Why are beards so **** attractive?!?!?!

[jamestl2]

A woman (semi-celeb) I had a crush on a while ago married a guy with a strangish beard. The woman I mentioned in my "Love Thread" married her bf, who had an Osama-like beard. My Mom mentioned to my Dad he'd look sexier with a facial hair. Now just recently a girl I found attractive turns out to have a guy with a hairy beard too! I've tried growing one myself, but it really, really starts to itch like crazily.

What's so appealing about facial hair?!?!
What difference could they possibly make?!?!

It seems like any girl I take a remote interest in, turns out to be with a man with a beard!!


GRRRRRRR....... I seriously don't get you ladies
GRRRRRRR......... Why does this happen to me?!?!
GRRRRRRRRRRRR.................

[Nathan]

Originally Posted by jamestl2

GRRRRRRR......... Why does this happen to me?!?!
GRRRRRRRRRRRR.................

Because you don't have a beard!

[Dan.Linehan]

You'll never be a part of the USA Beard team with that attitude..



Let me help motivate you with a picture of my beard lighting up the night sky.

[JimOfferman]

Originally Posted by jamestl2

What difference could they possibly make?!?!

The difference it makes depends on your face, of course.

In my case the small beard and long sideburns really help to bring out my jawlines and cheekbones. They also conveniently mask some of the less attractive features in my face, if only by drawing attention elsewhere. With the beard I get a fairly chiseled look, without it I have too much of a baby face. The baby face doesn't suit my personality at all.

Then there is the social status of facial hair. It's usually the alternative crowd that has beards, Joe Average is cleanly shaven. A small beard can say "I'm cool" or "I'm an artist", a five 'o clock shadow says "I'm tough" and a large unkempt beard says "I'm a hippie".

Just choose your flavor!

[Dan.Linehan]

Yeah, what Jim said. Personally, I look about 23 without a beard and about 33 with one. Definitely best to look older imo.

I think a lot of guys look much better with facial hair. Here are some before and after pics I found that illustrate what I mean..

The Beard Contest 2007 - Rob
The Beard Contest 2007 - Jeremy
The Beard Contest 2007 - Josh

As far as women, they might equate having a beard to a guy having a more laid back, artsy job, by extension making him more fun to be around. Or they might think that he is a woodsman / outdoorsman, making him more knowledgeable / handy / attractive.

[Spiritual]

Originally Posted by JimOfferman

With the beard I get a fairly chiseled look, without it I have too much of a baby face. The baby face doesn't suit my personality at all.

So you're an old fart already?

[Rose of Cairo]

My mother (and my grandmother) (and a few other women) all told me to choose a man with a beard, "'cause they are much more kind".

I'll post a serious answer when I'm back from cycling!

[JimOfferman]

Originally Posted by Spiritual

So you're an old fart already?

LOL!

No, with the beard I look old just enough to order beers, without I need to bring out my passport every time.

[Spiritual]

Originally Posted by JimOfferman

LOL!

No, with the beard I look old just enough to order beers, without I need to bring out my passport every time.

Oh really? That sucks! And normally folks in The Netherlands aren't that strict about it though. I never have problems with it, but then again, I only order chocolat milk

[carenkh]

Depends on the guy's build, of course, but one thing a beard says to me is: virile! Manly!

I, personally, don't *always* prefer a beard, but they do indicate a more alternative leaning outlook, as Dan & Jim pointed out.

I did once convince a boyfriend to grow a beard... it changed his whole outlook, he was much more relaxed. This is a guy who used "product" in his hair, and looked the same every single day... until he met me. Heh.

[Dharma]

Good links Dan. Wow, what a difference in those guys!

I grew a beard hiking the Appalachian Trail and haven't shaved it off since. I love it. I love not shaving. And originally I thought girls (other than hiker chicks) wouldn't like it, but I was wrong.

See this guy --->
Doesn't he look like "I'm cool", "I'm an artist", laid back, artsy job, fun to be around, a woodsman, an outdoorsman, more knowledgeable, handy, attractive, virile, and manly??? I think it oozes out of my pores.

My MOM even likes my beard! Mother approved = win.

on edit:
jamestl2, on a serious note, maybe what's happening right now is you're noticing a part of yourself in these other men. A part of you that you want to give expression to now (see the list above compiled from everyone's responses). Let yourself explore the laid back side of you, the outdoorsman, the virile part of self and see what happens. Also, try some conditioner in your beard and see if that softens it up. I would say the itchiness might be resistance to those traits above.

