Jacob Elordi’s sexy tooth cap joins Paul Mescal Hamnet hoop in the ever-expanding hot boy archive

It’s the press tour that has served up a lustful list of viral moments, and now Jacob Elordi has, once again, sent the internet into a spin, attending the Wuthering Heights Sydney premiere sporting a gold tooth cap.

Just when you thought the gilded accessory couldn’t be any more Heathcliff – the Frankenstein star wearing a similar tooth cap for the entirety of the Emerald Fennell adaptation – it was revealed to be adorned with the letter H.

The Euphoria actor, 28, made sure to show off the tooth cap in its full glory while posing for photos on the red carpet alongside his devastatingly beautiful co-star, Margot Robbie, who was stunned in a custom Ashi Studio Couture gown.

But, after recovering from the big reveal of the intriguingly sexy addition to his all-grey premiere look, there was something wildly familiar about the way the world swooned, making Jacob’s daring accessory the latest addition to what we’re coining, the hot boy archive.

© WireImage

Hot boy hoop

But Jacob has Paul Mescal to thank, as he is really the man behind the movement, leaving Hollywood in a heap with his Hamnet hoop last year. While playing William Shakespeare in the Chloe Zhao film, the Normal People star, 30, had people fawning over the small metal hoop earring, something which he wore in real life.

Paul’s hoop quickly became the source of countless internet memes of fans losing their collective minds over the sexy accessory. Heartbreakingly, while doing press for the project, Paul revealed he is “earring era is over” when he discussed having to move the piercing from the right side to the left for the movie, a revelation which sparked a period of global mourning. 

“An angel just lost its wings,” one fan replied. A second added: “This is the worst news ever [broken heart emojis].” Meanwhile, a third penned: “WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT.”

© Alamy Stock Photo

But, thankfully, the hot boy hoop lives on as our aforementioned hunky Heathcliff, along with his gold tooth cap, sports a tiny hoop in the Emily Brontë adaptation. Not to mention the hot boy hoop has been popping up left, right and centre, with Diego Calva rocking one in season two of The Night Manager, in which he stars alongside Hugh Laurie and Tom Hiddleston.

© Ink Factory / Des Willie / BBC

Connell’s chain

Anything worth its salt has strong foundations, and that is exactly what the hot boy archive has, thanks again, Paul, because while the hoop may have been one of the most recent accessories to take the world by storm, we cannot and must not forget the one, the only…Connell’s chain.

For the uninitiated, Connell’s chain was worn by Paul during his breakout role as Connell Waldron in the BBC’s Normal People, a part which saw him star alongside Daisy Edgar-Jones and still has fans in tears at the very mention of the Sally Rooney novel. 

Whether it was the effects of the Pandemic during which the series came out, or just an unhinged reaction to what we can call the debut piece in the hot boy archive, we’ll never know. But anyway, Connell’s chain had quite the cultural impact, sparking a huge resurgence in men wearing a replica of the silver necklace. 

“We had a selection of classic silver chains, and Paul chose his favourite. He must have sensed its magic powers,” confessed the Normal People costume designer Lorna Marie Mugan.

Securing its role as the founding father of the hot boy archive is the Instagram account that was created shortly after the programme aired, amassing 121,000 followers. Talking about the hysteria his chain caused, Paul said at the time back in 2020: “The chain will always be more popular than I am.”