On a Wednesday night in late September, six girls of varying backgrounds and political values gathered in an off-campus apartment, armed (in true Georgia Tech fashion) with sticky notes, a PowerPoint, and two Excel spreadsheets. After roughly a pound of fun-sized chocolates, a few tears, and a 210-second Snapchat story... they had done it.
They had created a definitive list of the hottest American presidents.
The contest was draft-style, with a bracket comprised of hot pink sticky notes on the wall above the TV. The hotness of each president was measured by the average of his attractiveness during his youth, his presidency, and his post-presidency. After several rounds that brought both excitement and heartbreak, it all came down to Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Though Reagan was a strong contender with his Hollywood smile and timeless charm, Barack’s laid back, consistent good looks eventually lead him to victory.
So, without further ado, indulge yourselves in the list of the Top 10 Hottest U.S. Presidents.
10. George W. Bush: The ‘W’ actually stands for “WOW.”
9. Franklin Pierce: A bit of a dark horse, but check out those curls. Nice.
8. Warren G. Harding: Warren G. Harding’s dashing mustache took him surprisingly far.
7. George H.W. Bush: If you thought George W. had it going on, wait until you see his dad.
6. James A. Garfield: Maybe it’s the vintage photography – but those eyes are straight up unconstitutional.
5. Rutherford B. Hayes: More like “Rutherford B. Hey... call me?”
4. Ulysses S. Grant: Let’s just say he earned his spot on the $50 bill.
3. John F. Kennedy: So handsome it’s almost unfair – And, fun fact: He donated his entire presidential salary to charity. Swoon.
2. Ronald Reagan: There’s a reason why every Republican candidate is in love with this man.
1. Barack Obama: Let’s just say he is going to be a tough act to follow.
Honorable Mentions:
1. FDR: Meet Ryan Gosling’s doppelgänger.
2. Jimmy Carter: He looks like the type of peanut farmer you could take home to Mom and Dad.
3. Joe Biden: Technically a vice president, but his good looks definitely helped President Obama claim his coveted title.
Aside from being a great review of fourth grade social studies, this list gave my friends and me the best girl’s night ever—a night that we will have to recreate. Who knows, next we could rank the Senate, current U.S. governors, or even the Disney princes. But one thing is for sure: We’ll definitely have to re-rank next year.
