Posted on 11/17/2014 4:43:47 AM PST by LeoMcNeil
Have you noticed men wearing extremely long Civil War style beards lately? The so-called lumbersexual is essentially engaging in a pop-culture extreme overreaction to the metrosexual. You’ll recall the metrosexuals are generally straight men who spend an excessive amount of time on grooming and their clothes. In some ways the metrosexual mirrors certain aspects of the homosexual culture in this regard. The lumbersexual, in extreme overreaction to the metrosexual, has decided that the beard is the height of masculinity and demonstrate that masculinity in extreme manner. Both the metrosexual and the lumbersexual are just following the crowd, very few of them actually think for themselves. In the case of the lumbersexual, he’s adopted an absurd definition of masculinity.
We live in a society wherein everyone insists they’re unique and special, with many believing their clothing and appearance demonstrate their unique specialness. Of course the people insisting they’re unique the loudest are usually the ones who look exactly like everyone else in their little sub group. The goth’s are a good example, they insist on their uniqueness and yet every last one of them looks identical. They’re aren’t unique, they’re just following the crowd without admitting it. The same has always been true of the metrosexual, who pretends that his interest in grooming sets him apart from all the other men who in his mind are slobs. In reality, all the metrosexuals look identical. They wear the same style of clothing and groom themselves in relatively the same manner. There’s nothing unique about them as individuals, they’re following the trends of a particular group.
The so-called lumbersexuals are no different. Tired of men spending more time in the bathroom grooming themselves than women, these men have decided to grow long beards and care little of their appearance. Yet in doing so they aren’t demonstrating anything unique about themselves. All they’re doing is showing the world that they to can follow cultural trends. These days it’s popular for men to demonstrate their masculinity via a beard, so the lumbersexuals all have obnoxiously long beards. Congratulations guys, you to can follow cultural trends while pretending to be unique. Worse, you imagine you’re making some sort of statement against men behaving in a vaguely feminine way. In doing so, the lumbersexuals have accepted the progressive notion that every single daily event is a political statement. We need not make political statements to the world via our grooming and clothing. Yet the lumbersexuals as a group are doing just that.
You don’t prove your masculinity via your beard. It makes no sense for men to settle for such a superficial and cheap definition of masculinity. Yet the lumbersexuals, in their extreme overreaction to the metrosexuals, are cheapening masculinity to the point where a beard defines it. A man, it appears, is nothing more than a beard. Why are these men, who apparently are interested in demonstrating masculinity, allowing such to be defined in such an irrelevant manner? Masculinity isn’t demonstrated by a beard, it’s demonstrated in how a man treats a woman, how he loves his children and most importantly in how he loves Jesus Christ. A beard is frankly irrelevant to masculinity. You can love your children and God with or without a beard, it really matters not. You can treat women in a chivalrous manner with or without a beard. Why are we allowing progressives to cheapen masculinity to our beards?
Of course no one sporting a long beard and calling themselves masculine has spent a moment thinking about how they’ve cheapened masculinity. They’re just following the crowd, the same as the metrosexuals, the goths, the hipsters and so on. No one bothers to think about anything they’re doing these days, they just react with emotion and follow everyone else. That’s ultimately the problem here, no one thinks for themselves anymore. That doesn’t stop people from imaging they’re special snowflakes or unique individuals while they follow the crowd. It says a lot about education in this country, the government schools in particular aren’t teaching kids to think. As a result we have a legion of men growing obnoxiously long beards while believing they’re making a statement against overly groomed men. Worse, they believe their beard is a sign of their masculinity. No wonder our nation is in such bad shape.
Only about 1% of men who grow a beard have their appearance enhanced by a beard. The rest look like they’re hiding their face.
For some, hiding their face is an appearance enhancement.
Eh, I have a trimmed one because I’m lazy and hate shaving with a passion.
I sleep all night and I work all day....
Speaking of Goths:
Slipknot - Duality
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fVE8kSM43I
and Millennials:
Millennials in the Workplace Training Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sz0o9clVQu8
Beards don’t make a man, but it can’t be argued that a complete lack of facial hair is manly.
Then there are those who deliberately have five o’clock shadow all day.
The Air Force almost uniformly frowned upon having facial hair, because of the difficulties caused when using oxygen masks. The Air force asked me to consider growing a beard....
There’s probably a Duck Dynasty influence in there, too.
I am NOT going to pretend to discern why anyone grows a beard unless he tells me. These guys may have just gotten sick of shaving. Or they might want to look like ZZ Top or Duck Dynasty, not to “follow” them, but ‘cause they like the look. When we lived in northern Illinois/Wisconsin, several men grew a winter beard. Some bald guys need the facial hair to avoid looking like Lex Luthor or Dr. Sivana. Few look like Yul Brynner without SOMETHING.
I myself am clean shaven, and miss the great Gillette Microtrac, which was the greatest disposable razor ever made. My wife would actually prefer I grew a beard, but I find them itchy and don’t care to spend time grooming the end (she prefers a tidy beard on men).
This weekend at the social hour after Mass, one of the women in our church was wearing an outfit that could only be described as Steampunk, and it worked with her. I don’t think she is a Steampunk (home schooling mom of several), but the outfit exceeded modesty norms at our church, and happens to be quite in at the moment as an unlooked for bonus.
Growing a beard to follow the crowd may happen, but not growing a beard in order not to be identified with a crowd is also something that may happen.
It’s all good.
Thank God somebody has said it!
Dr. Laura once noted that people claiming to be doing their own thing in the 1960’s were doing the same thing as a lot of other people. I remember noticing that, too.
Manliness has nothing to do with facial hair, or lack thereof.
Maybe it’s just a bunch of ZZTop fans?
Well like I always say about mine {had it 29 continuous years this time} it sure hides a lot of ugly LOL. I've had one most of my adult life minus about a total of 18 months of military requirement I shave for either fire fighting duties or a year of National Guards.
I don't have the daily nuisance of skin rash, it's a great protector of my face from UV rays, and heck I just like having it. :>}
Probably. A good friend of mine used to say some faces were made for beards. I never saw him shaved. At least he admitted it. LOL.
Jackyl - The Lumberjack (STUDIO VERSION)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGf8cDsEdXY
It says a lot about education in this country, the government schools in particular aren’t teaching kids to think. As a result we have a legion of men growing obnoxiously long beards while believing they’re making a statement against overly groomed men.
No wonder our nation is in such bad shape.
So ... when did you start doing satire on your blog Leo?
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