It happened over a decade ago, yet people still argue about it in the corners of the internet like it was yesterday. In 2013, People magazine crowned Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine as the Sexiest Man Alive 2013. It was a choice that felt both inevitable and strangely polarizing.
He was everywhere.
You couldn't turn on a radio without hearing "Move Like Jagger" or "One More Night." If you flipped on the TV, there he was, sitting in a big red spinning chair on The Voice, playfully bickering with Blake Shelton. Levine represented a specific kind of 2010s stardom—lean, heavily tattooed, California-cool, and incredibly confident.
But was he the right choice? Honestly, looking back at the cultural climate of that year, the decision tells us more about where we were as a society than just who had the best abs.
The Context of the Sexiest Man Alive 2013 Selection
When People makes these picks, they aren't just looking at a physical checklist. They’re looking at momentum. In 2013, Adam Levine had momentum in spades. He was the first musician to ever win the title, breaking a long-standing streak of actors like Channing Tatum, Bradley Cooper, and Ryan Reynolds.
This was a pivot.
The magazine was trying to capture the "multi-hyphenate" era. Levine wasn't just a singer; he was a brand. He had a fragrance line. He had a clothing collection at Kmart. He was dipping his toes into acting with a role in Begin Again alongside Keira Knightley.
Basically, he was the face of mainstream pop culture.
The reveal happened on The Voice, which felt like a massive synergistic marketing moment. It worked. The issue sold, people talked, and the internet did what the internet does: it complained. Some felt he was "too cool" or "too cocky," while others argued that 2013 belonged to someone else entirely.
Who Else Was in the Running?
If you look at the "ones who got away" in 2013, the list is stacked. It makes the Sexiest Man Alive 2013 title feel even more hard-won.
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Idris Elba was a massive fan favorite that year. He was coming off the heat of Pacific Rim and Luther. The push for him to be the first Black Sexiest Man Alive since Denzel Washington in 1996 was loud even then. It would take People five more years to actually give him the cover.
Then there was Chris Pratt.
This was right before Guardians of the Galaxy turned him into a Tier-1 action star, but his "fit" transformation for the role was already making headlines. He was the lovable goof from Parks and Recreation who suddenly had a six-pack. People love a transformation story.
Other names floating around included David Beckham (who would eventually win in 2015), Justin Timberlake (who was in the middle of his 20/20 Experience comeback), and Pharrell Williams, who had the biggest song on the planet with "Happy."
The "Cool Guy" Persona and the Backlash
Levine’s win wasn't just about his face. It was about an vibe. He leaned into the "bad boy who grew up" aesthetic. At the time, he was newly engaged to Victoria's Secret model Behati Prinsloo, which added to the aspirational lifestyle narrative the magazine loves to sell.
However, the backlash was real.
A lot of the criticism stemmed from a perceived lack of humility. Previous winners usually did the "Aw shucks, me?" routine. Levine, in his typical fashion, told People, "As a musician, you have fantasies that you want to win Grammys, but I didn't really think that this was on the table."
It felt a little too polished for some.
Then there were the "Sexiest Man Alive" purists. They argued that the title should go to someone with more gravitas or a more diverse appeal. Looking back, 2013 was a turning point where the public started demanding more variety in what "sexy" looked like. We were moving away from the standard-issue Hollywood mold and toward something more inclusive, though People wasn't quite there yet.
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What Actually Makes Someone the "Sexiest Man Alive"?
It's a weird science. It’s 30% looks, 40% career success, and 30% "niceness."
To win, you usually have to be in the middle of a massive project. You have to be "safe" enough for suburban coffee tables but "edgy" enough to feel current. Levine fit that needle-threading perfectly. He was the "edgy" guy who was also appearing on a family-friendly singing competition every Monday night.
- The Tattoo Factor: Before Levine, most winners were clean-cut. He brought the "sleeve tattoo" look to the mainstream in a way that felt accessible to older demographics who watched The Voice.
- The Yoga Body: He famously credited yoga and spinning for his physique, moving away from the "bulky bodybuilder" look that dominated the 80s and 90s.
