Devouring Devotion
The Devouring Allure of Levi and William & The Art of a Nuanced Thirst Trap
It’s 2020. The spring air is quickly turning into sticky, hot summer humidity. The house temperature rises, and the wooden doors expand and creak as you search for a breeze. TikTok becomes a cool escape from the heat and finds a comfortable place in everyone’s routine. You pull out your phone and begin scrolling.
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Internet Couples and Straight TikTok
When I first joined TikTok, I was watching aggressively heterosexual content: dance trends, couple pranks, and whatever other food content I could find. You read that part right… aggressively heterosexual. What do I even mean by that? The world of TikTok couples, in particular, seemed to revolve around wives dancing for their husbands or secretly recording their reactions to their steak for dinner—BEING CAKE. While I still watch the occasional “Is it cake?” content, I’m otherwise spending more time watching Alabama Barker’s live streams. Sorry, Bhad Bhabie.
While I wasn’t yet watching the content I am now, I can’t help but wonder if the rise of my gay pride flag rises, so does the type of thirst traps. Instead of the thirst traps of wives and husbands surprising each other without a towel to get a reaction, I’m watching Levi and William pretending to be their third.
Oh, you know, the hot Canadian duo on TikTok? There’s something inexplicably ravenous about their content — a combination of naughty and delightful.
Is it the fashion? Why do they make us (me) crave a threesome? Does this make me more or less straight? Which leads me to my dilemma: Am I just a basic pansexual queer, or are they hot?
The Embarrassing Nature of Attraction
One thing I hope my audience can agree on is the art of the thirst trap. The positioning of the body, hands, and the outfit. Or perhaps…lack thereof. What are they suggesting? Is the audio sensual and sexual, or vulgar and demanding? Are any body parts showing? Because what do Levi and William, and thirst traps, have in common? I’m still not sure, but the internet has a sneaky way of creating a shared experience of thirst—so, who exactly are we thirsting over?
For all my pansexual baddies out there, it’s hard to pinpoint what makes someone attractive. I have to admit that height difference is an undeniable factor, conventional attractiveness—whether or not it’s something I’ve decided or the way I’ve been conditioned to think—and a good head of hair. My pansexuality is fully manifested in the way William does Levi’s hair, because it’s both domestic and seductive while remaining soft. Is William submissive? Or do I like watching women tell men what to do?
Sometimes I wonder if they’re playing into the bit and I’m their bait. A little worm dangling on the edge of their sharp hook, waiting to reel in another gullible viewer.
They’re not performing for me… they’re performing for the algorithm. But I remain the unofficial third, deeply involved, and paying for their wedding.
The Heterosexual Facade & Media Tropes
We’ve all been queer-baited and duped by some of our favorites. But I keep going back to this heterosexual façade. What can I say? I like a performance, even when sometimes I’m like… well, that felt a little gay. When I see their slow-motion TikToks and William performing domestic tasks around the home, I can’t help but feel like, damn… this feels queer-coded. Are they straight? But as shown in more detail on their YouTube channel, it’s fairly obvious they’re less knowledgeable about queer culture—and I’m not even one to talk. I’m learning new stuff every day. I’m still a baby gay. But are Levi and William “a subversion of the traditional couple trope” or just a well-executed thirst trap? And we can’t help but feel the lingering gay panic of seeing a straight-ish couple and thinking, “Am I… involved?”
The Thirst Trap as High Art
There’s finesse to their craft, from the high-end cooking and video editing to the gorgeous garments adorning Levi’s body, from their clear skin to the clean kitchen. It feels like a well-balanced short film on minimalism and how to live a simple life as a DINKWAD white couple in a Wes Anderson-meets-Nordic interior design aesthetic.
While sometimes their interactions feel chaotic, there’s always resolution—a pat on the head, a “good job,” or an apology. It’s peak performance with a quirky intro, some poses, a few poking and prodding, and a nice bow-tied ending. Something we can relate to as viewers, but also feel slightly unattainable. A perfect straight couple? Is it a thirst trap when it makes you want to be a hotter version of yourself?
YouTube Era: Cooking, Nepotism, & Conventional Beauty
When I first started seeing their content, there was a bit of a love-hate relationship. Sometimes I’d swipe by quickly, and other times obsessively rewatch clips. I felt frustrated by my attraction to their undeniable conventional beauty. A tall man and big tits—who couldn’t be into them?
In posting this, I’m not even sure my current followers will know who I’m talking about, but there might be a few who are equally obsessed with the pair.
Subversion of Household Duties & Patriarchal Norms
While I could talk about their display of household duties, I find it the least interesting part of their relationship. Maybe it’s an unpopular opinion, but you do YOU. Sure, the fact that he does her hair is interesting, but I’m more intrigued by their working relationship—how they decide what content to film, how they met, and everything else in between. Do they love being on the internet as much as I love seeing their content?
I’ve been in a bit of a lull in my content viewing, whether TV shows or movies, so watching their YouTube has provided a nice comedic, entertaining cooking show to unwind and watch at night. It’s unserious, yet it scratches a domestic itch of doing chores and ASMR-like content. There’s a rhythm to their domestic houseplay. It feels like they’re playing house at an adult level, and I want in.
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Sure, does it make me hot watching them bicker or Levi hop around the room like a fairy principal and William tell her about the latest cooking technique he’s discovered? Sure. Is it the food, the subversion of household duties, or the fact that they’re peculiarly hot?
Food, Sex, & the Collective Indigestion of Desire
Their curation of food, sex appeal, and household duties feels like an orchestrated immersive art piece. In some ways, it makes me feel like I need to clean my kitchen. And then I also feel a reprieve from my responsibilities. I don’t feel like I have to be sexy or performative, or shy about liking a clean house, a hot outfit, and a man cooking me dinner. Instead, I don’t have to do any of the work. Am I turned on, or am I just hungry?
Maybe I like their interior design, cooking skills, and style. Or maybe something more…
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Devouring Devotion
I’m willing to acknowledge this is a subsection of the internet, and not all of you are gay. But you can probably relate to your 1D crushes, K-pop fandoms, McDreamy vs. McSteamy discourse, and rewatches of sexy R&B music videos from the ‘90s. We’re not all immune to the parasocial relationships with our crushes. So what if I like food, pleasure, and fashionable people? I need to be invested in something, and porn has never been appealing to me. So let me live out my devouring devotion—my attraction, admiration, and parasocial hunger for strangers on the internet who make me feel at home. What can I say? I’m personally invested, and it’s been two weeks since their last YouTube video. Levi and William—where are you?
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Follow up … they have since posted. We’re okay.