Having a beard is cool.
It sounds badass, virile, warrior…
Sometimes it’s even fashionable if you follow the hipster style… but it’s above all good for your health…
The beard: a symbol?
As surprising as it may seem, the beard is indeed a symbol.
She always has been!
In history…
Over time, the beard has been perceived as a divine attribute (ancient Egypt), sign of nobility (Mesopotamian period), proof of wisdom and intelligence (ancient Greece), of neglect and poverty (ancient Rome), of virility and honor (Middle Ages), or to differentiate oneself from the disbelievers (at the birth of Islam)…
We also think of Celtic warriors, Vikings and other “barbarians” of all kinds generally depicted bearded. At this time, the beard is associated with the uncivilized man… with the savage.
More recently…
Over the more recent period, it hasn’t really stopped doing the yo-yo.
The mythical hairy people from the trenches of the First World War then gave way to the shaved ones of the Second (mainly for reasons of the use of gas masks and fears of toxic gases)…
Then, the hippie movement, in the 60s, brought the beard back into fashion, in another aspect than that of the virile warrior!…
Even more recently, we can talk about the hipster movement, which has changed the beard from an attribute of old age to that of a start-upper…
In short ! I’m going to stop there for the historical and cultural retrospective, and refer you, if you want to know more, to a book by Christian Bromberger: “The meaning of hair: An anthropology of hairiness”.
And so… A tactical symbol!
There’s no denying it: the beard is a symbol of recognition in the tactical world.
In addition to the historical aspect of the “warrior beard”, it is obviously linked to the many images of very badass soldiers proudly sporting a beard oiled to perfection.
But not only…
Think of Ragnar from the Viking series, Jon Snow or Drogo from Game of Thrones, Aragorn from LotR, Rick from The Walking Dead, etc, etc.
The beard is everywhere.
The beard is a symbol of virility and power… sometimes, it is true, at the centre of a macho universe, of muscle and beer.
Moreover, it has become such a symbol of recognition, that it is also found on patches, on many logos, and on the catalogues of major brands…
Because icing on the cake: it’s a free accessory!
A reality in the army?
“However, in the army, you have to be clean-shaven, right?…”
Well no.
When you are a badass, you have the right to wear a beard on two conditions:
- It must be the same as on his military ID card and always clean and neatly trimmed.
- Of course, it will be necessary to shave if it is incompatible with certain equipment (gas mask for example).
The appearance of the hair depends essentially on the morphology of each individual, the texture of his hair and the care he takes in their maintenance. […]
The same reservation applies to the wearing of mustaches and beards.
However, the wearing of a beard, incompatible with the use of certain equipment, may be prohibited by the commander of the administrative formation.
A habitually clean-shaven soldier is only authorized to let his beard or mustache grow in favor of a sufficient absence during which he does not have to wear the uniform.
The beard must be of correct cut.
defence.gov.fr
A little anecdote: Alexander the Great forced his army to shave the day before battles so that they could not be caught in hand-to-hand combat.
And in the end, the beard… is it good for your health?
The answer is clear: yes!
Wearing hair on your chin means protecting yourself effectively and naturally from many symptoms:
- This reduces the risks associated with exposure to the sun: indeed the beard would slow down UV rays by 90% or even 95% (source). Incidentally, your skin thus protected ages less quickly.
- If it protects from the sun, then it also acts as a barrier to all attacks: wind, rain, cold, mother-in-law…
- The moustache also helps to pre-filter the air. Facial hair retains allergens and is therefore also perfect for asthmatics.
- The beard is also a physical barrier to the cold: A long beard also protects the neck… and can therefore prevent you from catching a cold.
- The hair protects your skin from micro-cuts, nicks, ingrown hairs or folliculitis (especially compared to those who shave every day).
- A study also shows that bearded men carry three times less dangerous bacteria on their faces than clean-shaven men.
- Thanks to the sebaceous glands, the beard naturally hydrates your skin.
And it’s also good for your image!
The beard also allows you…
- … to be more masculine.
In any case, this is what a study: women (and men!) perceive bearded men as more masculine than those who shave. - …to be more manly.
This time, it’s an English study that tells us that bearded men are perceived by women as being more aggressive, dominant, mature and virile. - …to look older and richer!
Barnaby J. Dixson and Paul L. Vasey also did a study on beards and their finding were this: men with beards look older and seem to have higher social status than those without. not.
And above all: it saves you a lot of time!
Finally, wearing a beard also saves time every morning and saves a lot of money: no more razors, shaving products and aftershaves…
We calculated, that having a beard, is gaining 3,350 hours in your life!
That is 139 days.
Now, it’s up to you… but I think the question is quickly answered.
