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Beards,WhiskersandtheHistoryofPogonotomy
Somethingbeardythiswaycomes!Lovethemorloathethemitseemsthatbeardsare
everywhereatthemoment.Walkdownyourlocalhighstreetandbeforeyouvegonetoo
faritsafairbetthatyoullbemetbyaveritableseaofhairyfaces.Inmanyways2014may
wellprovetobetheyearofthebeard.Afterafairlylongperiodinthewilderness,facialhair
hasreturned.ItmaywellhavepassedyoubybutthereisactuallyaWorldBeardDay,
dedicatedtothecelebrationofthehairychin.InBathinSeptemberwasheldtheBritish
BeardChampionships,avirtualXFactorforbeardwearers,whereownersofmighty
examplesoffacialtopiarysubmittedthemselvestothescrutinyofapanelof
pogonotomists.Forwhateverreasonandtherearepotentiallymanybeardsareback.
Howlongcanthislast?Questionswerebeginningtoberaisedinspring2013astowhether
peakbeardhadbeenreached.Thisisthepointatwhichsometheoriststhinkthatbeards
becomesoubiquitousastorenderthemunfashionableagain.Therearecertainlynosigns
ofchangeatthemoment.Onlyafewweeksagocamethestartlingrevelationthat,inthe
pastyear,manufacturersofrazorsandrelatedgoodssuchasshavingfoam,haveseena
dropinsalesofmorethan72millionpounds.MarketanalystsIRInotedthatmens
shoppinghabitswerechangingand,eventhoughthetotalmarketstillaccountedfor2.2
billionpounds,thiswasasubstantialdent.Thecauseofthischange?Beards.
Noteveryoneisafan.Infact,asJeremyPaxmanfoundouttohisbewilderment,beards
havethepowertobeextraordinarilydivisive.Pogonophobiathefearofbeardsis
apparentlyontheincrease.Whatisitaboutbeardsthatsomepeoplefindsoapparently
distasteful?Somemenandwomenjustdislikethefeelofbeards.Mostmencan
probablysympathisewiththefeeling,usuallyafterthefirstweekorso,thatyourbeardis
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attackingyourfacewithitchingpowder.Oncethatpassesandsomesemblanceof
dermatologicalnormalityresumestherearethesocialproblemstoovercome.Smallpieces
offoodlodgedinabearddonotpresentagoodlook.Soobsessedweretheheavilybearded
Victorianswiththisproblemthattheyinventedallmannerofdevicesandcontrivancesto
cope.Theseincludedmoustachespoonstostoperrantwhiskersdippingintothesoup
course.Somepeoplefeelthatbeardsarehidingsomething.Thereis,infact,alonghistory
ofdistrust.HenryVIIIsbeard,forexample,wasallegedlyextremelyunpopularwith
CatherineofAragon,whopleadedwithhimtoshaveitoff.Infact,Henrysemblematic
beardwasactuallytheresultofabetwithFrancis,kingofFrance.Beforetheirfamous
meetingonthefieldoftheclothofgold,bothmenresolvednottoshaveuntilthebigday.
Butthedecisiontowearornotwearabeard,moustache,whiskersetcisonethathaslong
beenaproblemformen.Overtime,attitudestobeardednessand,indeed,shavinghave
constantlyshifted.Somethingsoseeminglymundaneasfacialhairisactuallyboundupina
complexwebofmeanings.ToparaphraseKarlMarx(aposterboyforthebeardifeverthere
wasone!)mendontjustactastheyplease;insteadtheybehaveaccordingtotheinfluences
ofthesocietytheylivein.Growingabeardisaconsciousdecisionandcanbeforavarietyof
reasonsfromculturaltoreligious.Infact,althoughwereconcentratingmoreonother
influencestoday,religionisverycloselylinkedtobeardwearing,especiallyforexamplein
Judaism,IslamandSikhism,andcanevenbecomeaculturalstereotype.Somemenmight
protestthattheyjustgotfedupwithshavingbutthedecisionnottoshaveisanequally
consciousone.Howevermuchweliketothinkweareallindividuals,asagroupwebehave
inpredictablepatterns.And,tobefair,wecantblamethecoalitionforthisone.
