Women have hilarious reaction to Robert Irwin's underwear ad
Many Millennials hold a very special place in their hearts for Steve Irwin, the famous "Crocodile Hunter" who spent his time educating the world about wildlife conservation in Australia. As we came to know Steve, we also got to know his wife Terri, daughter Bindi and son Robert. The little family quickly infiltrated the hearts of people everywhere, causing Steve's sudden and tragic death in 2006 to majorly impact the public zeitgeist.
Watching his kids grow up and follow in his footsteps has been a source of comfort for many, especially because they harbor no ill-will or fear for the wildlife that ultimately killed Steve. As a family, it's clear that they understand and preach, as Steve did, the importance of protecting and respecting animals in all their wonder and danger.
We got to know Irwin's children and wife on a level that felt personal in many ways; some would even go as far as to say that the Irwins feel like family. So, imagine everyone's surprise when Robert Irwin, the baby of the family, revealed pictures from his new underwear ad for Bonds, an Australian underwear brand. Bonds is now launching in the United States with the youngest Irwin as the face of the campaign.
Robert cut back on carbs and hit a few more sit ups to prepare for the campaign. When it was time for him to drop his trousers, he was ready... Women, however, were not—but in the most wholesome way possible.
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It's hard to adjust when people you "knew" when they were a baby are all of the sudden an adult. It's easy to keep such people in the "little kid" category, which colors how we see them at all times. This is especially evident when looking back at celebrities who began as child stars. For those who've been in the public eye from a young age get older, there's generally a phase of outward expression of their sexuality and adult—sometimes in the extreme. During this phase, those who were attempting to hold onto that celebrity's childhood tend to finally move them into the "adult" category—once their shock wears off, that is.
Robert is a little different, though. He's grown up in the public eye and remained just as wholesome as everyone knew his family to be. While he's not doing anything wild, seeing the 21-year-old in nothing but his skivvies with an eight pack of abs (I didn't realize abs came in that number) made some women feel like they just walked in on their little brother. Of course, the only one who has any right to feel like they're seeing their little brother in their underwear is Bindi, but I'm sure she'll allow us to share the shock with her.
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People shared the exclusive photos to their Facebook page, where we elder Millennials are still hanging strong, and it's safe to say, collectively, we were not prepared.
One woman writes, "Me: scrolling through my news feed. Me: seeing pictures of this guy. Me: oh who's this? Also me: omg! This isn't baby Irwin! I feel like a long distance aunt to you. We can't be having none of this."
Another says, "Robert Irwin! We will call your mama so fast . You are still 10 years old. Where are your clothes? All of your Aunties cannot be seeing you misbehaving like this."
Someone else jokes, "This feels illegal. Someone call Terri to get her son."
"Boy. No.. Good for him for getting the confidence in his own skin and body. But, no.. We cousins. I enjoyed watching your kind dad wrestling with alligators and crocodiles growing up. He's a neat guy. I can't be crushing on this boy. We cousins," another commenter cries.
The confusion around why the youngest Irwin is darn near naked on newsfeeds across the globe is hilariously pure. It feels like we should slowly close the door and avoid eye contact until a respectable amount of time has passed. Here's what a few others are saying about his underwear modeling debut:
"This feels so wrong, you are the Earths treasure. We not supposed to see what’s down under," one person writes.
"Robert, I literally watched your mother gestate you. Put ya clothes on!," someone else laughs.
Another woman says, "I was like…. I know this ain’t little pookie from that Irwin family down the street. I want to unsee it. Aunty getting too old for this."
Once again someone is asking for Terri's backup, "Robert Irwin!!!!! Does your mother know about these?!?!"
Clearly people are happy that Robert is out here living his best life, but if you need elder Millennial women for anything, we will all be recovering for three to five business days and waiting for Terri to come grab Robert by the ear. He's just a baby. We weren't ready.