Ben Affleck's Glow up Started After He Began Dating Jennifer Lopez

Ben Affleck, is that you?

He of the greatest meme of all time, the man with the Phoenix tattoo — the Benjamin Affleck, has been looking, frankly, very hot as of late. And I can't help but think that a little relationship status update might be responsible for my sudden and overwhelming thirst.

Bennifer is currently in the honeymoon phase, meaning they can't keep their hands off of each other, especially in public. And where there are two hot, famous people are making out on the street, there are paparazzi capturing every salacious second.

If there's one thing we know about Jennifer Lopez, it's that aesthetic details are everything. It's not so much that I believe J.Lo was forcing Ben to change up his style, as much as it appears that her very presence perhaps made the 49-year-old acutely aware of his own style shortcomings, especially when their images are plastered all over the internet (including right here).

Below, photographic evidence that Ben Affleck's J.Lo era is officially his best dressed yet, broken down by paparazzi-baiting activity.

The Classic Paparazzi Strolls

I can appreciate some hometown love, but can you imagine Affleck showing up in sneakers and a Boston tee for a little jaunt across the park while Jennifer Lopez is looking like that?

To be clear, this is no shade to Affleck's ex Ana de Armas, who is dressed appropriately for a quick stroll with her dogs. This really comes down to Lopez's penchant for the high-fashion drama, the picture-perfect moment. Because when J.Lo leaves the house — for any reason — it is an event. There is a dress code, and that dress code is jackets required, regardless of the fact that it's 80 degrees in NYC.

The Red Carpet

Pre-pandemic Ben, seen on the left at the March 2020 premiere of his film The Way Back, was almost there with his subtle burgundy suit. Just a bit of tailoring magic where his shirt meets his pants and voila, this look is worthy of a GQ honorable mention.

But post-pandemic Ben? Post-pandemic Ben took it to another level. Here he is at the Venice Film Festival premiere of The Last Duel, which doubled as his and Lopez's first red carpet as a couple since reuniting, looking tanned, dyed, and tailored to a tee. Even his energy says, "I forgot I could look this good, too."

Carrying Some Luggage

Do these images even need a caption? Ben is practically telling us with his smirk that he's feeling himself in the image on the right, at the Venice Film Festival last month. Plus, if the cost of celebrity is constantly being photographed doing mundane things, then why not take advantage of one of the perks of being a celebrity, which is having someone cary your luggage for you. You earned it, Ben.

Running Errands in This One Shirt

A sustainable king? Ben is proof that a brand new look doesn't always mean literally brand new clothes. Ben spruced up his trusty flannel (seen on the left in 2020) with dark wash denim and low-profile grey sneakers while hanging out in LA this summer.

Hanging out in Graphic Tees

On its own, the lightning bolt T-shirt is perfectly fine. (It's an $83 tee by the brand Aviator Nation, we think, which is just like the one Bobby Cannavale wore in our recent photo shoot — so there's a little hot-dad-tee-shirt trivia for your Thursday!). And we love a man who isn't afraid to wear the same thing twice (see the previous two images), but if he was going to buy a new T-shirt, some pride merch is a commendable choice. Besides, he already has the lightning bolt tee in heather gray.

Swapping out some well-loved sneakers for a bright pair that complements the new T-shirt and the charcoal slim-fit jeans earns this man some bonus DILF points. Congratulations, Ben. You deserve it!

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