Peak Beard

That’s what they’re calling it.

Frankly, I’ve never met a man that I didn’t like better with facial hair, but I guess that might just be me.

Peak Beard is the point that we get to, apparently, at which there is just too much beard, and women begin to long to see clean shaven men once more. The opposite is also true, that when clean shaven becomes fashionable, women begin to long for facial hair on men.

This might suggest that women are simply fickle.

I know not.

Facial hair on men seems to me to be a little like body hair on women. It is a matter of personal preference, and should be the exclusive choice of the person to whom it belongs. Both, it seems to me are generally ruled by fashion and, to some degree, by sexual politics, particularly the body hair debate.

Latterly, of course, men have begun to rid themselves of their body hair, too. 

This makes me positively uncomfortable, and I don’t even know why.

I remember a professor I studied under at university who had no hair on his arms. For that reason, and that reason alone, I found the poor man faintly creepy. As a grown woman, I realise just how ridiculous that is, but at the time it actually bothered me.

Still, for a man to wax or shave his body hair seems at best totally unnecessary to me, as it does for a woman when I think about it. I suppose, social convention and sexual politics have dictated for a very long time that women are somehow more attractive without body hair, but men?

Oddly, the reason women were portrayed without body hair, particularly in art and the media, way back when, was because it was considered too sexual. There was a trend towards showing pubic hair in the 1970s in order to titillate, because it was considered more daring, more sexual, more exciting.

I can only imagine that pornography is part of the reason for the trend for shaving and waxing among women, particularly of pubic hair.

Perhaps similar trends are beginning to affect men. Models, actors and sportsmen who want to advertise their hard-earned, superior physiques are regularly photographed, waxed and oiled, to highlight every contour of every muscle.

It’s one thing tidying up the odd ear or nose hair. Frankly, I could care less whether a man has hair on his back, but I’m pretty sure that’s where the trend for hair removal in men began, but... seriously... why a man would want to wax his chest, underarms or pubic area simply eludes me. Of course, if that’s his choice. Fine.

A gorgeous man of my acquaintance
with his splendid beard

On the subject of the beard... I’ve seen more good beards in the past year than I have seen in the rest of my life put together. OK, I’m probably exaggerating. But this certainly seems to be a good time for good beards, and I for one am enjoying them.

I’m enjoying the glorious, lush, groomed beards and neat, retro haircuts of the well-dressed men of all ages who seem to be following a trend that I rather approve of. As far as I’m concerned, it can run and run. 

This is not the lazy, straggly, can’t-be-arsed beard. This beard is a thing of beauty, and I hope it will last forever.