At what point in time did a one or two-day growth of facial hair become fashionable, and how is it maintained? I mean, if it’s so chic, it seems one would have to hide out during the one day one is embarrassingly clean-shaven. Or are there men gifted with perma-stubble?
I just saw a film which had a time frame of at least one week, yet the hero had the same amount of stubble each day. Is this possible, or did the actor take a day off every two days?
When Miami Vice was popular in the 80’s, Don Johnson became the poster boy for the 5 o’clock shadow look. One company even sold an electric razor that would allow you get the look easily.
I don’t have very aggressive facial hair growth. To stay fairly clean shaven I would have to shave only every other day and at the end of the second day my beard stubble is what most men would consider a very full day’s growth.
Having said that, I shave once every 4 days to a week. I like the perma-stubble look. It suits me and shaving more often just irritates my skin. I use a manual razor (3 blade) and a high end shaving cream because I do enjoy that weekly ritual.
Caveat: I do “tidy” or touch up my stubble around my cheek bones and my neck under the jaw line. Yeah, it’s kind of a GQ look.
Why did it become popular… I’m guessing it’s like anything else having to do with fashion and what’s considered fashionable at any given time. Though facial hair in various forms has been fashionable for a very long time now.
In case you’re wondering if this is acceptable in the workplace… my experience is that it is. I’ve been doing this for a few years on multiple projects and nobody has said a single word to me about it. There are dress codes but no facial hair codes that I’ve been warned about. And yes, I’ve got a white collar job. I’m a senior level IT manager so appearances matter as I get noticed.
Stubble became popular once when Ken Curtis became a regular on “Gunsmoke” as Festus Haggen.
That was in 1964.
I know someone (young) who works in a grocery store. All the men are required to be clean-shaven. You’d think it would only be the ones in the bakery or deli, but he explained that it has to do with looking presentable, rather than food contamination.
It’s a pretty good look, but highly depends on the person. Hugh Laure in house = good stubble. He looks sort of like a dork without it, IMO. But I have seen plently of bad stubble - there is a fine line on length/thickness you just cant cross for it to be “stylish stubble” and not “scraggly start of a beard.”
I remember those-- they were called The Miami Device!
(I swear, I am not making that up)
Nooooo. Dont tell me stubble is becoming fashionable again. It should make it to Australia in another 2 years.
George Michael in Wham also popularised the 2 day growth look around 1983 in the video (I think) “Wake me up before you go-go”. This spread the affectation from gun-slingin’ cowboys and hillbilly yokels to ravers and other people who liked wearing lots of white, apricot and assorted pastels in dance-clubs.
I am not about to google this for a verification - it send shivers down my spine just typing the above.
Probably a question as naive as it is blunt, but how can it be attractive to women to have a facial surface that abrades one’s inner thighs?
I would have attributed it to Yasser Arafat, but he didn’t really take control of the PLO until about 1969. Now it’s possible that Ken Curtis fought with or against Arafat in the early sixties, and they developed this style together. But for now I’ll have to assume that your earlier cite is correct.
That is the precise reason my hubby keeps his cheeks smooth. He does have a “tickler” though.
Another side of this issue is the men that are enduring laser hair removal so that the stubble is perfectly tended – upper cheeks lasered can really define that look.
Its not as bad as when the lady doesn’t shave her inner thighs. That hurts my baby cheeks! 
I just want to know when it will pass.
I think it’s actually only chic in NYC casting offices for soap operas and Vogue models.
They like scary, near-ugly people in NYC. Nobody knows why.
It is not hard to maintain the same level of stubble. I usually have 2-3 day stubble. As soon as it gets longer than that, I shave with hair clippers. It keeps my face looking fresh and disreputable. I hate the feel of my face clean-shaven, so I never shave with a blade unless there is a special occasion.