# Castro-did he say this about shaving his beard? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 11, 2007, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castro-did-he-say-this-about-shaving-his-beard/425978 "2007-11-11T01:37:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![topforty16](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c77e96/32.png) [@topforty16](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/topforty16)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castro-did-he-say-this-about-shaving-his-beard/425978/1 "2007-11-11T01:37:52Z")
Does any one remver hearig a statement from Castro that he would have a beard until his people were free? ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castro-did-he-say-this-about-shaving-his-beard/425978/2 "2007-11-11T03:40:55Z")
No, but I have heard something similar about Yasser Arafat. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castro-did-he-say-this-about-shaving-his-beard/425978/3 "2007-11-11T16:42:52Z")
[QUOTE=topforty16] Does any one remver hearig a statement from Castro that he would have a beard until his people were free? [/QUOTE] Free of what? They live in an independant country. He won the revolution a long time ago. If they are not free it is because of him. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castro-did-he-say-this-about-shaving-his-beard/425978/4 "2007-11-11T16:45:19Z")
[QUOTE=Nametag] No, but I have heard something similar about Yasser Arafat. [/QUOTE] Why would Arafat refuse to shave until Castro’s people are free? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castro-did-he-say-this-about-shaving-his-beard/425978/5 "2007-11-11T17:10:19Z")
Changed the title of the OP to make it more interesting. Just saying “Castro” as a title draws little interest. **samclem** GQ moderator ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castro-did-he-say-this-about-shaving-his-beard/425978/6 "2007-11-11T18:16:25Z")
Some guys keep a beard because the beard makes it seem they have only one chin. ---
**Author:** ![pprgrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f6c823/32.png) [@pprgrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pprgrl)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castro-did-he-say-this-about-shaving-his-beard/425978/7 "2007-11-11T18:23:09Z")
I just thought he had really bad acne and wore the beard to hide it. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castro-did-he-say-this-about-shaving-his-beard/425978/8 "2007-11-11T18:35:59Z")
[This article](http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/16/newsid_2544000/2544431.stm) makes refence to Castro stating, in 1959, that he wouldn’t shave his beard until his country had a “good government” (the irony is not lost on me). ETA: See the “in context” part of the linked article. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castro-did-he-say-this-about-shaving-his-beard/425978/9 "2007-11-11T18:47:24Z")
[QUOTE=pprgrl] I just thought he had really bad acne and wore the beard to hide it. [/QUOTE] Why not? It worked for Jerry Garcia. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castro-did-he-say-this-about-shaving-his-beard/425978/10 "2007-11-11T21:22:32Z")
[QUOTE=pprgrl] I just thought he had really bad acne and wore the beard to hide it. [/QUOTE] Actually, I believe Castro’s beard was a consequence of spending time in exile hiding out in the mountains, prior to the revolution, without a razor blade.