The beard revival is very much to do with the idea of a nostalgic version of masculinity. The recession has led to this very nostalgic, backward-looking attitude to fashion. It's almost as if things seem to be going so wrong on a world-scale at the moment that we are afraid collectively to look into the future.
Over the past decade, we have seen major corporations relax their facial hair policies, allowing men to embrace the latest beard trends. Diesel Barbershop has seen a variety of men's beard trends come and go over the last eleven years, but the craze for facial hair is more popular than ever in 2022.
The beard was reintroduced to mainstream society by the counterculture, firstly with the "beatniks" in the 1950s, and then with the hippie movement of the mid-1960s. Following the Vietnam War, beards exploded in popularity.
But according to a UK study covered by ZME Science, women tend to find men with beards more masculine and aggressive, both potentially strong signs to search for in a mate. Other studies have shown that women tend to rate men with beards as more attractive, or potentially better as partners or at raising offspring.
It's a time of rediscovery for forlorn beard and mustache styles. But maybe, more importantly, men are rediscovering the freedom to look and dress in ways that make them feel more confident. Suffice to say—beards aren't going anywhere in 2023.
In some studies, bearded men are shown as not only masculine and dominant but also kind, courageous, trustworthy, generous, hard working and more attractive, especially when their character comes across as quietly confident in their approach to life.
The awkward phase is a stretch of time around 2 to 3 weeks of growth where your hair is significantly longer than stubble but shorter than a typical beard. It's still a bit itchy and it can be hard to style to your liking. Getting through this phase requires time, patience, and commitment.
Another study found that men with beards may be seen as more masculine, mature and as having a higher social status. These traits are clearly important contributors to the overall sense of attractiveness.
Your beard keeps the moisture from your sweat close to your face. When a breeze comes through, you feel nice and cool. So if you're one of the newly bearded and worry about keeping your beard into the summer, don't. Your beard won't make you any warmer than normal.
Women like beards because they give the impression of an older man, blessing the wearer with more respect and social awareness. It also enhances your jaw line and give the impression of maturity.
Beards are a symbol of prestige
Millennials are the “Me Generation” and they love prestige. Throughout history, beards have had a connection to greatness. Beards are also connected to honor, sexual virility and social status.
According to studies, beards make a man look older by nearly 8 years. interestingly, the longer the beard, the older you look. So, if you want to look older, grow a beard (or a longer one). If you want to look younger, shave (or trim) your facial hair and use Volt Beard Color to help cover your grays.
“Beards may be more attractive to women when considering long‐term than short‐term relationships as they indicate a male's ability to successfully compete socially with other males for resources,” the study concluded. Beards, the researchers said, are associated with a man's age and masculine social dominance.
According to one study, women favor heavy stubble. Particularly the growth that equates to about ten days of not shaving. Based on this research, women rated heavy stubble as being most desirable and most indicative of maturity, dominance, and aggression.
Women ranked heavily stubbled faces as the most attractive. Participants said that the clean-shaven men looked about as healthy and attractive as those with a full beard, but rated the bearded men higher for perceived parenting skills.
Traditional beliefs suggest that beards aren't part of a professional look, and in the past many people were recommended to shave before a job interview. That perception has changed significantly, and a recent survey of 500 men found 90% were allowed to have facial hair at work, as long as it was kept neat and clean.
Beards can accentuate the very best features of your face. For instance, due to their position on the face, a beard can accentuate your jawline, giving you one worthy of a movie star. A strong jawline is correlated with a higher level of testosterone, which women are pre-programmed to find attractive.
This graph shows data from the 2016 study published in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology showing that facial hair of any kind is more attractive than a smooth clean shaven face. The study also found that women were not only more attracted to them, but expected to have longer relationships with men rocking a beard.
In general they found women rated beards higher for attractiveness compared with clean-shaven faces, particularly when judging potential for long-term rather than short-term relationships. In general, the results showed a mixed link between attractiveness and beardiness.
Going by the findings of a study, women find men with facial hair more attractive than clean-shaven ones, and think they make better partners in the long run.
Beards also impact perceptions of aggression. A research study showed photographs of bearded and non-bearded men with both groups pulling the same aggressive facial expressions, such as scowling and barring their teeth. The bearded men were rated significantly more aggressive and intimidating than the clean-shaven men.
Beard Growth Stage 1: The Stubble Stage
This is always the hardest part of growing your beard. The stubble which forms on your face causes huge amounts of irritation and itchiness, with the new hairs being coarse and rough.
Sure, it may fill in as you age, but that's as much a part of your genetics as the fact that you're patchy to begin with. While you can make a patchy beard look more full, the first thing you've got to do is embrace the beard you've got. You won't make it fuller by wishing for new hairs.
Over a series of five different experiments, researchers tested people's reactions to various facial hair styles, including clean-shaven. What they found was that customers considered men with beards to have greater expertise and therefore were more trustworthy than those with any other facial hair style.