Hey guys, first RVF post though have lurked for some time. I've gone back and forth on facial hair since high school.
Quote: (04-16-2014 02:25 PM)20Nation Wrote:
there are benefits for all the styles. Beard = more manly. Scruff = more modelish. Clean shaven = you can look younger. But honestly it probably depends on how you look personally. A beard can hide a weak chin or double chins or a bad jaw line. However, if you have a great chin and jaw line, it will just hide it. Facial hair is also an indicator of health which is why it's not a bad idea. There are just a lot of factors, without knowing what u look like its hard to say.
Useful summary. After college going into a tech enviroment with ~90% being older engineers, I got teased at first as the new guy / baby face, etc. I decided to let my patchy beard grow out and keep it neat looking which helped in and out of work. Later, I played with goatees and switched to a soul patch for a while when a girl I was dating suggested it. As a Scott Weiland fan I liked the idea and definitely brought out a bad boy look. It also had other beneficial uses which are useful to consider.
In my late 20s/early 30s I wanted to look younger so I shaved regularly. Occasionally went about a week from laziness but crossing into full beardland was usually hindered by the itch and my dislike of the in-between look. A few times I did let a full beard grow in (usually when I was single and too busy working to care about picking up women). But now that I think about it, the two most intense LTRs I've had started when I was bearded. The first (about 6 years ago) really complained when I went clean-shaven: "I don't know who you are." She loved my chest hair, too, which wasn't true for many women I'd previously dated.
When I was clean-shaven and dated a 'pretty boy' lover, I sometimes got the "I want to wax your chest" shit test. No way! Bugged me when I found Shatner had to wax for those shirtless scenes - destroyed my image of him as a badass. Yeah yeah we all have our idols
I also hate daily shaves and enjoy looking more mature now so while I push away the baby face lovers I pull stronger on those who dig us hirsute guys. My current FWB, a cute Filipina, likes the beard. Her ex is Scandinavian IIRC so I present a strong contrast.
I'll experiment with shorter hair along my jaw (good tip) to see how it complements my jaw. I don't care about current fashion when it comes to hair but tuning it to be just right is a good experiment.
My thought is for guys considering it, have fun experimenting and OWN it. Some guys won't ever have the balls. If you want to grow a beard to get respect, work on yourself to earn it. Then you're being congruent not trendy.
EDIT after re-read: I think I realized something about both those bearded LTRs - I just didn't give a shit what anyone thought, I had a lot on my plate at work, trying to save money/invest, had to travel internationally for business for emergency repairs, would go racing on weekends when I could all while wondering if a 2am call would come in from overseas needing tech support. A woman's opinion was way down on the totem pole so I did whatever I wanted to maximize my time and minimize hassle. My attitude more than anything else was reflected in the presence of facial hair. When I was single and looking', getting ready for a first date, going out to a club / party, I'd shave since I thought it was expected. Mindset shift. Damn.. just put some dots together for myself.