The "Sexiest Man Alive," according to Prager University, is neither Brad Pitt nor Ryan Gosling, but 1950's "Dad Knows Best" icon Ward Cleaver from the classic sitcom Leave It to Beaver.

Presented by Jim Geraghty of National Review, the video argues that Ward Cleaver and various other iconic television fathers of the same archetype earn the title "sexiest" because they model the highest of masculine virtues: responsibility, devotion, steadfastness, and fortitude. 

The modern idea of masculinity doesn't promote masculinity at all, but men living in perpetual adolescence. Men who never commit, sleep around, and view fatherhood as a trap. In pop culture, they're James Bond at best or Jay-Z at worst. Gone are the days when men had true role models to look up to; when getting married, supporting children, and holding down a respectable job were standards to live by.

Of Ward Cleaver we can also say this: He’s a man who takes care of business. He doesn’t make excuses. He doesn’t whine. He doesn’t brood in defeat. He knows that his hard work and persistence will eventually win the day, if not this day. And there’s a lot he’s simply outgrown. He never had any interest in perpetuating his own adolescence. He’s a grown-up who accepts marriage and fatherhood as the life of an adult.

Now, we can quibble about his methods, but we can’t dispute that he loves his wife and kids, that they know he loves them, and that he tries to do what’s best for them—usually pretty successfully. What is not in dispute is that he’s the man of the house, that he wears that title with pride, and everyone, including his wife, likes that fact.

The video doesn't deny these men had flaws, and readily admits they sometimes borderline on self-parody, making them ripe for mockery. Nevertheless, when the 60's redefined the family and warped it into a modern Frankenstein, the baby got thrown out with the bath water. Should we return to an idyllic role model? Perhaps not literally, as going back in time creates a "la vie on rose" worldview, allowing for past mistakes to repeat themselves. The video proposes that those universal truths of masculinity be rediscovered once again and fashioned for the present day. How do we know what traits to look for? Look to women; they have the answer:

If you ask women what they really want in a man— or at least all those women who have grown out of their adolescent fascination with bad boys – they may not say Ward Cleaver, but they’ll describe most, if not all, of his traits: Reliable; trustworthy; smart; confident, but not smug. Funny and capable of laughing at himself. A man who’s successful at work, but not a workaholic. A man who likes children, but is not a child himself. Perhaps most importantly, devoted to his family. It’s an indisputably masculine figure. And make no mistake, that’s what most women want and what all children need.