A few months ago, Zac Efron continued his ongoing collaboration with the uber-masc pancake brand Kodiak Cakes with a few very cute online tutorials. Sporting a suede apron and a red plaid shirt that gives the Brawny man a run for his money, Efron showed viewers the many delights of Kodiak Cakes with his characteristic laid-back charm.
And that’s the end of the story…if you’re straight. But now, the gays are putting two and two together, and realizing that Efron’s Kodiak branded look is striking a very familiar chord. But bear with us: it involves some deep queer lore.
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When a Twitter user posted these images of Efron hawking Kodiak products, it brought us back. All the way back to 2018, when the queer world was trying to unpack the bizarre, tragic death by kink of a member of the Seattle kink scene, Tank Hafertepen, aka Jack Chapman.
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The Australian-born Chapman was in an intense dom-sub relationship with his master, Dylan Hafertepen, and together the two would engage in boundary-pushing fetish acts, one of which inadvertently led to Chapman’s tragic early demise.
Though Chapman’s master explained in interviews that he’d forbidden his “pup” to inject silicone into his testicles, Chapman continued to engage with his unique fetish, and ultimately the testicle-enlarging activity crossed over into dangerous, life-threatening territory. Chapman passed away in October of 2018, and his death was officially ruled an accident. Dylan Hafertepen’s old website, noodlesandbeef.com, has since been transformed into a living memorial for Chapman created by his master.
So yes—when people say that Zac Efron’s current look reminds them of something, that’s what they’re talking about.
But that’s not where the comparisons end: users are also comparing Efron’s lumberjack look to the Brawny paper towel mascot, as well as informercial pitchman Billy Mays.
Overall, it’s a fine look—even if it comes with a disturbing reminder of all the weird sh*t that went down online in 2018.
And hell, why not take cooking advice from Zac Efron? He probably knows what he’s doing!
Zac, you are forever zaddy in our hearts.