Forget abs, Jude Bellingham’s ‘cephalic vein’ is getting people hot under the collar

Jude Bellingham’s Calvin Klein campaign just broke the internet (Picture: Alex Caparros/Getty Images) There are only a few men whose sex appeal is so colossal that they’re deemed worthy of a Calvin Klein underwear campaign. Past hotties have included Jeremy Allen White, Bad Bunny, and Michael B. Jordan. And now, British football star Jude Bellingham has joined the roster. Dripping wet and stripped down to his briefs, Jude’s pictures have gone viral on X. The online reaction to the teaser has been so ‘feral’ one user admitted the hot and heavy commentary had her ‘clutching [her] pearls!’. And while many have been quick to express their appreciation for every single inch of the athlete’s physique, others have shown a particular interest in one rather unexpected part of his anatomy… Get your mind firmly out of the gutter. Shortly after the campaign teaser went live, @baisenoel posted online: ‘I want to massage all the veins in Jude Bellingham’s legs with my tongue.’ Now, this isn’t the first time the football player’s circulatory system has got hearts racing. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. Back in July, images of Jude at England’s training camp got a similarly spicy reaction from fans. ‘His veins…Jude Bellingham the man that you are,’ @Alfonso posted on X. While @favourite_gab added: ‘I might not know a lot about football, but I know Jude Bellingham is so hot. You can just tell it by his veins.’ There’s just something about a man with big veins… (Photo By Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty Images) Why are some people attracted to prominent veins? Not every vein can turn a head. The most coveted veins in the male physique is the cephalic vein — the one that snakes down the arm of practically every male celebrity that’s ever starred in a Calvin Klein campaign. While some might find it hard to articulate exactly why these veins are so damn sexy, women on Reddit have certainly tried: @dramaticknee finds that prominent veins make her feel ‘incredibly primitive’, adding ‘there’s definitely an attraction to high blood flow’. For @donttrip, if a man has veiny arms, she gets excited at the prospect that another part of his anatomy might be veiny as well… You can read between the lines with that one. Jeremy Allen White has a rather spectacular cephalic vein (Picture: Mert Atlas/ Calvin Klein) Back in 2015, Elle predicted that ‘veinglory’ would soon be the ultimate status symbol among men. Pop out a cephalic or calf vein and the ladies will come running. But why are we turned on by blood vessels? Sexologist Gigi Engle tells Metro that the attraction is likely linked to the association between ‘prominent veins, masculinity and testosterone’. She adds its also an extension of the hyper-masculine look that’s in right now. As Gigi says, Jude’s veins might be linked to the growing appeal of the ‘overpowered fantasy’ — a popular, yet somewhat problematic heteronormative dynamic. Jude’s veins are almost as famous as the athlete himself (Picture: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images) For some women, there’s an allure behind the athlete’s overwhelming physical strength, a power so immense it’s literally bursting at the seams. ‘Given that bulges and pecks are already in right now, we’re just getting more niche,’ she says. Elite athletes have prominent veins, which become more visible due to low body fat as a result of prolonged high-intensity exercise — while your partner’s vascular system may not quite be quite as front and centre as Jude’s, Gigi says vein-play is a thing in UK bedrooms. ‘It all ties into this idea of being ravished by your partner,’ she explains. ‘It can be really exciting and sexy. And veins can add to this fantasy, they heighten this idea of being feral for someone.’ One Redditor, @whatthescalop, shared that she loves how her partners’ bulging veins ‘exaggerate the strain of his grip’. Another added that there’s something about veins that are ‘inherently phallic’ to her. Who knew a blood vessel could be this sexy? The 'looksmaxxing' problem While there’s nothing wrong with lusting over Jude’s hot bod, or even wanting to look a little toned yourself, experts warn that a cultural moment like Jude’s CK advert, can trigger a trend that spirals into something more extreme. Looksmaxxing, the process of making oneself as physically attractive as possible to gain sexual attention, was first popularised on incel message boards in the 2010s, and hit the mainstream in the last few years. Although in first glance, this may seem relatively harmless — after all, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to look after yourself — there’s an insidious undertone to this, where human worth is reduced to algorithmic facial scores, and dangerous methods are promoted in the name of personal enhancement. Researchers have described looksmaxxing as ‘a systematic pseudoscientific framework’ that ranks people ‘through a racialised and gendered hierarchy’, tying their self-worth to these strict beauty standards. Dr Jamie Hakim is the author of Work That Body: Male Bodies in Digital Culture, a study into how men sexualise themselves, by sharing images of their worked-out bodies online. He started this research over a decade ago, but now, Jamie, a lecturer at King’s College London, says the online landscape has changed significantly.’ The culture around men showcasing their bodies on social media has become much more intense since I published the book,’ he explains. ‘The viral trends connected to this seem to proliferate every year. ‘From looksmaxxing, glutemaxxing, proteinmaxxing — and now ! ‘Every few months a new niche practice, or obscure body part emerges for young men to be concerned about.’ Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk Arrow MORE: Jeremy Strong method acts his way to making The Social Reckoning watchable Arrow MORE: Roy Keane makes bold Jude Bellingham claim after England thrash Croatia