Zac Efron Doesn’t Have Dad Bod, He’s Daddy

Down to Earth with Zac Efron has ignited a phenomenon that comes around every few years: intense Zac Efron thirst. Efron is one of those rare actors whose sex appeal has flawlessly evolved as he’s aged. During his High School Musical years his floppy hair and nice guy attitude perfectly mirrored the teenage dreams of the early 2000s. Almost a decade later, his roles in Neighbors and Baywatch transformed him into the musclebound, arrogant college hottie everyone secretly wanted to impress. But we need to talk about the latest evolution of Zac Efron’s sexiness, and some misunderstandings about said sexiness. Down to Earth doesn’t prove that Zac Efron has a dad bod; it proves he’s daddy.

The offending dad bod comparison can largely be traced back to one article. On Sunday, July 12 iHeartRadio’s blog ran an article titled “Zac Efron Looks Unrecognizably Hotter With New Dad Bod.” Fifty percent of this article is right on the money. Efron does look smoking in Down to Earth, proving that a little chest hair goes a long way in increasing the swoon factor. But the other half of that headline is patently incorrect. Twitter, the internet’s occasional court of truth, immediately called out the fallacy of this claim:

So why does one inaccurate thirst post matter? It all comes down to what the dad bod represents. The “dad bod” was first coined by Clemson University alum Mackenzie Pearson in an essay she wrote for The Odyssey. Pearson made the case that this rounded and pudgier physique wasn’t just acceptable; it was sexy. If you’re more of a visual person here’s a side by side of Zac Efron conforming to typical male beauty standards and Seth Rogen rocking the dad bod.

That one article helped unlock a whole new way to be horny on main. Though people’s reasons for agreeing with her initial thesis have changed over time, appreciation for the (predominantly) men who have let themselves go after too many beers has stayed. In a world filled with unrealistic beauty standards for every gender, the dad bod was a tiny ray of self-accepting happiness.

But as unbelievably hot as Mr. Efron indisputably is, he in no way has a dad bod.

Look at those muscles. Looks at that six pack still very much visible while he’s casually strolling through Iceland and eating bread. Look at that neck. This isn’t a man who has relaxed into not taking his appearance too seriously. This is a guy who has painstakingly crafted his body into a work of art, and he should be proud to show it off.

Do you know how hard it is to get, and maintain, a six pack? You have to basically give up bagels. BAGELS. If we make the mistake of moving the bar of celebrity dad bods from current dad bods to modern Zac Efron, where does that leave the rest of us? Why bother even thinking about a gym if Zac freaking Efron is going to be called, according to Urban Dictionary, “softly round”?

No, Zac Efron isn’t the pinnacle of dad bods. He’s daddy. He’s the charming, socially conscious swoon machine you want to sweep you off your feet and take you to his bed. Efron is a hottie and a half and he deserves to be thirsted after using the most desperate and deranged noun in our current horny vocabulary. In short, he’s daddy. But being daddy does not require dad bod.

There may be a time when Zac Efron will lay off the gym and we will legitimately bequeath him with the sobriquet “dad bod.” But today isn’t that day. The closest this man is to dad bod is that he has a bod and may one day become a dad. Please label your thirst accordingly, and try to pay attention to Efron’s attempt to save the world. If, that is, you can make it past staring lustily at his ripped abs and chiseled chin.

Watch Down to Earth with Zac Efron on Netflix