Your 'Stache, Your Lifestyle

Since the dawn of time, growing a beard has been a sign of manliness. Facial hair can represent your flavor, your passion, your lifestyle. And recently, men have been going retro to bring back some styles that we thought were lost to history after the 1970s and 80s. 

Prehistoric man toted a beard for practical reasons: warmth, intimidation, and protection. Later on, in ancient times, beards were a sign of honor and were only cut as a punishment. Only in the 4th century did beards become a no-no at the hands of Alexander the Great (and later revived by New York Yankees management, of course) because of a fear of beard-yanking in times of war. If that seems strange, in the Middle Ages, tugging a man's beard was offensive and grounds for a duel! 

As time has trudged on, fewer and fewer women seem to be able to handle facial hair, and in the U.S. only 33 percent of men have some form of facial hair, compared to 55 percent worldwide. Oddly enough, one survey of women showed that women find men with beards more respected, more powerful, and of a higher status! That being said, 98 percent of the men on the Forbes 100 list of the richest men are, well, clean shaven. That begs the question: Is that bushy beard holding you back from financial success? 

But don't despair! Whether you're sporting mutton chops or a goatee or perhaps the more adventurous "Klingon," outgoing girls tend to go for those with properly groomed facial accessories. So if you're looking for someone a little bit on the wildside, find your inner lumberjack and own the lifestyle of the boldly bearded. 

Actor Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother) is raging against the clean-shaven machine with his own "ridiculous" facial hair. He calls it his "passive-aggressive" stand against Hollywood. And then, of course, there's the illustrious William Shakespeare's take on facial hair: 

"He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man."

Want to flesh out the history of facial hair further? Check out this infographic:

 
Created by: Online PhD

Elliot writes extensively about pipe tobacco and cigars online from Vienna, VA.  He carries forward the fourth generation of cigar enthusiastists in the Boudin family.