The return of the beard NYT's article

[Kimkhuu]

^ I think it really depends.... some guys look real cool with a beard, and others just look silly.... (the pics above... , i think whoever he is, he looks better without a beard).....

 

[milkeyedmender]

i'm yet to see a man i find attractive with a beard, although i think devendra banhart's really suits him.

i think in an indie context a beard can look good, but i just can't get over the thought of food and sweat and dirt getting stuck in there.

 

[kLm]

ewww no! men with beards look like they smell.

Perhaps you need to meet people who clean themselves... like, say, people other than neo-hippies?

 

[milkeyedmender]

that's the thing, it suits hippies because you know they're dirty, other people could look clean and then ruin it with a beard.

 

[maximus]

that's the thing, it suits hippies because you know they're dirty, other people could look clean and then ruin it with a beard.

 

[Lena]

that's the thing, it suits hippies because you know they're dirty, other people could look clean and then ruin it with a beard.

how can you say that? what a generalisation, maybe you have met the wrong kind of 'hippies' (actually i dont know if they even exist anymore)

Stefano Pilatti for Yves Saint Laurent has a beard, he seems totally uber groomed and proper.
look, beard doesnt mean 'dirty'
from what i know, guys with beard seem to be taking extreme care of their facial hair..

please note, this is groomed beards we are discussing here

 

[milkeyedmender]

maybe it is a generalisation, but they're down with nature and all that jazz, so i'm just saying i wouldn't mind finding a twig in devendra banhart's beard as much as if i did in soem model's. i'm not makign any sense, but in my head i understand what i mean

 

[Lena]

yes, this devendra guy (who is he?) looks quite cool

 

[lady stardust]

I don't like beards for the reason that it could be dirty
and sticky when you kiss.
Sometimes it's sexy with all that hair though...

 

[Scott]

Okay,when does it say that being cleanly shaven actually means you're metrosexual? Are they insinuating that men who do are metro? Haven't they ever heard of just being well-groomed in that respect? Beards are fine and dandy(depending on how they're groomed-matted hobo beards are NOT attractive) but I'm a bit insulted by the insinuation that men who still shave their faces cleanly are metrosexual. I mean,one can still shave and still be "natural".

 

[smartarse]

shadows are fine on a man but beard? reminds me of woodsman and i live in the city so that's ick fashion in my opinion.

 

[VICTIM]

beards on the runway
Central saint Martins show

= hot

hobo beard from the same show = not hot at all
pictures from vogue.co.uk

 

[fashionista-ta]

that's the thing, it suits hippies because you know they're dirty, other people could look clean and then ruin it with a beard.

I had long hair for awhile (OK, my entire childhood & some adult years too), and I occasionally got this same reaction from people (in one case, a relative--too bad she didn't keep it to herself)--that they thought it was dirty from being long and touching things. Having lived with it for all those years, I can state categorically that that was not the case ... but like any hair, it picks up odor (e.g., smoky bar), more if there's more of it.

I can understand what you're saying, though--in the case of a beard it is right there by your mouth and food does get in it. My understanding is that men with beards shampoo them just like the rest of the hair on their heads.

Agree with Scott that clean-shaven does not equal metrosexual ... I don't think that was really the implication, just that the grunge and overt masculinity of a beard could be a reaction against it.

 

[milkeyedmender]

yes, this devendra guy (who is he?) looks quite cool

dunno if you were being sarcastic but he's part of the whole freak-folk music scene at the moment, really weird and experimental but i'd recommend him to anyone. i heard apparently he played at a chanel show last fall too (link if you're interested)

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2005/12/devendra_banhar_12.html

having looked at the two most recent pictures i think i've changed my mind again (you guys should know by now how fickle i am ), in the grungey look it works quite well. but it should be kept well, and enhance rather than dominate the face.

 

[kLm]

beards on the runway
Central saint Martins show

= hot
hobo beard from the same show = not hot at all
pictures from vogue.co.uk

Right now, my beard is almost exactly like the guy on the top, but maybe a little thicker, but that's how my hair grows. As for calling it "dirty," well, it makes me want to set aside civil discourse. Does stuff get in it when you eat? I guess occasionally it does, if you are sticking your entire face in a bowl of noodles or something, you'll probably get some in your beard, as well as all over the rest of your face. Otherwise, it is just like getting some food on your lip or whatever, you wipe it off. And yeah, of course you use shampoo, just like you do on your freaking head. As someone who's had a beard for about a decade now I feel quite confident that I'm clean and appear that way.

If it isn't your personal preference to be attraced to men with beards, I don't care about that, I've dealt with that for years, but just calling someone dirty because they have a beard sure pisses me off.

 

[keys]

^ Yeah that's about as long as I think a man should go. Keep it groomed. Also I think beards look better on men with short hair, like that before/after picture above.

But IMO stubble is always best... sexy and youthful. Otherwise, clean shaven is ready to impress.

 

[fashionista-ta]

Right now, my beard is almost exactly like the guy on the top, but maybe a little thicker, but that's how my hair grows. As for calling it "dirty," well, it makes me want to set aside civil discourse. Does stuff get in it when you eat? I guess occasionally it does, if you are sticking your entire face in a bowl of noodles or something, you'll probably get some in your beard, as well as all over the rest of your face. Otherwise, it is just like getting some food on your lip or whatever, you wipe it off. And yeah, of course you use shampoo, just like you do on your freaking head. As someone who's had a beard for about a decade now I feel quite confident that I'm clean and appear that way.

If it isn't your personal preference to be attraced to men with beards, I don't care about that, I've dealt with that for years, but just calling someone dirty because they have a beard sure pisses me off.

Well there's no need to take it personally ... I didn't when people thought my long hair was unhygienic ... I took it to be a personal phobia/issue on their part

However, let's face the fact that hair is different from skin. Hair is going to absorb things in a way that skin won't, and it's also more dimensional. Sometimes wiping won't be enough, and I have definitely seen beards with crumbs, etc. in them following a meal.

 

[kLm]

Then quite frankly you are dining with men who do not know how to take care of their beard

 

[gius]

i think it's cool there are so many different kinds to choose.
here is a list of them, with also other kinds that are not beards like moustache...
http://www.hairfinder.com/hairstyling/mensfacialhair.htm
i've also seen some guys whose faces look better with it, like it makes it proportioned maybe.

as long as it's nicely cut

 

[sstrang]

I'm still in the group that believes beards just look bad. It looks sloppy and scruffy. Some have even said they keep it mainly because it is EASIER. That is the whole point: having a beard makes you look lazy. When you shave, it demonstrates one's time and effort spent into being well-groomed and presentable. Devendra Banhart--Prada also used him a few times in their most recent shows. For the folk/experimental style, also check out Cocorosie...Prada used them a lot as well.