This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
When I’m bored in the library and unable to really lock in on my work, my favorite way to procrastinate is asking my two closest friends, who are usually studying or also procrastinating right next to me, whatever random question pops into my head. They’re rarely deep or philosophical; instead, they’re usually bizarre hypotheticals. While this definitely helps pass the time, I’m also genuinely interested how my friends will answer.
Recently, I’ve asked everything from, “What would you do if you accidentally teleported to the year 0?” to, “What would your reactions be if I died in my sleep tonight?” (I know that last one sounds morbid, but I promise for me and my friends it’s just another normal conversation.)
All of this is to say that at our most recent study sesh, the one I’m writing this article during right now, I asked my friend Shantal to list her top five celebrity crushes. Naturally, once she finished, she asked me for mine. I started thinking about who deserved a spot and began listing.
Honorable Mention: Ross Lynch
Before starting the list, I have to give an honorable mention to Ross Lynch. I first saw him on the Disney Channel show Austin & Ally, and I genuinely think he was my first-ever celebrity crush. It would be a disservice to little Kirra if he wasn’t included. I vividly remember writing in my first-ever diary, the kind that required a voice-activated password to open, that I had a crush on Ross Lynch, because apparently five-year-old me thought that was classified information.
To this day, Austin & Ally is one of my favorite Disney shows, and I will stand ten toes down that all of the songs are bangers.
1. Grayson Dolan
Going in chronological order, the first official member of my top five is Grayson Dolan. I know I can’t be alone here; the Dolan Twin girlies are definitely still out there. While he’s obviously very nice to look at, a huge part of my crush came from how much he (and his brother Ethan) made fifth-grade me laugh. And I mean laugh. Like laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe while watching their YouTube videos.
When I say I was obsessed with the Dolan Twins, I mean obsessed. They still hold a special place in my heart, and I even rewatch their videos when I need comfort or a quick laugh. Apologies to Ethan for not making the cut, but what can I say? I’ve always been a Grayson girl.
2. Josh Hutcherson
The first time my parents put on The Hunger Games, I was probably in sixth or seventh grade. The second Effie pulled Peeta Mellark’s name from that glass bowl, my eyes turned into cartoon hearts and “(I Just) Died in Your Arms” by Cutting Crew started playing in my head.
What didn’t help was the fact that Peeta Mellark is the ultimate man throughout the entire series. I genuinely can’t think of a time he was in the wrong. Beyond Peeta, though, The Hunger Games itself holds a special place in my heart. Watching it helped shape my passion for social justice issues and made me more outspoken about problems that mirror those in Panem. I actually wrote a whole analysis paper about these issues last semester in my English class. I could talk about the books and movies for hours, so don’t start that conversation unless you’re ready.
This next part is just for Josh, so everyone else can skip to number three: I know you have a girlfriend, but I’m 18 now, so if that relationship ever ends… my Instagram is linked on my Her Campus page.
3. Robert Pattinson
I know this one is controversial. A lot of people don’t understand the hype, and that’s fine, but this is my list, so Robert Pattinson earns his spot. You might assume my love for him started with Twilight, but it actually began in 2022 when The Batman was released.
The Batman was the first superhero movie I ever intentionally sat down and watched… and I loved it. That movie unlocked my love for superheroes (which might show up later) and permanently altered my brain chemistry, thanks to Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne. That being said, I’ll admit he’s also very fun to watch in Twilight.
4. Jensen Ackles
This one’s a little tricky to place chronologically. When I was younger, my dad was a huge fan of Supernatural, starring, you guessed it, Jensen Ackles. The show was pretty scary, so I wasn’t allowed to watch it with him most of the time, but the few glimpses I caught of Jensen, or rather, Dean Winchester, had little me completely head over heels.
I mostly forgot about that crush until I started watching the show myself in late 2023 or early 2024. I’ll be honest: I didn’t finish it. I think I made it to season four before completely falling off. Since I forgot most of what happened anyway, I recently picked it back up from season one. I’m not very far yet, thanks to other shows (The Walking Dead) and the fact that I’m a busy college student, but Jensen Ackles remains a very strong motivator to watch.
5. David Corenswet
The final (and most recent) addition to the list is David Corenswet, the star of one of my latest obsessions: Superman—told you superheroes would come back. His portrayal of Clark Kent defined my summer of 2025 and honestly continues to.
Not only did the new Superman movie give me hope for the future, but it also gave me hope in men. Watching David Corenswet in press interviews only made me fall for him more. I love this chronically offline man so much that I dressed as Superman for Halloween. A poster of him also watches me while I sleep.
When I first rattled off my top five celebrity crushes to Shantal, I didn’t realize how clearly they belonged to different phases of my life. It’s funny how a way to procrastinate sort of mapped out to be a timeline of my life. Each man is tied to a version of me while each piece of media is one that I still love, hold close to my heart, and even shaped me as a person. So maybe celebrity crushes aren’t as superficial as we think they are. Maybe, instead, they can remind us of who we were when we first fell in love with something. I think there’s something really beautiful about that.