Back in the 80s, for many young boys like me, the Marlboro man was the epitome of manhood – his weathered face and eagle eyes, staring into the desert from underneath a dusty Stetson. He was married to his Colt Peacemaker and his horse was his best friend.
We tore the full page Phillip Morris cigarette ads from mom’s magazines and stuck them to the wall of our rondavel on the farm. Luckily the three of us did not turn out to become chain smoking bandits.
Well, I smoke but I blame that on my ex-wife and not on the Marlboro Man.
Then some cowboys, and their horses, died of lung cancer and all cigarettes adverts were banned.
Our hero was gone but luckily we were in our teens by then. We shed no tears.
Anyway, boys, men and the Marlboro Man don’t cry! The Camel Man, that other rugged bugger, also disappeared. To this day Land Cruiser owners reckon the guy’s Landy got stuck somewhere in the African jungle and that he was eaten by lions, but that’s not true.
He died of emphysema.
Manicured role models
How things have changed since those days…
Boys are now being taught that it is ok to cry, but not to dangle a cigarette from the corner of your mouth.
What you can dangle though, is the soccer balls in your boxers like David Beckham does in his underwear adverts. Or your powder puffed fringe, like Justin Bieber, when he flaunts his ‘Your Girlfriend’ perfume for women.
This new generation of role models is manicured from pinkie to toe, and worlds removed from the dust-on-stubble cowboy.
Beckham’s crown jewels will surely come down hard on a trot, riding in those fancy panties!
Knock-on
Now let us look local:
Not so long ago, on TV, former Springbok rugby player Bob Skinstad comes from a hectic mountain bike ride into a shop and instead of grabbing something cold, the man heads straight for the bubblebath section. And then there is Pat Lambie – singing the praises of shampoo…
What would our fathers have said if Frik du Preez told them to buy lavender scented moisturiser?
Back then every man was a Marlboro Man and he would have vomited on his best pair of boots.
The changes which have taken place over the last three decades, in the man’s world, are indeed overwhelming!
Will the real tough guy please stand up
Between 1954 and 1999 there was a number of rugged looking Marlboro Men.
The most famous, Darrell Winfield, was in the saddle for Phillip Morris Tobacco for 20 years.
Darrell was the real deal because he actually worked on a ranch as a cattle hand.
He spent his days roping longhorn’s in mid gallop and branding young steers with red hot irons.
Although he was once considered to be the most photographed man in the world, his fame never went to his head. He never felt the need to parade around in his underwear or to buy scented bubblebath.
He stayed a cowboy and bought a ranch with his earnings as Marlboro Man. Darrell Winfield is 85 years old and still alive. His horse though, died of emphysema many years ago.
