Before he was America’s Ass (like the really, really good kind), he was our collective awakening. Long before he held a vibranium shield or set the world on fire as Johnny Storm, Chris Evans was out here seducing the camera with nothing more than a pair of jeans, some sun-dappled skin, and a whole lot of “I just rolled out of bed looking like this” energy.
Let’s rewind to 2004, when a 23-year-old Evans posed for Flaunt magazine in a shoot so steamy, it might as well have come with a health warning. The premise? Vaguely “I’m fixing something” meets “I’m lounging with intention,” but the result was pure thirst trap.
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Shirtless in low-rise jeans, baseball cap on, face glistening as he wiped it off with his shirt (give that stylist a raise), Evans didn’t just smolder—he ignited something primal in all of us. Add a flash of tattoos and that now-iconic V-line, and suddenly we were all questioning everything we thought we knew.
The shoot became a Tumblr staple, a Reddit deep-dive, and more than one person’s “Oh.” moment. And it’s been lovingly revisited this Pride Month thanks to the viral words of @GeekBoyEric:
“A rainbow shirt in Target won’t turn your kids gay but Chris Evans’ 2004 photospread for Flaunt magazine will.”
Honestly? Truer words have never been tweeted.
Flash forward to 2025, and Evans has only gotten better—like a fine wine that flirts with you in a velvet suit. He’s currently charming the hell out of audiences in the A24 romantic comedy Materialists, opposite Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal. And if you’ve caught any of the press tour footage… well, let’s just say Chris and Pedro know exactly what they’re doing. From shy glances to playful banter that could peel paint off walls, their chemistry has fans (read: all of us) frothing at the mouth and writing fanfics at an alarming rate.
Evans now leans into the cheekiness with the kind of confidence that only comes from being a certified heartthrob and a dog dad. He’s still got the muscles, still has that dimpled smirk, but now he’s also adding layers of charm, wit, and just the right amount of “I know what I’m doing to you.”
So, here’s to the Flaunt spread that walked so the Materialists press tour could run. To the V-line that launched a thousand ships. And to Chris Evans, who continues to blur the lines between boy-next-door and Greek god—with a wink and maybe a flash of that famous ass if we’re lucky.
God bless 2004. And God bless whoever booked that photoshoot.