Something horrifying has happened to a lot of guys at Iowa State.

They’ve fallen in love with the Backstreet Boys.

The Boys’ sound can be heard pounding out of male dorm rooms, out of car stereos and from a myriad of other anonymous sources.

The Backstreet Boys have swept many men off of their feet, giving them tunes to sing and beats to dance to, and they like it.

But why?

“The Backstreet Boys just speak to me,” sophomore Chad Johansen said.

“How can you resist their fresh sounds and good looks?” junior Doug Wendling added.

Many people think boy bands are a joke. Historically, nail polish on guys has not been a trend for sex symbols, and touching yourself in front of a huge crowd of 13-year-old girls is against the law.

But the Backstreet Boys have surpassed those limits and gained an enormous amount of popularity.

The Boys have two hit albums that display their vocal talent.

Here’s an introduction to the Backstreet Boys for the boy band impaired:

First there’s AJ, who is known as the “bad boy.” Bryan can be identified by his “perfect jaw line.” Howie has made a name for himself as the one with sporadic facial hair. There’s Nick, the “all-American boy,” and Kevin, the oldest and wisest of the Boys, with a unibrow that drives the ladies wild.

The Backstreet Boys haven’t always been so “cool.” Back in the early ’90s, the Backstreet Boys toured the country, performing at assemblies for junior high kids in gymnasiums.

The group has even performed for East Middle School in Sioux City. Sophomore Britt Murphy witnessed the early performance.

“They came to our school for a popcorn party. They sang love songs to the girls, and all of the boys hated them,” he explained. “We were just jealous.”

One might ask, how could a bunch of college guys be jealous of a bunch of sequin-wearing lip-synchers?

“The Backstreet Boys get all the chicks,” sophomore Robby Roggentein said. “They are so smooth.”

The single “I Want It That Way” was the revelation for much of the Backstreet Boys’ male fan base.

“It is just something about the words,” sophomore Jon Swanson confessed. “They are like everything I would ever want to say to that special someone.”

Senior Brad Buelow was so taken back by the song the first time he heard it, he had to stop his car in order to get the full affect of the melody spewing out of his radio.

The Backstreet Boys’ newest single, “Larger than Life,” has since become a new favorite of these BSB lovers. Don’t be surprised if in the future you hear it on the radio every hour repeatedly, like the all of the band’s singles.

The group also has given these guys inspiration for wooing the ladies and making them feel like real men.

Wendling sums up his feelings for the band in this one statement: “The Backstreet Boys are everything that I’d ever want to be.”