Books

The Hottest New Literary Instagram (Literally)

Instagram is, by definition, a repercussion-free forum in which to indulge all of your voyeuristic urges (that is, if you’re discerning with your double-taps). From the culinary to the under aged-celebrity-y, Instagram is an endless sea in which to drown yourself in sweet, sweet culture porn. It is, by this point in our lives, a necessary evil.

So why not use that evil for good? That’s probably exactly the rhetorical question that motivated the mastermind behind @hotdudesreading to launch this thrilling new account, which is exactly what it sounds like: pictures of dudes — hot ones — reading, in public.

The account, which became active just this month, is in its fetal stages: a mere seven highly attractive male readers currently grace its profile. But the account’s loose guidelines — 1. Dude must be hot; 2. Dude must be reading; 3. Dude must not be reading a Kindle (as evidenced by the profile’s bespoke hashtag, #NoKindles) — render this endeavor promisingly lucrative. By lucrative, I mean MORE HOT NERDY DUDES ARE ON THE HORIZON!

In addition to the pictures, which, Dayenu, it would have been enough, the mysterious hand behind @hotdudesreading also provides descriptive captions. Take HotDudeReading #7, a peacoat-clad lad, found at the West 4th Street station, who’s straight out of an urban lumbersexual’s hirsute fantasies. Of this beautiful person, (s)he writes:

Tall, dark and handsome with a thick beard AND a thick...book? This man must be straight out of the fiction section because he's too good to be true. If only he was patiently waiting for me instead of the E train.#YouKnowWhatTheySayAboutThickBooks#hotdudesreading

Although all the dudes seem to have been found on the NYC subway, I’m assuming any pictures adhering to the aforementioned guidelines would be welcomed. If you’re lucky enough to spy an HDR on your own meanderings, take a pic (SLYLY, THOUGH) and tag @hotdudesreading, or email it to hotdudesreading@gmail.com. Happy hunting.

Images: Pixabay; @hotdudesreading/Instagram