Idris Elba staring intensely into the camera on the cover of any national magazine would be cause for drool-worthy alarm.
But the handsome British actor on the cover of Maxim is an especially noteworthy event for one historical reason:
He’s the first man to ever hold this distinction. Yes, EVER!
The publication, of course, rose to national prominence by featuring scantily-clad beauties such as Megan Fox and Cameron Diaz on its cover, while the Maxim Hot 100 is an annual list of hot WOMEN around the world.
Elba is here to change that, however, though many females are likely wondering about a double standard here:
When someone such as Jennifer Love Hewitt graces the Maxim cover, she’s wearing black lingerie…
… yet Elba is donning a heavy patterned coat over dark pants.
Still, progress is progress. Rome wasn’t built in a day; you need to walk before you can run; and other applicable cliches.
"It’s historical,” Elba says of his cover picture. "It’s fresh, it marks sort of a new way for the magazine to go."
And it has earned Maxim a coveted spot in the following photo gallery: