There’s something in the air of late. A desperation and desire so deeply embedded, and what we call yearning, as portrayed ever so adequately by Conrad Fisher—who’s enroute to Paris at this moment to shoot his last shot with his first love, Belly Conklin. As The Summer I Turned Pretty gears up for its highly anticipated finale episode, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter are drowning with edits of Conrad’s signature brooding stares, quiet longing, and the restrained ache of a boy who feels too much but says too little.
Cue his sad-boy eyes, finger twitches, first-person narratives, preferably playing out against a Taylor Swift song. So what is it about a man who yearns that has got the whole internet so hooked? Why do we swoon over fictional men who yearn with an all-consuming intensity?
conrad fisher hospitalized due to third degree yearns pic.twitter.com/Zr855kIahb
— emma (@conrocklnds) August 1, 2025
Perhaps it’s because the lack of real connection seems common in today’s culture of dating apps and online profiles. That fantasy of being pursued and longed for by an attractive and intelligent man, or even simply someone who can come up with something better than ‘wyd’. People are obsessed because Conrad represents a kind of vulnerability rarely seen in modern dating scenarios. He doesn’t just love Belly. He physically aches for her. He loves her from afar, often in quiet, tortured ways, without always chasing instant gratification in an era where situationships, ghosting, and swipe culture reign supreme.
So in a fictional world, the more men yearn, the better.
Conrad wasn’t the first, and he most certainly wouldn’t be the last. Below, Vogue Singapore spotlights the greatest yearners in television and film.
1 / 7
Chow Mo-wan in 'In the Mood For Love'
Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung both star as Chow and Su, who discover that their spouses are having an affair, in the iconic Wong Kar Wai film. Instead of confronting their partners, the two form an unusual connection filled with longing and stolen glances. Chow’s yearning is the perfect example of how, at times, love is not just about the big romantic gestures, but loving someone from afar is just as enough.
2 / 7
Connell in 'Normal People'
In this TV adaptation of Sally Rooney’s book of the same name, Paul Mescal broke out onto the silver screen as the complicated Connell. Catching feelings for Marianne wasn’t all that enough, but with the growing pains of peer pressures and life’s roadblocks, his mistakes did eventually lead him to pine even more desperately for that lost love. Who could also forget that simple chain necklace?
3 / 7
Jack in 'Titanic'
Jack Dawson is the ultimate example of a man who yearns with an all-consuming intensity. His devotion to Rose is seen through the ultimate test, when he gives up his spot on the floating debris, sacrificing his life so Rose can live on.
4 / 7
Conrad in 'The Summer I Turned Pretty'
Is this a safe space to say that we are Team Conrad? The literal embodiment of the ache of a first love, the kind that you can never really get over.
5 / 7
Noah in 'The Notebook'
It’s a love that endures through the ages. Whilst separated and broken up, Noah writes Allie a letter every day for a year, builds her dream house in hopes that she will find her way back to him.
6 / 7
Krish in 'Saiyaara'
In this much-loved Bollywood film, musician Krish Kapoor falls deeply in love with Vaani, a gifted poet. Their love is tested when Vaani is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, causing episodes where she forgets him entirely. Unable to bear the weight of her fading memories, she leaves but Krish never stops looking for her. His unwavering yearning for her becomes the very soul of the film.
7 / 7
Mr Darcy in 'Pride & Prejudice'
No enemies-to-lovers arc has ever beaten Lizzie Bennet and Mr Darcy’s. “You have bewitched me, body and soul”—the ultimate line delivery to a woman’s heart.
