Is Heartstopper’s Joe Locke not good-looking enough to star in the series?

Heartstopper star Joe Locke has recently been caught in the crossfire of X’s (formerly Twitter) crazy “hot or not” debate. The tweetstorm began with a comparison that tried to put Joe Locke up against a classic TV heartthrob of the past, Tom Welling. According to one user “shows used to have attractive men,” but today’s leading men in romance series, like Joe, are “a mess.”

But don’t worry, Joe stans were quick to clap back, reminding everyone that taste is subjective and beauty standards are excessive. One fiery response even questioned the original tweet, saying “He’s not ugly. Y’all are just cruel and for what”  Meanwhile, other Heartstopper fans pointed out that the show wants to represent different types of beauty and diversity, not following hegemonic TV models and actors.

Others highlighted that “Heartstopper” is all about love and acceptance, inviting these haters and body shamers to take a page out of Heartstopper’s graphic novel and spread a little more love instead of mean critiques. Meanwhile, Joe Locke continues slaying his acting career, with both a starring role in Heartstopper and as William Kaplan/Billy Maximoff in “Agatha All Along.”