Aislinn Raftis

Digital Rhetoric
The Significance of the Lumbersexual
If my beard is a trend-inspired attempt to reclaim a semblance of
masculinity in a world gone mad then so be it. Beats scrotum jokes.
-Denver Nicks, Time Magazine
Lumbersexuals are defining masculinity through their
appropriation of the figure of the lumberjack as an attempt to recreate
a sense of freedom, independence and masculinity based on these
ideals.
The single most defining feature of the lumbersexual is intent. It
is not enough to wear flannels, plaid, boots, and a beard. The
lumbersexual dresses carefully to provide the impression of
nonchalance and a preoccupation with more profound things than
appearance. He is the modern, urban equivalent of that nostalgic
symbol of rugged independence. He is a lumberjack, minus the
hardships. This difference is crucial to distinguishing the men who
happen to wear flannels from the lumbersexuals. One is accidental,
natural almost, and one has exerted himself a great deal to appear
that way. There is no hierarchy among the group; no one member is
more a lumbersexual than another unless of course, you happen to be
an outdoorsy woman. Women cannot be lumbersexuals, not truly, for
they cannot grow a beard.

The Internet defines the

lumbersexual. He does not define
himself, save for his image. The
term itself was coined by the
online magazine Gawker1 and
quickly snowballed in popularity.
Lumbersexuals belong to the
overarching category of hipsters
and exist in opposition to
meterosexuals. Hipsters are, according to Wikipedia, white
millennials living in urban areas with indie and alternative music, a
varied non-mainstream fashion sensibility (including vintage and thrift
store-bought clothes), generally progressive political views, organic
and artisanal foods, and alternative lifestyles.2 The meterosexual is
an offshoot of the hipster culturehe is well dressed, sauve, with an
impeccable sense of style and opinions on the latest trends, from wine
to woolen socks. By aligning the lumbersexual with the meterosexual
through the faddish suffixthe rhetoric highlights the similarities

1 Chan, Aleksander. "Are You a "Lumbersexual"?" Gawker. N.p., 11 Dec.

2014. Web. 14 Apr. 2015. http://gawker.com/are-you-a-lumbersexual1657844454
2 "Hipster (contemporary Subculture)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia
Foundation, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hipster_(contemporary_subculture)

between the two groups. They both act the same waydefining
members though fashion, care about high quality alcohol, books,
clothes, and food, and translating that into a lifestyle.
While that lifestyle may be commercial in naturethe lumbersexual
identifies himself based on the products he uses, wears, and buysit
can be defined as a digital subculture. The group may resist the label
because the suffix sexual shows a tempering of the masculinity with a
focus on feminine things like fashion, but nonetheless it is a real
subculture group. It gets most of its existence from the fact that people
believe it to be real, essentially it exists as a solipsistic kind of reality.
Queen Latifah did a segment on lumbersexuals, and many news
outlets, both blogs and national news, have covered the subculture.
The lumbersexual lives up to certain in-group expectations. The
exact definition of what makes a lumbersexual is vague, as Internet
definitions tend to be. But some identity characteristics remain
constant: white, middle class, educated, male. Buzzfeed released a
holiday gift list for the lumbersexual3, and the objects on the list
provide the best definition of what they like and therefore how they
identify. The lumbersexual has a beard, but likes to condition it with
scented oils. They do yoga on mats with decals of logs. They drink
whiskey, and their furniture is made of wood. They eat meats, and own
3 Rhoades, Logan. "Introducing The Hot New Trend Among Men:
Lumbersexual." Buzzfeed. Buzzfeed, 13 Nov. 2013. Web. <
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mrloganrhoades/introducing-the-hot-newtrend-among-men-lumbersexual#.jubw3RerE>.

nicely printed books about the great outdoors. They grind their own
coffee in fancy grinders, but drink it out of plain enamel mugs. They
carry a pocket-sized cocktail kit to never be without the perfect drink.
Basically, the list is a collection of fancy, modern items carefully
designed to look old-fashioned and rustic. Denver Nicks, self-confessed
lumbersexual writes in Time magazine, On the other hand, the
upending of gender norms frees men in mainstream culture to do
things verboten by a retrograde man-code once enforced by the most
insecure and doltish among us.
But what does this tell us about them? It shows
their privilege. The items on the Buzzfeed list are
expensive, showing the disposable income
available to these men. They also clearly hold
jobs that allow for freedom of personal
expression; not every employer would allow for
In this image, the text reverses a
common complaint made by women
towards men who objectify their
bodies. Here, the lumbersexual is
complaining that the same
objectification is happening to him

such counterculture dress. It also shows us

the underlying panic of the members of this
subculture. They are spending time, money,

and effort in an attempt to demonstrate their manliness. However,

apparent in the subculture are tensions between masculinity and
feminity. The lumbersexual is perfectly groomed. His facial hair is
carefully cleaned and styled, his clothing expensive and unlikely to
have come into contact with soil or trees. Cleanliness and a distaste for

