Matthew McConaughey Would Have to Rape Me at Knife-Point - Yuck!

At the airport today, February 8, 2008, a discarded red copy of the 'USA Weekend-Most Amazing Valentines Day Ever' edition caught my eye. Gracing the cover is Matthew McConaughey, America's hunky Valentine and Hollywood's Sexiest Man Alive. He is our down home, aww shucks coverboy in jeans and form-fitted, snap-buttoned, red (of course), western-plaid shirt. The brand of the shirt might be 'Rockmount Ranch Wear.' Lorrie Lynch of the publications page 2, "Who's News" write-in column may be able to answer this burning question.

McConaughey's red plaid shirt represents so much... America, Valentines Day, cowboys, freedom, Ronald Reagan, Brokeback Mountain...Though Mary Murphy's article on McConaughey doesn't mention it, it's possible McConaughey is wearing the shirt in anticipation of the 107th birthday of the oldest CEO in America, founder of 'Rockmount Ranch Wear,' Jack A. Weil. Weil invented the snap-button Western styled shirt in 1946.

The USA Weekend- McConaughey Valentine to America inspired me to research snap-button western shirts. I was thus lead to the 3/27/07 Will Shanley article in the Denver Post; "Rockmount's chief turns 106; A VERY SENIOR CEO STILL IN THE SADDLE." Here I learned some background information on the snap-button shirt:

"His shirt design of the sawtooth pocket and diamond signature snap instead of buttons is among the longest-running shirt designs manufactured in the U.S. He had to persuade his Eastern manufacturers to create a snap that would survive a ringer washing machine. "If a cowboy's buttoned shirt got hooked on a steer's horn, it would hold," he said. "But the snap would pop open."

"Weil's slim-fitting shirts have been worn by luminaries including Ronald Reagan, Elvis Presley and Eric Clapton... "Rockmount shirts were worn in the movie "Brokeback Mountain."

I'm not sure what the Rockmount-McConaughey connection is but I am sure that it is important. Perhaps if you're Matthew McConaughey and you need to get your shirt off in a jiff, snap buttons make sense.