I've always liked a groomed beard, not mustaches for some reason. What I wonder about is since when don't women like a hairy chest? Not so when I was young. Men are even removing their chest hair! Now a hairy back does not appeal to me, lol. That I could see removing.

"...full blown, bushy beards. What is your thought on that?"

It's extremely unappealing to me but I don't care for facial hair. However, like anything else, I will say some people look better with (usually groomed though). There may be some guy walking around out there with a wild beard that works for him. To each his own!

This post was edited by sheesharee on Wed, Jul 31, 13 at 1:16

Welcome back mid century modern! Along with that comes a revisit of all that came with it. The hippie look.

Could it be because so many young men are loosing their hair on top of their heads so they grow facial hair to compensate. To me it seems men are balding at such a young age these days, anyone else notice this.?

I'm either not looking or this is a regional thing. The only beards around are street environments. I do think there is something to the loss of hair connection. And my youngest son went bald very young. He has tried a shorter version of a beard during the winter, but hates the itching and care it takes. Thankfully not a sign of one in the scheme of things. And aren't they hot in the summer? If this becomes a norm we may get used to it. I don't mind a mustache, but goatees aren't my thing and that seemed to be a deal for a few years just past.

Nothing bothers me as much as the scruffy look. GF had a 2nd bday party for her grandson...50 people or so...and her son was sporting an "I haven't shaved in 2 days" look. I thought it was awful...and then saw a bunch of his friends had a similar look. Beyond Miami Vice scruffy. I'd rather see something, regardless of shape, neat and trim, so at least you know he has some familiarity with soap and water.

Maybe it's the Duck Dynasty influence?

I'm not seeing any more or any less around here. It's a personal choice - just like anything - some look better with, some without.

tina

My DS does that scruffy thing and I just hate it. When he shaves he is just sooo handsome! But girls seem to really like that scruffy look (a la Robert Pattinson).

Perhaps it is regional-we are the Home of Hipsters, after all. I had noticed that there have been more commercials featuring young, full bearded men. Think of the Target Method commercials that were out recently.

As to the balding-I think part of that is that so many young men are shaving their heads, even if they're slightly receding. It's a fashion that I don't like either, myself. My SIL-to-be is balding so he shaves his head and my DD likes it. A generational thing I suppose.

DLM, my DS also has a couple of friends like your son-very heavily bearded starting at puberty. They've learned to live with it, and keep their beards nicely trimmed, even though they're having to trim daily. I remember my Dad struggling with keeping clean shaven-he'd have a serious 5 o'clock shadow by noon.

Here is a link that might be useful: Clean Happy

I *love* when my husband has a little scruff...nothing too unkempt or bushy, just a little. I call it "the Brett Favre." Basically, I'm the opposite of AnnieDeighnaugh. My MIL hates scruff too - maybe its generational?

I wouldn't equate scruff with an unfamiliarity with soap and water. My husband is pretty meticulous in his grooming. He's a firefighter, and they're supposed to be clean shaven, I guess? Mustaches are okay, apparently. I don't know how FD gets away with making these rules. But anyway, he'll typically grow a small beard on his 4 day-off rotation and shave when he has to go into work. I'm happy 50% of the time :)

I can find some beards attractive but I am also not a fan of what I call the lumberjack beards. I really do not think I would want to be kissing it, but that is up to them and their SO. I kind of look at it was one of those, whatever floats your boat type of things. My DH started experimenting with a beard once but quickly cut it when he discovered the amount of gray there.

I like a little scruff too. In fact years ago, while on vacation, my husband let his beard go a bit scruffy, and I suggested that maybe he should grow a beard for a while. Ten years later he finally shaved it off! He always kept it very neatly trimmed though.

I have a friend whose ex husband has a real mountain man beard. Very thick and bushy and half way down his chest. We call it the "Ive given up on finding a woman" look.

My husband has scruff and I love it. My son does too. I cut their hair and neither one of us like his back hair so I zip most of it off, particularly in the summer. And I like the almost bald look for men who are seriously balding. Why keep a half head of hair and none on top. If I were a man with that, I would keep my remaining hair buzzed very short.

I dislike a clean shaven face very very much. The more facial hair the better!

Good thing, because DH has had a "full blown, bushy beard" for 18 years. Funny, that's as long as we've been together, I guess I've influenced him! It's not a top of head compensation thing since he has more hair than any man has a right to but he keeps a buzz cut.

He doesn't have a mustache, just a very long and gray amish-style beard. Very sexy! I'm not the only one who thinks so. He's in a band and women are constantly touching his beard. He's lucky I'm not the jealous type.

The bearded hipster look is 'in' now, at least in the metro areas where I live and have friends. In the 20's to 30's, skinny-jeans and big black glasses-frames crowd, those beards are de riguer. Google 'hipster beard' or 'bearded hipster' and you'll see lots!

I think the trend was well under way before Opie on Sons of Anarchy became a role model for them, but maybe he pushed them over the top!

Actually the new trend for hipsters is a mustache - preferably handlebar.

Here is a link that might be useful: Those crazy hipsters!

