So Hot Right Now

That Hansel. He's so hot right now. Hansel.

In 2001, Ben Stiller's fashion satire Zoolander gave the world Mugatu—a deranged fashion mogul played by Will Ferrell with all the unhinged energy the role demanded. In one scene, Mugatu leans in to describe rising model Hansel, his voice dripping with manufactured enthusiasm: "That Hansel. He's so hot right now."

The line was funny in context. A decade later, it became immortal.

By 2010, internet users had discovered the screenshot's potential. Mugatu's knowing smirk, his slightly raised eyebrow, the implication that he was in on whatever trend he was describing—it was the perfect template for noting when something had become inescapably popular.

"Complaining about Facebook is so hot right now." "Craft beer is so hot right now." "Being offended by things is so hot right now."

The format worked because it captured both genuine observation and subtle mockery. Mugatu wasn't a fool—he was an insider acknowledging the absurdity of trends while participating in them. Using the meme let you comment on cultural phenomena while maintaining plausible deniability about your own enthusiasm.

The meme peaked throughout the 2010s, resurging whenever something—NFTs, TikTok dances, sourdough starters—achieved critical mass. It became the go-to format for trend-spotting with a side of eye-roll.

But eventually, noting things that were hot became... not hot. The format aged into retirement, a victim of its own success.

Mugatu would understand. Trends end. That's what makes them trends.

So hot right now became so not right now. Such is fashion.