A New Kind of Man: Could Benny Blanco be the role model our boys didn’t know they needed?
Two weeks on from Adolescence landing on Netflix, parents of boys are on high alert. But amid the noise and negativity online, one unexpected voice is offering something refreshingly different. Music producer Benny Blanco—authentic, emotionally fluent, and madly in love—is quietly redefining modern masculinity.
It’s been exactly a fortnight since Adolescence premiered on Netflix—and everyone is still talking about it. The dark, one-shot drama is gripping, but what’s lingered is its brutal reflection of teen male rage. Suddenly, parents of tween and teenage boys are reaching the same level of red alert those with daughters have been on for years.
We’ve long known that what kids watch and consume online shapes their emotional development. But now, more than ever, we need to steer them away from toxic influences and fill their airwaves with something altogether more positive.
Enter: Benny Blanco.
In an online world awash with bravado and posturing, the award-winning music producer and songwriter—now engaged to Selena Gomez—is offering a quiet masterclass in humility, authenticity, and emotional intelligence. Could he be the role model the next generation of young men didn’t know they needed?
Benny joined Selena for a recent episode of On Purpose with Jay Shetty, and it’s been making waves for all the right reasons. It’s raw, funny, and surprisingly heartfelt. While Selena speaks candidly about the pressures of fame, it’s Benny’s takes that are nothing short of revelatory.
He doesn’t look like a revolutionary. But in a world of hyper-edited gym selfies and red pill podcasts, his presence feels quietly radical. The episode gives listeners a glimpse of a different kind of man: emotionally articulate, hilariously self-assured without being arrogant, and refreshingly unbothered by status or appearance.
He talks openly about therapy. Gushes over his mum. Tells Selena he loves her without hesitation or performance. There’s no swagger here—just a deep sense of self and an enviable clarity of what truly matters.
He’s not chasing status symbols or public validation—he’s too busy being emotionally present. And in a cultural moment where masculinity is being warped by influencers who peddle stoicism and dominance as strength, Benny’s honesty feels not just refreshing, but vital.
From therapy to tenderness, the modern man is shedding outdated expectations and embracing nuance. At the heart of this shift? Unlikely role models like Benny Blanco, who are quietly showing millions that strength can look like softness, love, and a refusal to play the game.