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Did the Brawny Man Get Caught Up In the Manosphere?
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Mascots will get the occasional glow-up as part of a brand refresh, but few get as many makeovers as much as paper towel hocker Brawny Man.
The hunky thirst trap for Georgia Pacific’s Brawny brand of paper towels has consistently been portrayed as a flannel-wearing lumberjack. Still, the Brawny Man gets a makeover every few years to reflect the overall zeitgeist of what constitutes attractive masculinity. When the Brawny Man debuted in the 1970s, he sported a shag and moustache, looking like a Bee Gees brother from another mother. In the 1980s, the brand swapped the red flannel for blue and shortened the hairdo, and the ‘stache got slightly lengthened.
In the aughts, things got a little weirder for Brawny, as they furloughed the lumberjack mascot for a spell, ultimately bringing him back in the 2010s, but with a darker, more contemporary hairstyle. The red flannel returned, but the facial hair was ditched.
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