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Songwriter and producer Benny Blanco was one of this year’s nominees for People’s Sexiest Man. If you aren’t familiar with Benny’s work, some of the many songs he’s responsible for include Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself,” Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream,” Rihanna’s “Diamonds,” and Kesha’s “Tik Tok.” Basically, he’s been around for a while and has written and/or produced a lot of hit songs.
Benny, who is dating Selena Gomez, did a really fun interview with People as a part of their “getting to know the candidates” series. In it, he talks about his family’s support and how they keep him grounded, how he savors the “simple” things, his love of cooking and hosting, his secret to gift-giving, and his love of fashion. Basically, when it comes to masculinity, he’s a happy warrior, marching to the beat of his own drum. The whole interview is long, but here are some of the highlights.
Learn How to Cook: Even if you’re terrible at cooking, [your partner will] like it because you did it. Ask your partner what they want to eat. Don’t try to cook them what you want to eat. If you don’t know how to cook it — learn it. If you don’t know how to learn it, get it from Postmates and put it on a plate and pretend you cooked it. No, lying is bad! We never lie. Especially if you’re a guy, we’re disgusting. No one should even look at us.
Be chivalrous: Try to be chivalrous: Tell her how pretty she is. Chivalry’s not dead. [I learned how to] recreate Taco Bell meat. I’ve practiced a lot, and I think it’s pretty indistinguishable now if you put them side by side. There’s so many things you have to do. Part of the meat is kind of blended. It’s disgusting, but it’s delicious. I do it all from scratch.
First dates should be experiences: Whatever the date is, you want your partner to leave and be like, “Oh my God, I’m calling all my friends. This was the craziest thing. We were on the back of a tractor trailer flying and he had me spinning out the…” It’s got to be something insane because you want to leave an impression. The person’s going to be going out on a bunch of first dates, and you got to secure your spot.
He goes “all out” for every date, even the simple ones: I go all out for every date. We go all out for each other. One time Sel was like, “Oh, I want to take you on a date.” We drove somewhere and she had rented out a whole botanical garden for me. She also likes something so simple. For Valentine’s Day, I got her Taco Bell, I made her movie-theater nachos, I found her favorite pickles from Texas and I deep-fried them for her. Then [I had] all her candies and Hot Cheetos.
Men, talk less, smile more: It doesn’t mean spending your entire bank account. The No. 1 thing you need to do on a date is just listen to what the person’s saying. Don’t talk about yourself the whole time. No one cares.
Dress with Confidence: If you’re wearing the most expensive thing that just came out, you’re not fashionable. You’re just a person who happens to spend their money. To me, it’s all about high-low. I might wear a really nice vintage Prada jacket with a thing I found at Melrose Trading Post for $10. I think the best thing is mixing it and being yourself. If you’re yourself in your clothes, you’re going to feel more confident…Find your lane and rock it. Don’t try to be someone else. The last thrift find I’m really proud of is this little pink Dora the Explorer jacket. It’s so cute. It’s a cropped, pink jacket — I think it’s for a child — and I love it. It makes me feel sexy.
He loves a good heel! I love sharing clothes [with my partner]. It’s interchangeable. Well, except some of the gowns and stuff. They’re so hard to get on and off. I wouldn’t even do it. But I wouldn’t mind wearing a dress if it was a nice one. I do have a lot of heels. I love a heel. Women’s shoes are so good. Gentlemen wear women’s heels. I don’t know — this gentleman does.
Self-Care Is a Must: Don’t stink. Do all the stuff. I really think it’s important to have good skin. I have a facialist and she changed my life. I do whatever she says. Her name is Lindsay and she works at Artisan of Skin. Wow, I just plugged her: Can I have a discount?
He loves mixing friend groups: I like to mix friend groups. I want someone who writes songs sitting next to an 80-year-old florist. I think age is nothing but a number. I want a 3 year old sitting next to a scientist and just hear what they’re talking about because I know it’s going to be some crazy s—.
His mom is his bestie: My mom’s my best friend. Every Sunday we go to the farmer’s market. I cook her lunch, we swim, we gossip about stuff. She sends me things and is like, “Do you think it’s true?” I’m like, “I don’t even know who these two people are we’re talking about.”
On the art of gift-giving: Don’t buy a gift that everyone else is going to buy. To me, the best way to do it is get creative, to listen to something they said in the past and bring that back as a memory. Most of my gifts are handmade. Let’s say you had the best night at Six Flags and it was your first date. Keep that ticket and then frame it and give it to them on their birthday and be like, “Oh, this was our first date.” Simple little gestures go a long way.
Just say no to ghosting (unless if it’s a creepy dude): Totally ghosting someone — I’ve never done that. You have to be demonic to fully ghost someone. Ghosting is mean! A gentleman should not. I completely understand if you go out on a date and the guy’s being totally creepy — you should totally ghost the f— out of him. But I don’t want to ghost anyone. I always think whenever I’m doing anything like that, I’ll think about my mom and I’ll say like, “Oh, I want to treat this person like I would treat my mom and how I’d want someone to treat my mom.”
I was unfamiliar with Benny as a person until I watched his Architectural Digest tour, but after that and this interview, I get it now. He’s kooky, but he’s also a damn delight. From food to self-care to chivalry to loving a good heel, I love that he’s embracing being one of the men who challenge the traditional, more toxic idea of masculinity. I get what Selena sees in him. It’s so cute that he learned how to cook homemade Taco Bell for her and that he loves his mom in a healthy way. I truly hope his brand of masculinity wears off on young men who may relate but still feel the pressure to conform to society’s worst influencers. It’s too late for me to vote for him for Sexiest Man, but in the spirit of tonic masculinity, Benny would absolutely have my vote.
Benny Blanco for PEOPLE Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive 2024 Issue. pic.twitter.com/wF6eQFqd7Z
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) November 11, 2024
I read that article and he sounds like a really nice person who wants to please and not just spend lots of money but do things that are fun and what his partner likes to do. I hope he and Selena are very happy.
Total keeper. I already have a crush
Okay, the Dora explorer pink cropped jacket that makes him feel sexy? Lol, that was cute. I think I need a picture though.
After reading that article I get what Selena sees in him, and I totally enjoyed his answers.
What a guy! Can we please clone this dude?
Hard no on a man who feels sexy, wearing a child’s Dora the Explorer jacket, that’s a huge red flag and very weird.
Huh. I didn’t even think of it like that. Maybe he just liked the show and the jacket? But maybe I’m naive. It doesn’t have to mean creepy.
Why would anyone want to wear high heels if they don’t have to? They hurt and are bad for your feet.
I just watched the AD video, and he says it’s because he’s short.
I am short and when I wear heels I feel confident, authoritative and 7 feet tall.
@K….Yes. Also, asking what your partner likes to eat feels bare minimum. The bar…. so low for dudes. Sad face.
He seems nice and she seems happy. ❤
Umm… He seems adorable? This is my first introduction to him beyond photos and he genuinely seems like he has a great personality.
Public Service Announcement: Do not click on that twitter post and read the comments. Absolutely foul, creepy, and disheartening. Probably half are bots, but still … jesus.
He’s been trying very hard to distact from his pedo vibe lately, but nah, let’s not. This is the same dude who only a couple of months ago went viral for posting nudes and videos of a child touching themselves, and even after being called out on disrespecting the child’s privacy, bodily autonomy, and creating and posting explicit material of them where it could be seen and downloaded by anyone, still refused to delete them.