TIMBERRRR!!!

While watching Peter York’s Hipster Handbook on the Passionate Eye last night, I was introduced to the term “Lumbosexual” which they used to refer to the style of dress within the hipster sub-culture where the beard is excessive and the clothing worn is woodsy.

Searching the term turned me to the other grammatical version of the work “Lumbersexual”. The most pleasing to the mind definition I found is…

Lumbersexual: a man who has adopted style traits typical of a traditional lumberjack, namely a beard, plaid shirt, and/or scruffy hair, substituting otherwise clean-cut and fashionable style choices.

The term appears to be a round since 2014, and its roots come from the modern transformation and distancing men’s style is taking from Metrosexual where suits were modern and trim, ties skinny and shoes polished.

In the hipster world the beard is ubiquitous. The plaid shirt, best made from flannel, is everywhere. It is a staple of teenage girls and boys today. There certainly is a difference in the way the Lumbersexual dresses from the Slacker even though the essentials pieces are the same are the Taking the style to a place above the slacker. The easiest, but not cheapest is to wear expensive denim. But that denim better have a story behind it. One where the cotton is the purest, the dye the organic-est, and the labour to sew it the free-est.

Lumbersexuals will likely hold many of the metrosexual characteristics that shine through their rugged wrapper.

“…[he’s] the type of guy who is spending thousands of dollars to look like he’s in a back-country camping ad, but he doesn’t camp. He just looks like he can chop wood, and build a fire, but in fact he’ll probably cry if you show him a picture of a cute puppy.”

About the beard:

Generally, speaking the beard of a hipster roots in needing to be nonconformist to the last main conformist trend. The beard is a statement of manhood and manliness akin to the last time a person was called a real lumberjack. A time in the past of axes, picks and saws and not the million dollar clear-cutting machines that sweep across the wooded hills of today. 

I’d challenge that the beard grown now is an attempt to look and feel masculine when your occupation is not a “manly job”. I certainly felt that way about my mustache. Cutting programmer’s code or selling stocks might make a male feel a long way from the man who worked pounding hot steel in the sweaty garage that was once housed in the same location where this modern man’s coffee shop sits selling with a $10 latte. So grow that beard long young man to keep your Yuppiehood at bay!

Lumbersexual everyday

The style definitely has its benefits; after all you are starting with jeans and probably a nice pair. Stripping off the plaid, and replacing with a fitted retro logo’d t-shirt and boots makes for a solid walk the dog, or meet the mates for the game. Throw whatever gear you have for your weekend hobbies into a canvas backpack, tighten up the beard and head out.

Balance and authenticity

Be yourself or at least the woodsman you are inside. If you want a casual beard let it grow. If you want (or need) to be office ready trim it back or keep it in shape. Wear the right fit for your shape and size. If you want to moisturize then don’t put the Dove for Men down. After all, the fair maiden likes her men dashing and strong….and smooth to the touch.