Those infamous Paul Mescal short shorts are back to break the Internet yet again

It was a big weekend for Paul Mescal fans: not only did the Aftersun star win Best Actor at the 2023 Olivier Awards at London's Royal Albert Hall on Sunday, April 2, for his take on Stanley Kowalski in the West End adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire, but there was also a reappearance of The Shorts™.

You know the ones: the Normal People actor has famously taken to wearing thigh-skimming sports shorts while jogging around East London, portraying Connell Waldron in the breakout Hulu hit (a pair of which he autographed and auctioned for charity to help Ukraine), or while meeting fans at the stage door of Streetcar, as he seemingly did after a performance on April 2. One admirer posted a TikTok of Mescal wearing the leg-bearing style this weekend, and social media basically imploded. (More on that in a bit.)

For his part, Mescal is aware of the effect said short-shorts have on the world at large. In an October 2022 sit-down with his The Lost Daughter co-star Dakota Johnson for Interview Magazine, the actress commented on Mescal's now-signature leggy look: "It’s really a strong look. You do look good in short shorts." Mescal joked, "I've got a pretty extensive short shorts wardrobe," to which Johnson replied (for all of us, really): "We know, Paul." 

Domino's—yes, that Domino's—is even rolling out an official spring-summer uniform inspired by Paul Mescal's short shorts at its newest location in Maynooth, Ireland, which just so happens to be the Irish actor's hometown. Per The Irish Mirror, Domino’s Maynooth Chief Operating Officer George Bertram said: "Our new Domino’s store in Maynooth was the ideal location for the fashion shoot to reveal our new Spring Summer uniform, the Short Short, as an ode to local Gaelic Football, and our local Hollywood icon.

Get a pair to Paul, STAT!

Fans react to those teeny Paul Mescal shorts:

Needless to say, social media users were plenty happy to see the return of Mescal's teeny, tiny man shorts. Here's what folks are saying on Twitter: