The rise of the "Lumbersexual"

Beards and flannel have moved away from their stable homes on lumberjacks in the wild in favor of the new, trendier style of man called the “lumbersexual” or the “metrojack,” which is a man that looks like a pint-sized Paul Bunyan, yet lurks in coffee shops and thrift stores.

What exactly is a lumbersexual, and where is the line between the outdoorsman and trend-setter? With his reputation as a metrojack, Andy Erickson, Campus Pastor for WSU Chi Alpha, let’s us in on what lies beyond the beard.

What is a lumbersexual, or metrojack, as you prefer?

“One of the definitions I’ve read for lumbersexual, but I prefer metrojack, is that ‘You’re equally comfortable hiking or camping as you are writing code or working on spreadsheets.’ I think that pretty. That pretty much defines me. I love the outdoors, but I also love technology I love to sit and design stuff on a computer. And you can’t go wrong with flannel. Flannel is a staple.”

What do you think of the term and how do you think it applies to you?

“I think the term ‘metrojack’ is like the term ‘hipster.’ Nobody wants to be identified or self-identify as a metrojack, but they want to do all the things they can do until they approach an area where it’s impossible to avoid it. But I’d say the shoe fits.”

What do you like to do for fun?

“I love to camp when I can. I I’ve tried to stack up all the cast-iron pots and pans that I can to go camping. I love being outdoors. Hiking, mountain biking. Football and disc golf is pretty cool. Just sports in general.”

If you were camping and you realized that you forgot your coffee, what would you forage for to make a great drink?

“I’ve tried this before. Pine Needles. You can take pine needles and put them in hot water. I looked up a bunch of things you could make tea out of, so my wife and I went out and found some of those things and brewed it. Pretty much any pine needle, you can make tea out of it, and it’s actually really good. It’s a kind of a lemon-greeny taste. I don’t think there are any poisonous pine needles, to my knowledge, but there are leaves and nuts and other things that you can make tea out of.”

What is your opinion on beards?

“I love beards. I think beards are God’s way of giving men a natural scarf.”

Does vinyl sound better in the woods, or is it impossible to improve upon the sound quality of a record?

I’ve never tried to listen to vinyl in the woods, but I would probably say that it is superior.

If you had to chop down a tree, how many extra slim, rolled chinos would you rip before you got the job done?

“If I had three pairs, I would rip them all.”

What are your overall thoughts about the “lumbersexual” trend?

“I think it’s good, because it celebrates men, but I don’t think it’s a detriment to women either. I think sometimes in society it’s hard to support one section of society without damaging the other.I think that the whole metro thing is cool, because you’re bolstering up masculinity without necessarily tearing down womanhood.”

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