“Hot Girls 4 Zohran” Underscores Today’s Gender Dynamics
Graphic by Evan Edmiston
From the summer of the performative man to the fall of Mamdani, woke might be back for real. At least that was the indication in New York City earlier this month, when residents elected 33-year-old assemblymember Zohran Mamdani as the next mayor of the city. Mamdani’s historic victory didn’t come in a vacuum; it came after months of grassroots organizing propelled the democratic socialist from 1% in the polls back in February to the overwhelming favorite by election night. One of the many grassroots cohorts that galvanized around Mamdani caught the eye of social media: Hot Girls 4 Zohran.
Started by two young women from Brooklyn, the collective organization made waves earlier in the year all through a t-shirt giveaway. What was the t-shirt? Simply the org’s name: Hot Girls For Zohran. But what actually makes someone a “hot girl for Zohran”? According to one of the main organizers Kair Kabir, simply wanting to engage in progressive politics makes anyone “hot”.
“Our goal is to be as inclusive as possible. People of all ages, all genders can be hot girls for Zohran. Men can be hot girls for Zohran,” Kabir said in an interview with The Times.
That last line says it all, especially given the backdrop of young men dapping up the future Mayor-elect Mamdani at one of his final primary campaign appearances in. Last year, we saw President Trump make gains across nearly all demographic groups, but there was a noticeable shift among young men. According to an AP survey, over half of men under 30 supported President Trump in 2024; a magnifying reversal after President Biden won a similar percentage in 2020. Meanwhile, young women overwhelmingly voted for former Vice President Harris. This isn’t the only drift between the two sexes (and no I’m not talking about the “tea” apps but it could apply ngl).
Gen Zers are engaging in less sex than previous generations while also reporting higher levels of loneliness, with men particularly experiencing higher rates. That last discovery has been dubbed by the internet to be “the male loneliness epidemic” (something I find to be both systemic and self-induced but more on that later). On the other hand for women, the internet label that’s been associated with them in the 2020s has been “girlbossing”. This is emblematic of the direction of both sexes and underscores the tension. Women are going to school more, they’re entering the job market at better rates, and even with the gender income-gap, they’re making gains to their livelihood more than before. At the same time, young men are lost, with the “loneliness epidemic” both fueling and highlighting the trend. They’re going to college at lower rates, dropping out at higher ones, entering the job market less steadily, and reporting worse physical and mental health outcomes.
When this is the new reality for young men, it makes sense why they would swing to a candidate that appeals to these real insecurities and someone who tells them “it’s not your fault, it’s [insert anyone but the billionaires],”. However, young men are quickly finding out that someone who scapegoats society’s most vulnerable while offering no real material solutions doesn’t exactly help their deteriorating conditions. Which brings us back to Kabir’s quote: “Men can be hot girls for Zohran.”
”Hot Girls 4 Zohran” captures the dynamics of today’s gender relations by offering a solution. Mamdani’s politics are rooted in solidarity with the people that society punches down while going after the bullies who profit off their pain.
To me, that is the essence of true masculinity; it’s not only a guide for young men to get their footing back (because “woke” isn’t the reason why you’re broke) but also a way for the genders to reconnect. Women are looking for partners beyond the outdated provider role that’s baked into our patriarchal society; women want someone who stands with them and their values. And given the Wilt-like numbers Mamdani put up with young people in the November election, perhaps dawning a ‘Hot Girls 4 Zohran’ shirt is how men can get back on track with women.