It depends on the man, for me. My sons and son in law are all in their 20's and all have mustaches and beards. My son in law looks amazing, as he keeps his neatly trimmed and I actually prefer him with facial hair over clean shaven. One of my sons looks nice with facial hair, although he tends to let his beard become too bushy. My other son, unfortunately can only grow a rather patchy beard, and should stick with a slightly scruffy look, which looks good on him.

Oh Kelly...you`ve hit on my secret fetish! Something about a sly handlebar stache gives me shivers. There was a guy who works at Costco who wore one for years, and I aleays felt so girly and stupid if he was my cashier. Eventually he grew out a full beard and trimmed the stache and he was no longer appealing to me. Sigh.

But I also have a `thing` for the Cap`n Jack Sparrow look...

I think a lot of the current facial hair--- that disheveled, been on vacation / faux Hemingway look--- is sheer laziness, and that look has led to the more extreme full beard look. Like everything else, trends look better on some people than others. My youngest son always comes home for Thanksgiving looking like a red-bearded Viking at the end of "no shave November," which is popular among college students. Personally I think it lets them sleep in fifteen minutes later :-) Mostly it makes the younger ones look like they need a good shower, lol.

I like a trimmed beard & mustache.

I have noticed guys going bald younger with my hub's son's generation; he was born in 78; he started losing it in his mid 20's. My son's generation (born 85) is balding in early 20's; including my son; his front hairline receded like his fathers. He has 2 friends that shave their head due to being really thin.

Thankfully; my son started growing a beard & keeps it trimmed because that is what his step father does. I think if my hub didn't do it; my son may not either. I think it's his generations lack of seeing their father use an electric shaver or trimmer.

Did you know that if a woman's father was bald, she will pass that trait on to her son? It's the mother's gene that leads to baldness in men.

My husband's father, grandfather, uncles and cousins are all bald-most by their early 20's, but he and his brother have a full head of hair. His mom's father had a full head of hair when he passed on, and her brother has a very, very thick, luxurious head of hair at 72.

Men in my Dad's family all had/have thick hair, too-so my DS is lucky.

"Did you know that if a woman's father was bald, she will pass that trait on to her son? It's the mother's gene that leads to baldness in men."

Yes, and no.... My mother's father was bald from an early age, but my brother is 50 with a ton of hair. So at first I thought maybe mom gave my brother a gene from HER mother's side, but my mom's brother is also bald from an early age, while my grandmother's father had hair right up until he died.

Meanwhile my dad was the only baldy among 7 male children my grandmother had, and also went bald at an early age, so really, I can't understand why my brother has twice as much hair as I do :( !!

"..... if a woman's father was bald, she will pass that trait on to her son?

That doesn't always hold true. My father had a full head of hair till the day he died at 88 but my oldest son is receding and thinning at 28. My younger son has so much hair on his head we call it fur! but his face and body are far less hairy than his brother's. I think it's all a cr@p shoot!!

How do you all feel about moustaches on women? It took me a while to grow this! Sparky says it's scratchy, and tickles.

This post was edited by Miz_M on Thu, Aug 1, 13 at 13:02

LOL! Wish I looked as good with my menopause mustache!

From wiki Much research has gone into the genetic component of male pattern baldness, or androgenetic alopecia (AGA). Research indicates that susceptibility to premature male pattern baldness is largely the cause of sex-influenced inheritance (because males can pass on the trait to their sons which would be impossible if it were x-linked). Other genes that are not sex linked are also involved....

...Recent research confirmed the X-linked androgen receptor as the most important gene, with a gene on chromosome 20 being the second most important determinant gene (snpedia). This research suggests that heredity of AGA is X-linked; however, research has also shown that a person with a balding father has a significantly greater chance of experiencing hair loss. Men whose fathers had experienced hair loss were 2.5 times more likely to experience hair loss themselves, regardless of the mother's side of the family, which may suggest Y-linked heredity plays a role

Here is a link that might be useful: wiki/ Baldness Genetics

If you were to ask me if I liked facial hair on men, I'd say no. However, I've been married to a man with a mustache for 23 years. Go figure. I literally have seen him without facial hair only once -- he shaved it all off (also has a goatee now but only had a mustache for the first 10 years I knew him) two years ago on a whim. The kids and I fell on the floor laughing, it was so bizarre. By the time I got used to it (maybe a week), he was growing it back again. I do think the facial hair ages him; it is now totally white while the rest of his hair is salt & pepper. But he doesn't seem to care.

DW likes me clean-shaven.
I MUCH prefer the "day or 2" growth look! I've always liked the "Miami-Vice"/Brett Favre look over the too-slick look.
Guess I just like being a bit of a rebel...;-)

Thankfully I've got a lot of hair left!! MANY guys I know in their 20's are balding! Freaks me out no end!! DW & DD are usually telling me to "get a haircut".

Icky!

Faron

I'm not sure what the beard thing is these days, but my beloved Boston Red Sox are all sporting them and it is hard to tell them apart! I don't think the look is good on any of them really.

However, a young man has been coming to our restaurant the past couple of weeks. He's got longish hair and a beard, and is really, really attractive. It's so funny because my sister and I were both gawking and the busgirls totally didn't get it. :)

We also had a young man come in with the silly handlebar moustache just like the photo above. I could barely keep a straight face waiting on him. He was very sweet and young and it just looked silly. Of course the busgirl loved that look.

Beth P.

Beard is mostly a hipster thing nowadays.