It’s hard to imagine a better look for David Pastrnak than wearing a Pride shirt. But the Boston Bruins star recently came up with something close: the man bun.
Pastrnak was photographed on the ice Thursday prior to the Bruins’ game against the New York Rangers. Kneeling on his skates, the four-time All-Star allowed his dirty blonde hair to stand proud.
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The man bun remains sacred in hairstyle lore, because few people can pull it off. The process involves corralling unwieldy long locks and tying them up into a presentable ponytail.
There’s also the issue of handling the hair that’s left behind… literally. The difference between “laidback surfer” and mangy is small.
But when the man bun is configured properly, we are in awe. In fact, it might even be the most attractive male hairstyle in the world, as the Guardian explained in 2014:
“A man-bun occupies that erotic space between androgynous and hypermasculine, simultaneously feminine in its length and masculine in it’s devil-may-care updo – because a man-bun is never, ever tightly wound. It’s just about the sexiest thing on the sidewalk.”
When it comes to physical appeal, it’s hard to beat Pastrnak. The Czech native is dreamy.
But even more importantly, he’s not afraid to flout gender norms. Hockey is an exceptionally hyper-masculine sport, known for perpetuating casual homophobia and stereotypes.
The problem is so prevalent, Brock McGillis, a retired pro hockey player, recently completed a 100-day speaking tour addressing teams about the evils of antigay discrimination. A lot of the bigotry he talks about isn’t purposeful, either.
Players may not intend to offend LGBTQ+ people with homophobic barbs. But that language is part of the culture, and they’ve never traveled outside of it.
That returns us to Pastrnak, and the value of an NHL star who stands out. His teammate, Stanley Cup champion Brad Marchand, is also one of the biggest LGBTQ+ allies in the game. He’s spoken out in favor of same-sex marriage, and has said he would accept a gay teammate.
“Guys would accept that, no question,” he said. “We’re a team in the [dressing] room and a family. It doesn’t matter what different beliefs guys have, or where they come from, or whatever the case may be. Guys would accept it. Again, in the room we’re a family. That’s the way it is on a hockey team, and that’s the way it will always be.”
During this year’s Pride Night, Marchand scored a hat trick. Rainbow vibes were on his side!
NHL players led the charge against the league’s misguided ban on rainbow tape, with one player, Travis Dermott, openly defying the league.
The NHL rescinded its rainbow tape ban just a few days later…
Those acts of allyship show there is an appetite for inclusion in male pro sports. It helps that athletes themselves are more willing to express different sides of themselves, too.
Just a few miles down the road from the Bruins’ home arena, TD Garden, Red Sox star Triston Casas proudly rocks his painted nails at Fenway Park.
The slugger says regular mani-pedis are the perfect way to bond with his mom .
“I just use it as an opportunity to spend time with my mom, a two or three-hour window every two or three weeks,” he said in a Red Sox-produced YouTube video. “We get to bond, talk about whatever, put our phones down a bit and catch up. We use it as a little bit of bonding time.”
During March Madness this weekend, college basketball fans can watch Duke star Jared McCain show off his painted nails, too.
The freshman is bursting with personality, and isn’t afraid to bust a move.
Pastrnak may not paint his nails (yet), but that doesn’t mean his eye-popping style stops at his man bun. He’s also taken to wearing a bear suit after games. A fan chucked the furry costume over the boards Tuesday night, after Pastrnak netted a hat trick of his own.
“The whole section was going crazy and then in the third period he scored and everyone just started chanting, ‘Bear! Bear! Bear!’ So everyone cleared the way, I ran down, helicoptered it over the glass. And it was just awesome seeing the guy pick it up, hand it to Pasta, he was pretty excited,” the bear-throwing fan told the Boston Globe.
— sab (@swaymilton) March 21, 2024
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