Beard Talk
For some men beards are a way of life. We talked with some of them to find out why they grew their facial hair. They each had different reasons. For some, like model Justin Passmore (featured in photos throughout The Compass), their beard has had a big impact on their lives. “My beard is the reason I was scouted to become a model.” The beard is his calling card and earns him steady work.
For others, their beards haven’t exactly gotten them their jobs, but they help. There’s Greg Gunyan, the psychiatrist, who told us that his decision to grow a beard was partially professional, noting that, “in psychiatry it helps with the official look.” (Though, he also noted that it distracts others from his receding hairline.) Others’ choices are less driven by career, like writer/producer Eric Schmidt, who admitted “If someone offered me a job I really wanted, and [shaving] was a requirement, I would probably shave. Who am I kidding? If someone offered me 50 bucks, I’d consider it.”
We wanted to go deeper though. We wondered what a beard says about the wearer. Broadly speaking the answer seems to be change with the times.
Americans seem to have trouble getting behind a man with a beard. Not since Benjamin Harrison (1889 – 1893) has anyone rocked a beard in the oval office. Perhaps, Americans think bearded men have something to hide? Going back further, the ancient Greeks thought bearded men had something to say. Beards were the sole territory of philosophers and common men were not allowed to wear them.
The bearded guys on our panel agreed that a beard says one thing about the wearer: he’s a badass. As musician/vlogger Rick Parent put it “It’s like my cool costume. The shaven me got picked on by stupid assholes at school. The bearded me is a stud. Powerful as shit.” Restauranteur Daniel Morton put it more bluntly: “Nothing says you’re for serious like a face bush.”
Got a fantastic face forest that you want to share with the world? Put up an Instagram pic of your beard and hashtag it #BLBeards. We’ll choose some of our favorites and feature them here. Get that facial hair ready for its fifteen minutes of fame!
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A beard is natures well fitted suit on your face. Commit to it like a wife, maintain, lubricate, wear it proud. The glory will be yours with patience. The beard is even getting its own emoji from Apple, so jump on board.
Wise words, commitment is key!
I really enjoyed the article, it was very informative. It made me think more about beard care and maintaining a glorious beard on a daily basis.
Glad we could inspire you, James.
One of the keys is depilating the front of neck ^_^. But also giving the new “hairline” some naturality. How low depends on how long the beard is. I prefer keeping the mustache semi constant in length, but overall I keep mine from short to a bit longer.
Are we talking about waxing the beard? Ouch, no thanks. We’ll stick with a good shave.
I am 19. How can I grow fantastic royal beard very fast?
The only beard we know how to grow quickly is a beard of bees. Otherwise, we say just work with what you’ve been given.
And if you don’t have the hair for it, it’s better to shave than to go around with some have peach fuzz wispy crap on your face.
Beards are great (I’m sporting a full beard right now) but the key to wearing one in the professional world is to:
1) Keep it groomed (jojoba oil to smooth the rough patches, and a beard trimmer to even it out)
2) Dress it up. Dress a bit nicer than you normally do and it won’t look so scraggly.
1) Hear hear!
2) You mean like, with a custom suit? 😉
I am glad to hear that you blokes are going to give the great lip rug some love. I can’t wait to see how you are going to write it using “the illustrious flavor saver”. It will be a great article regardless (because it is such a great subject to start with). Thanks for giving the Mo a chance.
You got it! The Mighty Mo definitely deserve some lip service.
What about the mustache? When will the illustrious flavor saver get written about. There is more to face fuzz then beards. Give the dirt squirrel a mention. You know that mustaches can happen year round and not just in MOvember right?
The ‘stache is definitely worthy of its own story. We’ll give it some love. And when we do, the phrase “the illustrious flavor saver” will be used!
What do I think? I think I’ll be adding the term “face bush” to my regular vocabulary.
Also, thanks for the previous post on facial hair upkeep and care.
Ha! These guys sure gave us some good quotables.
Glad you liked the pieces!
Face bush was already in my vocabulary, but now it also means something on MY body. Thanks!
Haha, we’re afraid to ask!