Channing Tatum posted a nude shower pic showing off his freaking perfect body, but don't get the wrong idea. He was FORCED to do it, you guys.
Because Tatum is a celebrity—he has starred in various films, like Step Up 2: The Streets—a photo of him in the shower was posted to Instagram, allowing several million people to gaze upon his naked body and react.
Some of these reactions came from other celebrities. Dax Shepherd commented, "God damn...look at those QUADS!!!" Olivia Culpo commented, "I think you just broke the internet." Halle Berry commented "😂😂💀"
Presumably, non-celebrities also checked out this image, which has racked up over 2.7 million "likes" as of this writing. A number of entertainment outlets reported on Channing Tatum taking a shower and the ensuing fallout.
People magazine called the shower photo "steamy," while Page Six referred to the post as "sexy."
The post's caption outlined the photo's genesis: Tatum had lost a game of Jenga to his girlfriend, singer Jesse J. The stakes of this Jenga game were that the winner would post a photo of the loser to Instagram. So Jessie J (real name: Jessica Cornish) decided to completely humiliate Tatum by forcing him to post a nude photo where he looks super-ripped.
"Channing Tatum Just Posted A Very NSFW Instagram Thirst Trap," wrote BuzzFeed.
But is it really fair to call this photo a "thirst trap?"
According to Urban Dictionary, a thirst trap is a "sexy photograph or flirty message posted on social media for the intent of causing others to publicly profess their attraction."
Yes, Channing Tatum is extremely naked and empirically hot in this photo. Sure, there are jets of steaming water cascading down the Dear John star's pronounced pectoral muscles, his washboard abs, and tree-trunk quads. I mean, okay, he's protecting his junk with two hands, and in the process, maybe—just maybe—he's flexing his biceps. And perhaps Tatum has discussed in the media how he once was "super fat" and "daddy fat," and now he is extremely fit and showing that off to his millions of followers and beyond.
Consider the fact that personal hygiene is incredibly important for men. Tatum hides behind "Smh and fml" in his caption because knows it's easier to be a little self-deprecating in order fully embrace his role as a public health advocate. He may allude to losing a game of Jenga to his beloved (and he may have posted a photo of him and Jesse J to Instagram watching the likes go up on the shower post), but it's clear that Jenga is merely a useful metaphor. What that metaphor is supposed to signify is unclear, but it almost definitely has to do with showering.
The world looks at a nude photo of a male celebrity and instantly decides "THIRST TRAP," purposefully overlooking that this is a man taking care of his body with soap and water while his girlfriend looks on supportively, ready to spread his shower gospel with his increasingly devoted flock.
If showcasing simple personal hygiene techniques is thirst trapping, then consider us parched.
