the Goldman Sachs graduate scheme was out.

In his rejection of things like salmon-colored garments and Sperry Topsiders, he antagonizes the iconic format You Know I Had To Do It To Em. A meme that relies upon its male protagonist, in the summertime, radiating immensely powerful drip, it’s arguably a strong spiritual predecessor to White Boy Summer. Its rejection in the guidelines, therefore, suggests not just a development but an attempt to rewrite the blueprint.

Like many of those at the peak of internet fame, Hanks is eager to keep the high going. The phenomenon has proved to be a useful springboard for advertising his upcoming acting workshops. On top of that, he has already produced the inevitable merch, which has been criticized for using a font and color scheme many suggest do not help the accusations of white supremacy. As if to offset this, he has introduced an extra component as well. Reasoning that “you can’t be a real ivory king without a black queen,” Black Queen Summer is a further addition to the merch line that Hanks envisions his fellow boys will wear — so long as black queens do the same for them of course.

A move from white pride to racial fetishization might be bafflingly unsmart to many, but it feeds the outrage machine nonetheless. Crucially, this attracts the attention of ironic appreciators alongside more serious critics. Was this a social group that needed the signal boost? No. Did it even particularly want one? Not particularly. However, it is exactly this premise that has allowed White Boy Summer its moment in the sun. While it has opened up a new avenue for memes about certain types of men, it’s also given a dubious new income stream to a child of the rich and famous — who may not be acting that "#Respectfully" after all.

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