“Hasan Piker: A progressive mind in a MAGA body.” This is how The New York Times defined the streamer and political commentator Hasan Piker (New Jersey, 35 years old) in an interview that highlighted that his demanding exercise routines (his physique being the result of a before and after straight out of a book) resemble those of fitness influencers, whose ideology tends to shift towards conservatism.
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“It’s ironic, because many of those sigma mindset guys [a personality and masculinity type associated with figures like Patrick Bateman and often elevated and idealized by far-right extremists] constantly talk about ‘regimens’ and ‘being an alpha male.’ I do live that life, but I have a diametrically opposite political stance,” he clarified in the profile.
Piker was known on the American left for his role as an activist and commentator on YouTube, but the Republican Party convention in Dallas (Texas) held last week, less than two months before the midterm elections, made his name known worldwide. There, in an attempt to discredit the positions he represents, an image was projected on a giant screen showing him posing in underwear in front of a mirror. The image dates from 2024 and had been published by Piker on his social media to tell his followers that he had lost weight.
Piker took it with humor. “They blurred my penis!” he exclaimed astonished upon discovering what had happened during a live broadcast covering the convention. The projection of the image was a full-fledged attempt at slut-shaming, the English term for judging a person’s sexual life (in this case, Piker’s desire to post images lightly dressed or of his workout routines, which, of course, are enthusiastically received by followers).
For many analysts, the attempt to discredit the activist by the Republicans fell on deaf ears. Jessica Tarlov, a Democratic Party political strategist, said on the show The Five, aired on the conservative channel Fox News: “Did you miss that moment showing off the package? We saw a bunch of spineless guys standing there staring at a half-naked socialist.” Many internet users did not miss it. Google searches for “Hasan Piker shirtless” rose by 5000%.
Times have changed and the barriers between public and private have fallen. This type of photo is common on social media, whether by musicians, athletes, entrepreneurs (Mark Zuckerberg himself, one of the most powerful men in the world, flaunts a sculpted body on his social media). Politicians themselves also show off their muscles. So the smear campaign, implying that showing photos shirtless or in underwear on social media is a disgrace, did not go entirely well. Although tens of thousands of followers pay attention to his political opinions and reflections, many others visit his profile because they find Piker attractive. And what they find meets their desires, as there are quite a few shirtless photos that once again make politics and eroticism go hand in hand.
Apparently, ideological sympathy is no longer achieved only through speeches, but also through pull-ups. “Some of his followers collect those images, take screenshots, crop them, and repackage them as fancams circulating online, praising Mr. Piker’s physique and, indirectly, his ideas as well,” emphasizes the The New York Times profile, which recalls that in a Twitch broadcast in 2023, Piker asked viewers to participate in a live demographic survey that produced a profile snapshot of his audience. Approximately 70% of participants identified as male, over 60% said they were under 30 years old, and around 40% stated a sexual orientation other than heterosexual.
Piker is a heterosexual man who wears jewelry and paints his nails, something that according to many of his followers has helped promote different forms of gender expression. As Jordan Dean, a trans Gender Studies student who follows Hasan Piker, explained to The New York Times, “seeing him comfortable painting his nails and wearing dresses is not revolutionary, but he is showing that it’s okay to be a cis man and experiment with how to express gender.”
Political scientist Marcos Dosantos considers the image shown on giant screens at the Republican Convention an illustrative example of the battle for ideological attention. “If the far right plays by focusing on mockery, hatred, and insult, now a left-wing influencer has come out ahead with the virality of desire. Piker and other political commentators intuit, as feminism has pointed out for decades, that beauty is also symbolic capital and, therefore, power.” Dosantos adds that Piker himself has publicly said that dressing in a suit is a communication tactic because he knows it will help him penetrate more with his discourse among center and right-wing audiences. “Making aesthetics a weapon is not new, but the digital revolution multiplies the experiments. Let’s not fool ourselves: some messages are better received if they come in appealing packages. And this is not only about the objectification of commentators or the upgrading of ministerial wardrobes (see Yolanda Díaz), it also extends to the communication style of politically oriented media that incorporate pop culture or showbiz resources to generate more engagement,” explains the author of the political satire The Lizard Prince (Plasson and Bartleboom, 2026).
Former RTVE correspondent Anna Bosch (who officially said goodbye to public television last July) quotes Coco Chanel when reflecting on political commentators who show off their physique. “The designer said there is no second chance to make a good first impression. Therefore, if your physical appearance is very striking, that will be the first impression we take away, leaving intellectual discourse in second place. To what extent does being super ripped, having abs, in the case of men, or hypersexualization, in the case of women, attract attention or distract? Where is the line between drawing attention and being taken seriously? To what extent do we stay with the facade and not the content?” she wonders. “The problem is that it doesn’t matter if they are very smart: if the first thing that catches your attention is the physique, our little heads enter with prejudices and stereotypes and we have to make a greater effort to appreciate their discourse,” she adds.
This doubt, of course, also applies to female political commentators. “I am even harassed because of my physique. They are bothered by my body. What do I have to do to be able to sit in a chair? Dye my hair? Wear glasses? Lose weight? What do I have to do to fit into the right-wing canon? They really only bother with women who don’t bow down,” said Sarah Santaolalla to EL PAÍS. The political analyst, who has just been hired by La Séptima, refuses to hide her silhouette and proudly emphasizes a voluptuousness that many consider overshadows her message. “Beautiful, smart, and feminist,” she wrote in an Instagram story where she claimed that precisely those three adjectives bother many right-wing men.
Symone Danielle Sanders-Townsend, American political strategist and commentator, responded in 2018 on her social media to a stranger who gave her advice unrelated to her political arguments. “Hi, Symone. You are very smart and beautiful. I like your comments on CNN. But can I give you some advice? What do you think about your long nails? I think they are not appropriate when you are on CNN talking about politics. Please don’t take it the wrong way. I am one of your followers.” And so, the internet user started the classic “I say this with all due respect, but…”. She replied: “I am fully aware that when I appear showing curves, with a deep neckline, striking lips, a huge bow, incredible nails, and a devastating analysis, people don’t know how to take it. I’m not supposed to be able to offer them a solid political analysis with a nail full of rhinestones, right? But since even well-intentioned people struggle to accept authenticity, don’t let anyone try to pigeonhole you and tell you what is appropriate.”
Of course, men who analyze the political landscape in the media do not receive the same level of hatred, and proof of this is that Hasan Piker’s photo has sparked more sighs than criticism. What would have happened if it had been Sarah Santaolalla appearing on a huge screen posing in lingerie?
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