Men have facial hair. That’s a fact of life, that’s the way it grows, and presumably has been since the human species evolved into it’s present form. So why is there an extremely strong and apparently very ancient revulsion against it reappearing time and again throughout history? Even before the invention of metal razors, many cultures either shaved with whatever implements could be improvised (clam shells?), or actually plucked ( :eek: ) facial hair. The ancient Romans regarded beards as the mark of a barbarian, to the extent that early representations of Jesus depicted him as clean-shaven Roman style. I believe it was Peter the Great who as part of his modernization program demanded that Russians shave their beards. In the US, beards and mustaches made a comeback after the Civil War, but were old-fashioned again by the early 20th century. They made another comeback during the counter-culture 60’s and have hung on so far. But I wonder, why this unending pendulum between “clean shaven” (the very term is telling), allowing limited stylized mustaches or jaw hair, and permitting full beards.
They may have made a comeback in the 60’s, but they subsequently went back “out” again, only re-appearing with the rise of the dotcommers and their casual culture. They seem to be slowly going back out again, though personally, I LOVE facial hair - on men for whom it grows fully. Not every man sports facial hair which grows in a flattering fashion.
Anyway, I suppose any number of issues come into play - mere fashion; anti-semitism; something else?
I just wanted to note that the Romans also wavered between the two styles. The emperor Hadrian wore a full beard in order to emulate the appearance of Greek philosophers (who were big into beards) and right up through Marcus Aurelius that meant a beard was fashionable. Although it is correct that for the majority of Roman history beards were definitely out.
Anti-Semitism? What on YHVH’s earth have beards got to do with anti-Semitism?
This is one line I’ve read: Beards is an adult masculine signal. Men tune down their more outgoing, domineering or aggressive masculine signals to be able to function in social settings. Also heard that’s the reason ties are so popular. I think both explanations are too easy though.
War permeated Roman culture. The reason they cut their hair was that this made it easier for their generals to be able to see which troops were their own and which were the enemy (which most often had long hair) also it deprived their enemies the opportunity to yank at it during battle, perhaps they cut their beard for similar reasons. Of course once the Romans decided something was proper, it was only a matter of time before the rest of European civilization caught on.
- Rune
As someone who used to alternate between bearded and clean-shaven states, I’ve had people assume or ask me if I was Jewish when I wore a full beard.
I also had a woman tell me once that my beard was “sexually aggressive”.
Somehow, goatees and van dykes seem particular associated with evil. Satan and his minions are often depicted with such beards, perhaps recalling other depictions of devils as goatlike creatures.
Well what do you know, there’s something I had no idea about. Jews generally have big beards? And what’s with the broad? Why did she say that? Was it a compliment? Anyway perhaps it’s true then. I wouldn’t have guessed. And women complain they’re being ostracised if going with unshaved pits. Well perhaps, according to another recent thread, it’s because women can’t handle a grown man’s sexuality, but secretly desire only prepubesant boys.
I believe Satan is a goat because goats are so randy. He wields a trident because he was modelled on Poseidon, and because, according to middle age lore, this enabled him to fuck a woman in all three holes simultaneous. Gotta love the middle ages - always so subtle.
- Rune
When I saw the title, I immediately thought of George Carlin’s piece that beards are un-American. Lenin had a beard. Castro had a beard. Lincoln had whiskers.
I got rid of my beard when my girlfriend said it was too scratchy on her thighs. 
Good god. Mullahs tend to have massive beards. In Afghanistan, the Taleban punished men who didn’t have big beards. I can’t thing of many groups less pro-semitic than Bin Laden and the Taleban gang.
Sikhs also have big beards.
I think reasons there is a prejudice in some societies is:
- Fashion - beards in particular are seen as old fashioned
- Class - moustaches are sometimes seen as lower class (UK)
- Hygiene - people may consider them less hygienic
- Youth - emphasis on youth demands a smooth chin
Further to 4: when a man with greying hair shaves off a beard, it usually takes 10-15 years off him. Partly because the beard seems to go more grey more quickly than the head-hair.
Orthodox Jews do have beards as well, and that wasn’t always something that was confined to the most religious of Jews. I can see where you’d come up with it as a guess.
That’s usually how it works. The cells that color a beard have shorter lives than the ones on the head (they kick in about 15 years later to begin with), and for most people, they die first. I say “usually,” but I can actually think of anyone with a gray beard and non-gray hair.
We live in societies that value youth above all.
Smooth chin = youth.
OTTOMH I can’t recall where the commandment appears but “Thou shalt not round the corners of thy beard.”
So, for most of history Jewish men had beards. Peter, as well as a few other Tsars, passed laws outlawing beards or imposing taxes on them largely to oppress the Jews. Tsars were generally big on things like shtetls, curfews, extra taxes, and pogroms.
I disagree. The trident was not an angular object, and therefore only two of the “holes” you speak of are accounted for.
I cant imagine a dollar bill(or quarter) with a picture of a moustached and bearded George Washington on it. If Jefferson, Addams, Hamilton, had beards, we wouldnt know what they really looked like, nor would they seem as friendly, honest, or kind as they seem to have been. I also dont think any of them had any need for facial hair to get them respect.
Well, I’ve got three days worth of growth on me now, and it’s true that
- I look a lot older, because of what Istara said, the gray on my beard is far more noticeable than the gray on my head, and
- It doesn’t come in even, so as much as I’d love to keep it, it’ll be leaving when I have to go back to work, on Wednesday.
Heavy beards tend to obscure the facial expressions of the men hiding behind them. They may serve to create level of distrust since a viewer finds it more difficult to determine the thoughts and emotions of the beard-wearer.
The bizarre Taliban episode obscured a little-known fact about Afghanistan: The Pashtun tribes claim descent from the Israelites. That’s right. They say their ancestors were the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel who migrated to Afghanistan. I am not making this up. It would explain why they like to grow big beards over there.
As an ‘expert’ on beards 
IMHO the reason for removing beards is that in uncivilized situations it is impossible to shave. So unkempt large beards get associated with shipwreck survivors, hermits and the like. Thus having a large beard seems somewhat uncivilized through association. Added to this the fact that some men cannot grow a decent beard because of areas of very sparse hair growth, makes for a couple of reasons for shaving.
It should also be noted (as has been said several times allready in this thread) that beards go in and out of fashion throughout the ages. In the times if Shakspeare beards were a necessity if a man wanted to be considered a man. Drake’s attack on Spanish ships in harbour (help my history knowledge is running out ) was discribed as the singeing of the King of Spains Beard if I remember correctly. Moustaches and to a lesser extent beards were very popular in Victorian times, and Edwardian times.
I mostly see thick bushy moustaches on South Asian men, and a few brave Don Mattingly-types. I guess here, as always, preferences are cultural.
Yet, both the penny and the $5 have a bearded Lincoln, and according to legend, he grew a beard to get women to have their husbands vote for him, and the $50 has a bearded Grant. I don’t think it has much to do with cleanshavenness being associated with honesty or civilization. Liike Bippy said, it’s matter of fashion. In the 1770s, beards were out, in the 1860s, they were in.