The prettiest flower boys seem to be sprouting up everywhere these days. Several dramas have cast actors often described as flower boys for their almost delicate good looks. There's the model-turned actor Kim Jae Wook in the upcoming ghost romance "Who Are You?" Lee Jong Suk is getting good reviews for hearing other people's thoughts in "I Hear Your Voice" and Kim Bum was cast in "Goddess of Fire." Finally, there's Jang Geun Suk in an upcoming drama appropriately titled "Pretty Man," where the sometime male cosmetics model will appropriately play the prettiest man in the world.
What is it about kdrama and kpop flower boys that audiences find so appealing? The simple answer is that they are pretty, which makes them pleasant to look at. Flower boys are typically slender and finely featured. But flower boys also dress and act in ways that might be considered feminine by Hollywood's standards.
The best example of a flower boy idol might be JYJ singer and actor Kim Jae Joong, who appeared in "Protect The Boss." He's considered one of the most attractive Hallyu stars in Japan, China and Korea. In Hollywood he would not be considered macho enough to be a box office draw.
There has to be more to the popularity of flower boys than the physical appeal. Could it be that as the ideas of what's feminine or masculine evolve around the world, women are pleased to see men exploring their feminine side?
Flower boys wear eyeliner and foundation, have perfectly styled hair and dress in clothes that are neatly tailored and can occasionally be described as girlish. In dramas, they occasionally look more polished than their actress co-stars.
There's some cultural precedent for flower boys in Korean history. It has been documented that a group of young noblemen known as the Flower Knights or Hwarang existed in the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla. They studied the arts and history records their physical beauty and the fact that they smelled like incense. They were the original flower boys.
And then there is also the influence of mangas. The male characters in Japanese mangas such as "Hana Yori Dango" are very stylized, with long flowing hair, perfect faces and slender bodies. It was that manga that inspired the first of the official flower boy dramas, "Boys Over Flowers," with its flower boy cast of Lee Min Ho, Kim Hyun Joong, Kim Bum and Kim Joon playing the school's most attractive students. Since then there have been several series that feature flower boys in the title or build a plot around a group of them: "Flower Boy Ramen Shop," "Shut Up Flower Boy Band," "Flower Boy Next Door," and without actually using the words, "Nail Shop Paris" and "Dating Agency: Cyrano."
The appeal may also have to do with the way flower boys behave. They often display behavior women wish to see more of in men. Flower boy characters are gentle, considerate, sensitive, and not embarrassed about making grand romantic gestures.
Some other actors who fit into the flower boy category include Jung Il Woo, Jo Kwon, Yoon Si Yoon and CNBLue's Jung Yong Hwa. Do you have a favorite flower boy? Let us know.
