‘Mama I’m in love with a criminal’: Why people are obsessing over UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione
‘Hot assassin’ Luigi Mangione is the internet’s latest obsession, not for his alleged crimes but his good looks.
Lifestyle
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From the moment the world first laid eyes on suspected murderer Luigi Mangione, they were hooked.
While news outlets described him as the alleged cold-blooded killer who shot UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson dead in broad daylight, it was his chiselled good looks that captured the world’s attention.
A Flinders psychology professor said the attraction to Mangione was not surprising given he was handsome and the “person who was killed also represented the unjust power”.
It all started when police released photos of the 26-year-old, who was their prime suspect, smiling, unmasked in a New York hostel after the shooting.
Desperate for more, it wasn’t long before internet sleuths found his social media accounts, including a now-viral photo of him hiking shirtless in the hills.
People even found his Tinder account that featured more shirtless pics showing off his six-pack.
“He’s hot, bisexual, Italian, and a BLINK?! Luigi Mangione got the full package, free him,” read one viral X post with another user posting “I can fix him”.
His fans even held a lookalike contest in New York mere days after the crime with the winner taking home $50.
Mangione was arrested by police following a five-day manhunt after the December 4 shooting and has since been charged with “murder as an act of terrorism.”
Praised as a folk hero standing up to America’s private health insurers, his arrest catapulted his fame to new heights with his admirers thirsting over his mugshot and prison photos.
“He’s so sexy,” commented one X user.
Fan edits have also appeared on TikTok with users uploading musical montages featuring photos of the shooting and Mangione shirtless over songs like Britney Spear’s 2011 hit Criminal which has the lyric “but mama I’m in love with a criminal”.
He was given a rock star welcome while being extradited to New York on Friday with his fans armed with “free Luigi” signs camping outside the courthouse to show their support.
“I’ve never wanted jury duty so bad in my life,” commented one TikTok user under a viral fan edit of him being escorted by security.
“GOD HE’S SO FINEEEE,” commented another.
Online clothing brand cherrykitten even released a whole line of Mangione themed shirts with phrases like “but daddy I love him”.
Flinders psychology professor and social media expert Zsolt Demetrovics said the attention surrounding Mangione online was unsurprising.
“It is a murder which is a terrible thing and it is condemned by everyone in most cases, someone has died. But, on the other hand, that person who was killed also represented the unjust power,” he said.
“And from this perspective, people can consider who is very important, and Mangione’s act as bringing justice for the people. And on the top of it, he is handsome.”
This is not new phenomenon. People have been romanticising criminals, even serial killers, long before Mangione.
In 2014, Jeremy Meek rose to fame after his mugshot went viral with the ‘hot felon’ going on to become a supermodel.
Popular pages like the @mugshawtys account, which has over 2 million followers across Instagram and X, post pretty mug shots of women.
Gossip Girl star Penn Badgley had to fight off fans who were obsessed with his character, Joe, a murderous stalker in Netflix’s TV series YOU.
Even serial killers Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy had women falling at their feet with Richard Ramirez marrying one of his fan girls while incarcerated.
While the current hype around Mangione may seem lighthearted, the ugly truth is that he probably wouldn’t be as adored if he wasn’t attractive.
Numerous studies have proven that attractive people are perceived to be more trustworthy, intelligent and earn higher salaries.
“We know that we are more accepting of better looking people (...) he’s handsome and doesn’t look like a psychopath or how we’d imagine a killer,” Professor Demetrovics said.
However, he said this wasn’t to be confused with ‘hybristophilia’ that refers to the sexual attraction to criminals.
And while it’s only a matter of time before a new hottie steals the spotlight, it’s important to remember that beauty is only skin deep.
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Originally published as ‘Mama I’m in love with a criminal’: Why people are obsessing over UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione
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