[Fullcrum]

What I'm reading is disturbing. Having a beard has nothing to do with how attractive you are to women. Seriously, what?! Get a beard if you want, express yourself in a different way, but it's not going to "get" women, as physical looks have little to do with getting girls.

Why don't you keep growing your beard and see if your reactions from women are any different.

As for the beard look, however, I right now have a beard. It's itchy initially, then it goes away as the hairs get longer. Beats me as to why, haaha. It's the first time I've grown a beard in my life, so today my dad's gonna show me how to trim it. I'm always changing my look up .

[Jennihul]

I think they were mostly kidding. But if you interview the entire "women who love hairy men" club, you are going to get a pretty skewed view of women's likes and dislikes.

I think guys who are bald are hot but I probably wouldn't be in the majority.

PS: Who cares? Find a woman who likes clean cut men.

Jennifer

[Dreamlife Hero]

Hi guys, great posts and pics!

I'm someone who periodically has the impulse to grow a beard. It usually is accompanied by the urge to read Lord of the Rings and books on Norse Mythology!! (and drink flagons of ale and carry a battle-axe! - before I gave up the old booze for good!)

At the moment I'm clean-shaven but I'm one of those guys who grows a full and manly beard in about a week, which means that even when I've just shaved people say "oh why haven't you shaved - you have a blue face!" (me with a blue face)

On a related topic - does anyone know of a website for 'trying out' hairstyles? I need to cut my hair as it's kinda getting long and I thought it would be great if I could super-impose hair styles onto my face to see if they'd suit me. (I'm not really a computer geek and don't have photoshop or anything like that). Don't know if such a thing exists even - but if it doesn't then you have my blessing to invent it and make a fortune with a string of salons.

Anyway Happy New Year to hirsute and non-hirsute alike. (my first day back this year)

DLH

PS. Could you imagine Gandalf without a beard? Nobody would take him seriously!!

[Jennihul]

Salons have that device. It snaps a frontal pic of you and tries on different hairstyles. They don't look very realistic, IMHO.


Jennifer

[jamestl2]

OK, yeah, sorry bout that .... needed to vent there. I don't know what I was thinking, lol. I guess that's what happens when you're up til 5AM because you can't sleep, with bloodshot eyes, an itchy beard, and you have crazy thoughts running through your head .

Anyway, thanks for all support (and stories) everyone .

EDIT: I should also say that I never really seriously tried growing a beard, but when I just chose NOT to shave, it gets really itchy after a few days.

[Bliss Sage]

I must not be a girl if girls like beards on men, because I think men almost always look worse with beards! Usch. And if a guy has a beard and doesn't take care of it, it's just...yuk...and then food gets stuck in it when he eats and ... blech

Having facial hair growing, stubble, after a day or two of not shaving is a different thing all together, though. I like that look and I like the clean-shaven look, but the problem with those two looks is that if you have to touch the man's face, it hurts. When he has a beard, it's softer . However, if I have a boyfriend with a stubbly face, I can use his face to brush my hair

Anyway, james, I don't think beards are attractive in the least--on the contrary.

[jamestl2]

tbh, I haven't really "decided" whether to attempt growing one or not, because I don't think I could handle it, and it would feel weird if I ever kissed a woman or something.

Maybe I was just feeling paranoid in the OP, due to lack of personal experience.

Originally Posted by JimOfferman

The difference it makes depends on your face, of course.

I don't think I have the "babyface" look, but I look virtually unchanged since my early childhood, it might be hard to distinguish my 1st grade school photo with my 11th grade one.

Originally Posted by Fullcrum

Having a beard has nothing to do with how attractive you are to women. Seriously, what?! Get a beard if you want, express yourself in a different way, but it's not going to "get" women, as physical looks have little to do with getting girls.

lol, so I guess all the women posting in this thread about whether they find them attractive or not, are just messing around then?

Originally Posted by Bliss Sage

Anyway, james, I don't think beards are attractive in the least--on the contrary.

Thanks Bliss, my paranoid level must have just dropped a level or two .

[Rose of Cairo]

Please drop 1-2 paranoid levels more then, 'cause generally I'm not particularly attracted to men with beards either. Of all the men in my life, only one had a (small) beard.

I don't know what beards represent or why some women are attracted to them, but I don't think that attractivity has anything to do with more or less hair somewhere. Btw, I know men with beards who are neither cool nor virile...

What I find very interesting about your post, jamestl2, is this statement:

Originally Posted by jamestl2

It seems like any girl I take a remote interest in, turns out to be with a man with a beard!!

I know you're probably exaggerating a bit, but still, the fact that you wrote this does mean something. I don't think the point in them being attracted to these men is their beard, but you are seeing the beards as something important.