- The Personality: He was snarky. He was competitive. He was polarizing. In the world of entertainment, being polarizing is often better than being boring.
The Lasting Legacy of the 2013 Choice
When we talk about the Sexiest Man Alive 2013, we are talking about the peak of the "TV Personality" era.
It marked a shift where being a celebrity was no longer about being an unreachable star in a dark movie theater. It was about being in someone's living room twice a week. Levine was the first "Reality TV" adjacent winner, even if he was there as a coach and not a contestant.
Since then, the magazine has tried to vary its picks. We've seen more actors of color win—Michael B. Jordan, John Legend, Idris Elba. We've seen "older" men like Paul Rudd take the title. In many ways, the reaction to Levine’s win pushed the magazine to think outside the box in subsequent years.
Honestly, the 2013 issue remains a time capsule. It represents the height of Maroon 5's chart dominance and the moment when tattoos went from "counter-culture" to "Sexiest Man Alive."
Why the Internet Can't Let It Go
Go to any Reddit thread about "Worst SMA Picks," and Levine's name usually pops up in the top three. It’s fascinating. Usually, people just forget who won five or ten years ago. Does anyone off the top of their head remember who won in 2005? (It was Matthew McConaughey, by the way).
But people remember 2013.
Maybe it’s because Levine has remained a controversial figure in the years since, especially with the social media scandals that hit his personal life later on. Or maybe it’s because 2013 was the year we all realized that "Sexiness" is entirely subjective and often tied to who has the best PR team that month.
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There's also the "internet boyfriend" factor. In 2013, the internet was beginning to crown its own kings—guys like Benedict Cumberbatch or Tom Hiddleston. These were men with massive, dedicated online fanbases who didn't necessarily fit the People magazine "jock" or "pop star" mold. The disconnect between what "the internet" wanted and what "the magazine" chose started to widen significantly right around this time.
Comparing 2013 to Modern Standards
If the Sexiest Man Alive 2013 were chosen today, would it still be Adam Levine? Probably not.
Today’s landscape favors a different kind of charisma. We see a move toward "soft masculinity"—men who are comfortable with vulnerability, fashion-forward choices, and a more quiet kind of confidence. Think Pedro Pascal or Timothée Chalamet.
Levine was the pinnacle of "Peak Macho-Lite." He was the guy who could wear a suit but also look like he just came from a garage band practice. It was a very specific 2010s brand of masculinity that has since evolved into something else entirely.
Actionable Takeaways from the 2013 Debate
The saga of the Sexiest Man Alive 2013 isn't just trivia; it's a lesson in how public perception and media branding work together.
- Recognition is often about timing, not just talent. Levine won because he was at the intersection of music, television, and fashion at exactly the right moment.
- Polarization isn't failure. The fact that people still discuss his win proves that it was an effective piece of media. A boring choice would have been forgotten.
- Standards of "attractiveness" change rapidly. What was considered the "ideal" in 2013—the lean, tattooed, Los Angeles rockstar—is just one chapter in a much larger story of how we define appeal.
To understand the 2013 selection, you have to look at it as a snapshot of a world before TikTok, before the total dominance of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and at the very beginning of the streaming revolution. It was the last gasp of a certain kind of traditional celebrity power.
Whether you think he deserved it or not, Adam Levine's 2013 win remains one of the most talked-about moments in the history of the franchise. It challenged the "actor-only" rule and paved the way for more diverse types of entertainers to be considered for the title.
If you're curious about how these selections have changed over time, the best thing to do is look at the years immediately following 2013. You'll see a clear attempt by media outlets to respond to the "Levine Backlash" by pivoting toward "nicer" or more "classic" Hollywood archetypes. The 2013 win was the catalyst for the modern era of the Sexiest Man Alive.
Check out the archives for the 2014 and 2015 winners—Chris Hemsworth and David Beckham—to see how quickly the "type" shifted back to traditional leading men after the experiment with a pop star. It’s a fascinating study in course correction and audience management.