Renowned street artist Banksy, known for his political commentary and graffiti-style art installations, is once again circulating around the internet. Banksy is a faceless artist whose art has sold at auction for upwards of one million dollars. One of his most famous performance pieces is Girl With Red Balloon, which famously shredded itself upon being sold. He pops up randomly all over the world and creates art that adds value to struggling properties.
Art enthusiasts may wonder why such a celebrated individual would want to keep their identity hidden. In Banksy’s case, it could be to direct more focus towards his political commentary and art. He might also be an ordinary-looking person who wants to avoid the public eye. But either way, the people want to know: Is Banksy hot? Are we superficial for hoping that he is hot? Remaining faceless in the digital age is complicated—especially while maintaining fame in the art world.
To dive deeper into hot people and facelessness, we must first look at Matt Rife. Matt Rife, a self-described hot person and comedian (though both claims are debatable), insists that he is taken less seriously as a “comedian” because he’s “hot.” This, however, is clearly not the reason his comedy struggles. If he had remained faceless or “ugly,” he may have never had a platform because he simply isn’t funny. If anything, his face helps his comedy. It was only when he started using his standup to condemn women and LGBTQ+ people—two groups that find him attractive—that he lost popularity. Ultimately, his movement away from an audience who liked his appearance led to the downfall of his career.
Another person to look at is famous Minecraft youtuber Nightmare (also known as Dream if you like lying in your descriptions), who was faceless for the majority of his career. When he unveiled his identity a few years ago, the internet was disappointed. You see, everyone thought he was hot and speculated about his appearance. When he turned out to be a regular looking dude, his fame died down. The speculation about his attractiveness was giving him views, and his face reveal crushed the mystery. His gaming skills weren’t the main focus of his fanbase, so now he is just a mediocre gaming white boy on Youtube.
Now onto Banksy, who is already talented and faceless so likely won’t face the same downfall as Matt Rife. He doesn’t have a public persona, no controversies tied to a personality, and really only speaks through his art. While Banksy’s mystique is important to his audience, unlike Dream, it’s not because people want to know if he is hot. Rather, people are able to appreciate his art without focusing on his appearance. But on the other hand, his art may lose its ability to cater to so many people, and his location spontaneity could be ruined by a face reveal. All in all, Banksy should remain faceless for the sake of his career and message. And who knows, maybe he is genuinely hot in person. Only time will tell.
