BADASS MONDAY: Paul Newman

When we get down to it, every guy has a few dudes that they see as inspiring, or, maybe more accurately, just freaking cool. There are certain men that simply radiate a pervasive air of intrigue. Men that you want to be more like, whether you think about it consciously or not.

We attempt to adapt certain elements of their distinct personalities in an effort to make ourselves just a little more like them. It could be their sense of personal style, their attitudes, their behaviors, whatever. A man by the name of David Hume* once said that man makes his own ideas by, in layman's terms, mixing, compounding, separating, and dividing the other ideas and things we see around us. I think this provides a pretty solid picture of how we start shaping our own personal style. We mix our taste with others that we see and enjoy.

So, with all that being said, I'm going to highlight men that, granted, already stand out by themselves. Men that influence me aesthetically and behaviorally. In short, dudes that make me want adapt parts of their style and/or lifestyle into my own. Lets get started - the first pick in the 2011 Swag Draft:

PAUL NEWMAN

Yes, Paul freaking Newman. Now, I'll concede that this is not an original thought, almost everyone with knowledge in the realm of mens style understands that Paul was a beacon of badassness in his prime. The actor and philanthropist headed up some of the country's most classicallyAmerican films - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Cool Hand Luke, Slap Shot, to name a few. I'd go as far as to say that Newman invented modern day swagger. Anyway, the dude was handsome, talented, and, maybe most importantly, charitable. Brother has donated upwards of $300 million to different outreach organizations.

* Lost: Desmond David Hume. You're my constant.