Beards/Facial Hair - Observations

 

Lots of people have beards, in fact over 50% of the men in the world sport a beard and over 30% of the men in America have them.  There seems to be no end to the type, look, size and length of beards. Here are a few of my thoughts.  (FYI - not me in the above picture)

10)    Superheroes rarely have beards.  For example, Superman does not have a beard.  How could you trim it, if he is more powerful than a locomotive, faster than a speeding bullet and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, I don't think earth has a razor that would do the job.  Can he even grow a beard?  

9)    According to the Guiness book of world records the longest beard ever recorded was 17 feet 6 inches - Hans Langseth a Norwegian living in Iowa. Go to the Natural History Museum in DC and you can see it on display.  Vivian Wheeler holds the record for the ladies at a mere 10 inches.

8)    The most interesting ones to me are the bald-headed guys with a full thick beard and yet not one single hair on their head.  I would want it other way around.

7)    What's the deal with that little "soul patch" of hair directly underneath your lips.  Did some media personality forget to shave, and now its popular?  How do you know if it is the right size and shape - should it be round, square or even rectangular?

6)    Speaking of popular - how about the trend of not shaving for a few days to create the "stubble look."  It seems at some point you would have to shave, or it becomes you guessed it - a beard.  It appears to be for the younger crowd.  If you are older, it just looks like you need a shave.  Of course, I still don't understand why you would rip up your jeans, put holes in them and wear them in public.

5)    Several presidents sported long sideburns but, the first president to have a beard was Abraham Lincoln and interestedly enough, he did not have one prior to his election.  I still think the top hat gave him that presidential look.  BTW what happened to sideburns?

4)    Beards have been around since ancient times and started out as a sign of honor and were only cut as a sign of punishment.

3)    The most tragic beard belonged to Hans Steininger, a mayor from Germany.  His beard measured just slightly over 4.5 feet. One evening a fire broke out in his town and he quickly ran to help.  Unfortunately, he forgot to tuck his beard in his pocket.  He fell, broke his neck and died. Oddly enough his beard is also on display at the local museum.

2)   On the plus side, with a beard you can cut your shaving time by 2.5 hours a month or over 30 hours a year.  It can also save you money on sunscreen, keep your face warm in the winter and of course, no more razor burn.

1)    There was a time in the Movies when beards were almost always associated with the bad guys, but not anymore - the moral - don't judge a book by its cover or a man by his beard. You just might miss a good story or a best friend.