First impressions are a big deal, for people, for brands, for almost anything. So, calling your business the League of Fat Bastards is certainly a decision. Without knowing anything else about the brand, besides the fact that it’s a cigar company, you’d likely write it off as being like everything else in the industry. A bold name. Created and garnered for attention. To push forward and propel premium cigars.
But LOFB, as it’s also known, has an incredible message and mission behind it. Sure, they make some damn good cigars, but they’re also made for a cause. LOFB is fighting the social prejudice and modern stigmas behind men’s mental health. It’s okay to not be okay. And as someone who struggles with depression, it’s a fucking hell of a mission to get behind.
To understand why this is a big deal, especially in the world of cigars, we have to back up a little. We have to talk about some things no one really wants to. Toxic masculinity and mental health.
About one in every six adults will struggle with depression at some point in their life. Annually, it affects nearly 16 million American adults. But perhaps more alarming is that anyone can get depression. It doesn’t matter who you are, it can affect everyone, and it can strike at any age, any time, and disorient any personality type or disposition.
A common misconception is that you have to be at a low point in your life, sad, or experiencing trauma to go through depression. That’s not true at all. As a matter of fact, many people who struggle with depression seem happy or fulfilled, and you’d never know unless they opened up about it. Which brings us to the topic of toxic masculinity.
Boys and men are taught at an early age to bottle up emotions, bottle up their mental disposition, and never talk about it. Not just by their family, friends, or peers, but by society, in general. It’s not considered good to see males cry or exhibit strong emotions other than anger. Personally, I can recall hundreds, if not thousands, of times I was told to “suck it up,” or “get over it” and “just be happy.” That’s because most people don’t like to see others upset, down, or depressed, and the easiest way to fix that problem is to ignore it. If you make it visible, and make it known that you’re struggling, that challenges other people’s worldviews, and frankly, it puts more on their plate — and we all know most people don’t like dealing with problems other than their own.
Medicine is not always the answer. Neither is therapy. Both of these things can work for some, and both of them applied together can help in strides — for some. But one thing is clear. Bottling it all up and pretending like you’re okay, day after day, does more damage. It does more harm than good. And that’s precisely what the League of Fat Bastards stands for. Putting an end to bottling those experiences and that pain.
Fighting the stigmas of men’s mental health and awareness
It’s okay to be sad. It’s okay to ask for help or to talk about what you’re experiencing, thinking and going through. I’d argue that’s one of the few ways to help alleviate some of the silent mental pain you experience when you’re depressed. Just knowing that others care, that others give a shit about you, well, it means the world.
Society needs to move away from the stigmas it places on mental health, not just for men, but for everyone. Unfortunately, we have to take baby steps, and it won’t happen overnight. We need heroes, and we need supporters to stand behind the cause, to push it forward, and to help eliminate those stigmas and social prejudices.
How to fight the good fight with League of Fat Bastards stogies
As the brand puts it, “we all have our dark days,” but instead of bottling it all up, or opening a bottle, there are much better outlets. We can bond over cigars, hash it out over group discussions, and “chew the fat.” In other words, open up and get it all out.
LOFB is all about breaking down barriers, changing social stigmas, smashing the Mask of Masculinity and finding new ways for men to “chew the fat.”
To make a tangible impact, LOFB donates 40% of net profits from the sale of its cigars, directly applying that allocation to men’s mental health initiatives, including charities. They call it their “40% giveback promise,” which is equal parts impressive and excellent. Every time you purchase an LOFB cigar, you are also contributing to that mission. Every time you smoke an LOFB cigar, you are contributing to that mission.
And here’s the thing. Even if you don’t struggle with depression now, or haven’t in your lifetime, that doesn’t mean you won’t eventually. Even if you never do, that doesn’t mean some of your friends and family won’t go through it. That doesn’t mean you don’t know people going through it this very moment. Every one in six adults struggles with depression in their lifetime. Many of those numbers, those statistics, are men, and they’re men in need.
If you register and sign up on the site, you’ll also be invited to join a digital community focused on the same principles and mission as the brand — that’s all via WhatsApp. There are some pretty deep convos, mental health check-ins, cigar recommendations, and much more. You can also connect with the brand’s founder, Adam Levine. No, not the singer.
To join the fight against the stigmas of mental health, if you haven’t already, go check out LOFB. They’re doing some pretty cool shit.
Oh, and they also recently launched the Serie-O, a bangin, bold, and full-bodied smoke. It features a Mexican San Andres wrapper, Dominican binder and Nicaraguan fillers, from Condega and Jalapa. Flavor notes are cherry, cocoa, earth, and spices. It sounds delicious. I haven’t had one yet, but I will real soon.
Briley has over 16 years in the publishing and content marketing business. He's been writing about cigars for nearly half that in various forms. What makes him a tour de force is he also smokes them.
Source: Gadiel Lazcano / Unsplash
Source: Nel Ranoko / Unsplash
Source: League of Fat Bastards (LOFB)