So you're interested in women who are interested in men you cannot possibly be because they have something you cannot possibly have (a beard) (cause it's itchy and so on). Tell me, why do you keep attracting women who cannot possibly be really interested in you? Are you afraid of a relationship, or do you think you don't deserve it, or what is it?

Or maybe it's just that in order to be successful with women, you need to get a beard (symbolically). Like Dharma said, what does a beard represent for you? Which qualities do you think you need to acquire?

[jamestl2]

Yeah, like I said, I was kind of ranting there. And I was probably taking the stance due to lack of personal experience.

Originally Posted by Rose of Cairo

Tell me, why do you keep attracting women who cannot possibly be really interested in you?

If I'm attracting Women, it's news to me.

Originally Posted by Rose of Cairo

Are you afraid of a relationship, or do you think you don't deserve it, or what is it?

It's not that I'm "afraid" of a relationship, it's that I couldn't get one, even if I were desperate for anyone (which I'm not).

(See this older thread to understand what I mean)

Originally Posted by Rose of Cairo

Or maybe it's just that in order to be successful with women, you need to get a beard (symbolically). Like Dharma said, what does a beard represent for you? Which qualities do you think you need to acquire?

Honestly, I don't know , maybe I was using the whole "beard" thing as a scapegoat, so no idea.

[JimOfferman]

Originally Posted by jamestl2

Honestly, I don't know , maybe I was using the whole "beard" thing as a scapegoat, so no idea.

The whole "I need a beard to be attractive"-thing is, of course, completely bogus.

An attractive guy with a beard is attractive because he finds himself attractive, not because of the beard.

[openeyes]

As was already mentioned, beards can be a little itchy when they're first growing out. After a couple weeks they're fine though. My general experience has been that most women aren't that into beards, I mostly get compliments from men. When I have a beard it's largely for convenience and my own enjoyment. My current girlfriend has been a nice exception as she enjoys playing with it, but she also likes it when I have garlic breath (how could I not love such a woman?) My advice would be to do whatever you most enjoy and people will be drawn to you accordingly (though while doing this you could be happy even if no one came along to join you).

[votoshka]

Overall when I first looked at the post, I thought, "Well I don't like guys with beards!" But to be fair, I have liked guys with beards!!!

My husband grew a beard for awhile, and I didn't mind it.

But I think if I had to prefer a look, I'd choose a guy without a beard! Of course, there is more to a guy than whether or not he has a beard, so I guess I wouldn't choose a man based on that.

I must say, I also prefer not getting beard rash

[Nathan]

james - if you want to keep trying to grow one but it's too itchy, try shaving below the jawline or around there and see how you go!

[Tuumble]

Originally Posted by jamestl2

Now just recently a girl I found attractive turns out to have a guy with a hairy beard too!

...as opposed to an UNhairybeard?

Beards suit some people better than others but it can improve the look of a face. Just ask my Great Aunt Maud.

I'd had a beard for about two years when I met my (now) wife and a few months later I shaved it off. She made me grow it again as I didn't look like the person she was going out with. It took a blood test and a note from my mother to prove it was me.

Upshot is I grew it back and it's still here 10 years later...I'm thinking of having an injunction taken out on it. It's claiming squatters rights.

[sigh]

[Rose of Cairo]

Originally Posted by Tuumble

Beards suit some people better than others but it can improve the look of a face. Just ask my Great Aunt Maud.

She's got one too, to improve the look of her face?

[danas]

Beards are so sexy. Everytime my boyfriend would shave I would get a bit dissapointed.
Once I said to him "how would you feel if I cut my hair really short" . He said he wouldnt b pleased. So I said: well thats how I feel everytime you shave...

[seeker5]

You know, I actually have the opposite belief. I felt that having a beard would mean I'd be less attractive to a larger number of women who prefer men with no beard. I still chose to have a beard because that's more "me", then having no beard. So now, maybe I need to re-adjust my own beliefs on this subject

[Vasilisa]

Originally Posted by Jennihul

I think they were mostly kidding. But if you interview the entire "women who love hairy men" club, you are going to get a pretty skewed view of women's likes and dislikes.

I think guys who are bald are hot but I probably wouldn't be in the majority.

PS: Who cares? Find a woman who likes clean cut men.

Jennifer

I love bald guys too and I think a lot of women do.

[Tuumble]

Originally Posted by Vasilisa

I love bald guys too and I think a lot of women do.

The more i read this thread the more I like it!



...alright, so I haven't won a Golden Globe but it doesn't stop me believing!