The "lumberjack" aesthetic as a performed masculinity
This article somewhat disparagingly describes and attempts to interpret a recent trend popular among middle-class urban white men. Beards, flannel shirts, and other symbols index a "lumberjack"-inspired identity that the author feels is disconnected from the actual history of lumberjacks. Are these men attempting to reclaim a romanticized masculine image of hard work, strength, and daring (and do they fear masculinity is "in crisis")? Or are they performing a new, exclusively urban masculinity that symbolizes some other set of attributes? [Published on 12-10-2014]