I’ve varied over the years, grew my first beard in college. When I decided to shave off the beard after a few years, the kids awoke ( they were both toddlers ) and were beset by peals of laughter over how funny daddy looked. They kept touching my face.
I’m currently sporting a goatee, and have for a few years. I like the way it looks, and delude myself into believing it slims down my face. <cough>.
I cannot link to " People Of The Straight Dope", because I lost the link when I killed AOL. ( Darn it ), but I’m in there around Page 6 or 7 or so.
Grew a beard senior year in college but didn’t quite work–too patchy.
For Valentine’s Day 6 years later, my wife asked that I grow a goatee. Did and liked it immensely (so did she). I look older and it complements my other features better.
Goatee here. Had it for 7 or 8 years, except for an 8-month period beginning in December while I was job-hunting. Stayed clean-shaven until I went to the national sales meeting for the company, and saw that a lot of the men had beards and goatees, so I grew it back. I think I’m on page 5 or 6 of the newer SDMB pic pages (the one with the guitar).
I’ll give another vote for the shaved head/goatee, which looks best on dark-haired dudes. A 'stach alone just seems weird to me. If you’re going to shave, why leave a lipful of hair there? Goats with a full head of hair are OK, but in general I prefer a clean shave, though 6 O’clock shadow on darker-haired dudes can look pretty hot. A full beard is a bit too Grizzly Adams for my taste.
My husband had a full beard when we first met. I told him that if he ever shaved, I’d have to leave him. OK, I wouldn’t, but it worked for a while. Then he got a job at a chocolate factory, (no, it wasn’t as great as it sounds) and he was only allowed to have a mustache. Thankfully, that job just lasted a couple of months till he got fed up with the company owner and left. A few weeks after that, he was fuzzy-faced again.
He’s alternated between full beard and goatee - it’s full now, and mostly gray. And it’s very soft, so the kissing of stubble isn’t an issue. I think it looks terrific and I believe if he shaved it all off, I’d have to beat him severely until he complied with my preference. Or I’d dump him and get a bearded boy-toy… I’m not kidding!
My dad tried to grow a mustache once when I was a teen. All 5 of us laughed at him - and he shaved right after. It just didn’t suit him at all.
I’ve had a goatee on and off since I was 16(currently off). I played hockey and Lacrosse in high school, and I would always grow one during the season. Through college I had a permenent 5 o’clock shadow, and then had the goatee again for awhile until about a year ago. Facial hair makes me look several years older then I am, which was all good when I was a teenager and even into my early twenties, but now I’d rather look my actual age:)
I have a full beard and "stash…but I shave over my cheekbones and my neck. My wife prefers it to be long and bushy, but I prefer to keep it trimmed.
I keep the facial hair because my wife really likes it…I think because it hides an overly strong jaw line.
Have had the beard for the last 29 years, and the "stash for the last 35 years. So I’ve gone from completely dark brown to about 85 percent grey. The dark parts are mostly confined to two stripes than run down from the corners of my mouth, so I look a bit like Peppy LaPew…but I only think that in the quiet of the bathroom when I look in the mirror…my daughter in law thinks the beard looks distinguished, and her father grew one to please her. So…flip a coiin…some people like facial hair and others don’t.
I don’t care much for beards, because they remind me too much of my father – but, just like most things, if I like a guy, it doesn’t matter if he’s clean shaven, got back hair, whatever. It’s just him. And I actually like some stubble to rub my cheek against now and then.
I don’t like to shave so I don’t. Although I will trim it every now and then. I’d rather be clean shaved. But I don’t like the way I look with out one.
In about 10 years I’ll probably look like Santa Claus without the white beard. Give that another 30 years.
I am shaved bald, so I have facial hair. If your bald, facial hair is mandatory, if you don’t want to look like a giant thumb. I’ve had some form of facial hair most of my adult life. Goatee’s, beards, mustaches,. I’ve never had a Van Dyke. I suppose I will one day.
So, I have a close trimmed goatee. I used to have a long mustache and a soul patch. I though it looked really cool. My GF asked me to grow hair on chin because no matter how close I shaved it, it rubbed her chin* raw when we were foolin’ around.
Goatee here - have had for a couple of years of now. Not prepared to shave my head so I’m currently sporting a “an electrocuted scarecrow dragged through a hedge backwards” kind of thing. I’m also a natural blonde but the goatee seems to alternate between pure white, normal blonde and dark grey with a slight red tinge if I’m out in the sun a lot. Often these colors appear all at the same time
1st full beard and in college. I kept it about a year. After college, I moved to Japan and grew another one. The beard has come and gone several times and has been both full and a goatee, but the moustasche has stayed on for the last 10 years. Currently in shaved head/goatee combo. (:-{=