soiling ones clothes are typically and stereotypically feminine

concerns, as are scented oils and, in modern culture, the practice of
yoga. Their masculinity is in appearance only for they have
appropriated feminine practices.
The lumbersexual may still not be as in control as he would like
to imagine. Like the rest of hipster culture, a common critique is that
the subcultures are all inventions of the commercial machine. The
lumbersexual trend may be driven by retail and commercial interests
concerned with maintaining their customer base for these very niche,
very expensive products. So the lumbersexual may be struggling to
define himself as a man, all the while being acted upon by forces
outside his control, strung along like a bearded puppet with a deep
sense of anxiety.
The significance of a lumbersexual is not simply confined to his
place in the economic markets. Identification as a lumbersexual is also
a marker of class. Lumbersexuals are typically found living in areas
that most people would identify with hipstersareas like Brooklyn and
Williamsburg. These gentrified areas have high rents and low levels of
crime. Most hipsters and lumbersexuals are employed with high-paying
jobs in lucrative industries such as Tech or I.T. Dressing as a
lumbersexual is visual way to demonstrate belonging to a certain
social strata. But it is interesting that they demonstrate their
membership in this privileged group by making light of the hardships

and poverty of actual lumberjacks. In the same way hipsters belittle

the experience of living below the poverty line by venturing into a thrift
shop and thinking theyve seen how the other half lives, lumbersexuals
broadcast the message that lumberjacks lead blessed lives. They are
propagating the illusion that lumberjacks spend a majority of their time
communing with nature, discovering ones self, purpose, and place in
the world when instead lumberjacks have one of the most dangerous,
mentally and physically demanding jobs.
The rise of the lumbersexual is similar to the revival of the
cowboy. Like the lumberjack, the cowboy is a nostalgic symbol,
romanticized into a mythical figure. Both the roles of a cowboy and a
lumberjack were dirty, dangerous, and lonely jobs. Both these nostalgic
feelings arose during a time of societal change. The rise of the cowboy
heralded a general unease among men with their place in life. The rise
of the lumbersexual heralds the same.
Willa Brown wrote the Atlantic said, The most famous piece of
folklore to come out of the turn of the centurys preoccupation with
manliness was the cowboy. Imitating him was the antidote for all the
ills of the city; the strenuous life of muscular activity in the open air
seemed to prevent neurasthenia. After all, working men werent falling
victim to nervous bouts.4 She claims that the cowboy was the antidote
4 Brown, Willa. "Lumbersexuality and Its Discontents." The Atlantic.
Atlantic Media Company, 10 Dec. 2014. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/12/lumbersexualityand-its-discontents/383563/

to the rapid urbanization at the turn of the century.

Weekends at ranches, jaunts through forests, trips to
national parksany form of nature and exercise
could cure the passivity and weakness afflicting men.
Lumbersexuals are simply enacting the next
generation of escapist longings. Rather than the

Paul
Bunyan

lonely cowboy, they are presenting themselves in the image of Paul

Bunyan, the Wild West lumberjack folk-hero.
Like cowboys, like football players, like bodybuilders, the

lumberjack offers instant cultural capital. Men can act out and fulfill the
role of this prototypical male archetype. Spam products and
advertising manifest the anxieties and prove a desire to develop a
certain kind of manlinessmen are spammed with offers for
bodybuilding products, hair loss removal drugs, and other dietary
supplements. Advertising, after all, exploits our insecurities and
anxieties and offers a solution. By advertising products to mold a man
into the object of stereotypical maleness, the market has illuminated
what, exactly, are the current, cultural, male anxieties.
Denver Nicks said, writing for Time Magazine, It doesnt take a
lot of deep self reflection to see that my lumbersexuality is, in part, a
response to the easing of gender identities in society at large over the
last few decades.5 Nicks references New Republic writer Andrew
5 Nicks, Denver. "Confessions of a Lumbersexual." Time Magazine.
Time Inc. Network, 25 Nov. 2014. Web. <http%3A%2F%2Ftime.com

Sullivan and his complaints that gentlemanly areas of life have been
opened up to women, leaving men feeling rudderless and culturally
bewildered. If not a breadwinner, not ogreishly aggressive, and not a
senior member in good standing at a stuffy old real-life boys club,
what is a man to be? Nicks asks.
A lumbersexual. That man struggling to reconcile traditional
definitions of masculinity in a society where women are increasingly
valued, where feminine traditions are becoming mainstream. That man
who stands for nostalgia, who stands for the values of days gone by,
who represents manliness in an ever-changing world.

%2F3603216%2Fconfessions-of-a-lumbersexual%2F>

Sources:
Brown, Willa. "Lumbersexuality and Its Discontents." The Atlantic.
Atlantic Media Company, 10 Dec. 2014. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/12/lumbersex
uality-and-its-discontents/383563/>.
Chan, Aleksander. "Are You a "Lumbersexual"?" Gawker. N.p., 11
Dec. 2014. Web. 14 Apr. 2015. <http://gawker.com/are-you-alumbersexual-1657844454>.
"Hipster (contemporary Subculture)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia
Foundation, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hipster_(contemporary_subculture)
>.
Nicks, Denver. "Confessions of a Lumbersexual." Time Magazine.
Time Inc. Network, 25 Nov. 2014. Web. <http%3A%2F
%2Ftime.com%2F3603216%2Fconfessions-of-a-lumbersexual
%2F>.
Rhoades, Logan. "Introducing The Hot New Trend Among Men:
Lumbersexual." Buzzfeed. Buzzfeed, 13 Nov. 2013. Web. <
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mrloganrhoades/introducing-the-hotnew-trend-among-men-lumbersexual#.jubw3RerE>.
Images (in order of appearance):
1. http://www.vanidad.es/wpcontent/uploads/2014/11/lumbersexual-vanidad-1.jpg
2. https://thisistwitchy.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/beardculture.jpg
3. http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/0/77/1306313paulbunyanbabe.jpg