'Vampire Diaries': Why is Silas (and New Stefan) hotter than ever? | EW.com

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'The Vampire Diaries': Why is Silas (and new Stefan) so much hotter than old Stefan? PopWatch investigates!

The Vampire Diaries Stefan

(Annette Brown/The CW)

For weeks now, I’ve been reading comments (and talking to my roommate) about how very attractive Silas is on The Vampire Diaries. It’s an odd conversation considering Silas is played by the always attractive Paul Wesley, who’s been on the show as Stefan for four years now. So what has changed? Well, at first, I thought it had to do with the character of Silas, which I do believe is part of it, but then when Stefan showed up on the scene without his memory and looking a little yummier than usual, the mystery grew.

What is it exactly about this season/these characters? Well, there are several reasons why Silas/New Stefan is more attractive than Old Stefan (who, just for the record, was always incredibly attractive):

Sunlight/You can actually see his green eyes: The cast and crew of TVD constantly talk about how dark their show is, and it’s on purpose. They’re always telling the lighting department to make things darker. And although that’s good and fine, it makes it difficult to decipher Wesley’s already-dark features.

Unlike Ian Somerhalder’s blue eyes, Wesley’s sometimes get lost in the blackness. So when it’s summer on the show and the characters actually get to go out in the sunlight, you realize that not only does Wesley have green eyes, but that they’re pretty stunning. When my mother first started watching the show, she thought his eyes were brown until the Miss Mystic Falls episode, when he found himself in a sunbeam. Shed some light on the guy, and your entire world changes. It’s that simple.

Wesley’s longer hair: Stefan has always had amazing hair, but this season, it’s at the top of its game. It’s a little longer than usual, which makes the coif worthy of some serious envy. I’m talking McDreamy-level envy.  Even when it’s messy and disheveled (like after he was locked in a safe for three months), I still want to run my fingers through it.

A lighter wardrobe: Much like the lighting, a lot of the wardrobe on the show is very dark. Stefan wears lots of black paired with leather jackets and dark denim. I’m not complaining, but when Silas spent the first few episodes of season 5 walking around in a light bluish-grey shirt, it complemented his features in a way a black shirt never did.

Silas’ snark: Silas’ powers gave him a confidence and a swagger that was just plain attractive. His dry humor and evil side made him this season’s hot bad guy, and you should never underestimate the appeal of power and/or snark.

Amnesia-Stefan’s playfulness: Watching Stefan smile and flirt with Elena in last night’s episode was like inhaling the biggest breath of fresh air… ever. The way he looked at her, particularly when she jumped off the roof of the school and he just smiled, was swoon-worthy. Ugh. Is there anything prettier than a pretty man in love?

Neither Silas nor amnesia-Stefan is as messy of an eater: Silas doesn’t drink directly from the vein, and amnesia-Stefan is less of a ripper and therefore less of a messy eater. A man with a little blood around his mouth is simply more attractive than a man with blood dripping from his chin (though no blood at all would obviously be preferred).

All in all, I think it comes down to the hair and eyes, but the personality traits of both Silas and amnesia-Stefan do contribute. Regardless, consider this case solved.

What do you think, PopWatchers? Is Silas and/or amnesia-Stefan hotter than Old Stefan? Should there be more sunlight on this show?

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