• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, March 15, 2017

Let’s get this straight right up front: They’re not looking for a man, and they’re definitely not looking for a hunk, stud or hottie, although he may share some of their characteristics.

Men’s Health is looking for a guy, specifically, “The Ultimate Men’s Health Guy,” in a national search for a cover model – sorry, guy – sponsored by underwear brand Jockey.

Announced in the magazine’s upcoming April issue, the Men’s Health guy search invites entries by readers who embody the fit, health conscious and community-oriented lifestyle which defines the magazine’s ideal guy.

Online voting will narrow the entries down to 10 finalists, and a panel of experts led by Men’s Health editor-in-chief Matt Bean will then choose the Ultimate Guy.

The anointed Guy will appear on the cover of the November issue of the magazine, have the opportunity to make appearances at Men’s Health events, and receive a $1,000 gift card from Jockey. Previous years’ winners have also been the subject of a good deal of press coverage.

Aside from being fit there are no particular requirements in terms of appearance for being the Ultimate Men’s Health Guy. However, judging by the winners of previous contests – 2014’s Noah Galloway, an ex-soldier, 2015’s Tim Boniface, a firefighter from Kentucky, and 2016’s Jed Ballard, an Army Ranger and ER doctor – a rugged jawline and chiseled cheekbones wouldn’t hurt.

Indeed, as the careful choice of noun illustrates, the Ultimate Guy search must carefully navigate that fraught, murky area of homosocial — read that word carefully — interaction in which (mostly) heterosexual men evaluate each other’s attractiveness as men.

There’s really no reason this should be such an awkward subject, and plenty of reasons why it should be fairly intuitive. After all, from the perspective of evolutionary biology, wouldn’t it be helpful to be able to assess your competitors for female favor, even if you don’t see the appeal yourself?

But the rites of masculinity are eternal, and according to these ancient folkways, one man shall never be heard to deem another “hot.” He’s just a great guy, dude.