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Ifwelookbackthroughhistoryitisamazinghowmanyperiodshavetheirown,immediately
identifiable,facialhairstyles.IntheRenaissance,forexample,beardwearingwasasignof
masculinityandalmostariteofpassage.Tobeabletogrowabeardrepresentedthechange
fromboytoman.AsthehistorianWillFisherputitinhisarticleonbeardsinRenaissance
England,thebeardmadetheman.Itisnoteworthy,forexample,thatmostportraitsof
menpaintedbetween,say,1550and1650containsomerepresentationoffacialhairfrom
theFrancisDrakestylepointybeardtotheCharlesIVanDyke.Thebeardwasviewedasa
basicmarkofaman,butthiswasnotjustsomethingfanciful.Infact,beardswerestrongly
linkedinwiththeoriesofmedicineandthebody.Earlymodernmedicinesawthebodyas
consistingoffourfluidhumoursblood,blackbile,yellowbileandphlegm.Facialhairwas
regardedasaformofbodilywaste,whichresultedfromheatinthereinstheareasaround
thegenitals,andtheliver.Assuch,beardswerestronglylinkedtosexualprowessand
fecundity.Amanssexualcapabilitieswerewritlargeacrosshisface.Nevertheless,beards
werestillnotforeveryone.SomeprominentfiguressuchasThomasMoreandOliver
Cromwellpreferredthecleanshavenlookinlinewithausterereligiousbeliefs.Indeed,17th
centuryPuritans,neveragroupinlovewithdisplay,viewedthebeardasanunnecessary
baubleontheface.Formeninthisperiod,therefore,thebeardwasnotjustsomefrippery;
itwascloselylinkedtheveryessenceofmanhood,andconceptsofhealth,sexualityandthe
body.
Theeighteenthcenturyhadbeenonewheremenwerealmostentirelycleanshaven.Hereit
wasinfactthelackoffacialhairthatdefinedtheidealman.Thefaceoftheenlightened
gentlemanwassmooth,hisfaceyouthfulandhiscountenanceclear,suggestingamindthat
wasalsoopen.Thiswastheageofthefopandthedandy,wheretheveryideaofgrowinga
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beardwouldhavebeengreetedwithafurrowingofthebewiggedbrowandafewchoice
wordsaboutimproprietyandvulgarity.Interestingly,thiswasalsothefirstperiodinhistory
whenmenbegantoshavethemselves,ratherthanseeabarber.New,sharperrazorswere
accompaniedbythefirstsignsofanythinglikeanadvertisingcampaignbyrazormakers.
Growingabeardatthispointwouldonlyhavebeenadeliberateactdonepurposefullyto
conveyamessage.JohnWroe,forexample,leaderoftheChristianIsraelitegroup,lethis
beardgrowwildtosignifyhiswithdrawalfromsociety.Inthissensebeards,andtheir
removal,werecloselylinkedtotechnologyandculture,andtotheexpandingworldof
enlightenedscienceandinnovation.
BythemidVictorianperiod,however,thebeardmadeaspectacularreturntofavour.
Sometimearoundthe1850s,conceptsofmasculinityitselfbegantochange.Something
strangewashappeningtomeninthisperiodandtheywereundernewpressurestoreassert
theirauthorityandstatus.Thiswastheageofindustrializationwhichbroughtwithitnew
challenges,notleastintheneedtocreatehierarchiesandstructuresofauthoritytocope
withthesheernumbersofmenwhocouldnowworkwithinasinglecompany.Butmen
werealsoincreasinglynervousaboutwomen.If,aswasbeginningtohappen,womenwere
findingavoiceandbeginningtoagitateforgreaterlevelsofindependence,thiswouldbea
significantthreattothestatusquo.Menneededtoreact.Andtheydid.
Oneofthewaystheydidthiswastoplaceanewemphasisuponthephysicalcharacteristics
andstrengthofmen.Accordingtothenewview,menshouldreflectwhathasbeentermed
muscularChristianity.Incameanewvogueforathleticism,sportsandgameplaying.The
underlyingtheorywas,asEMForsterputitthatsportencouragedwelldevelopedbodies,
fairlydevelopedmindsandundevelopedhearts.Vigorous,vitalandathleticmenwere
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exactlythesortsofstoutfellowsneededtoswelltheranksofthearmy,anddefendand
expandtheEmpire.Whilsttheconnectionsmightnotimmediatelybeclear,thebeard
playedastrongpartinthisprocess;infact,itvirtuallybecametheemblemoftheVictorian
man.Centraltothiswasthebeliefthatthebeardwassimplytheoutwardmarkofinward
qualitiesofmasculinity,suchasindependence,hardinessanddecisiveness.Amans
characterandstrengthwasvisibleuponhisfaceintheformofalargebushybeard.Arange
ofnewsourcesstressedthescientificbasisbehindmensnaturalauthority,alleging
irrefutableproofthatwomenweretheweakersexandshouldthereforeknow,andkeep,
theirplace.ThiswastheageofDarwin,whoarguedthatmanwasessentiallytheresultof
millionsofyearsofevolutionandnaturalselection.ThebeardwasaGodGivenmarkerof
mansnaturalstrengthandfitnesstobethedominantsex.Notonlythis,Victorianthinkers
calledonsciencetoprovebeyondallreasonabledoubtthatmanhadcometobethe
mastersoftheworldsimplybecausehewasthebestequippedtodoit.Howcouldwomen
argueagainstthepurelogicofscienceandnatureandthemoralityofreligionwhenthevery
emblemofmasculinitywasliterallystaringthemintheface?
IfVictorianmenalsoneedednewbeardedheroesthentheyfoundareadysourceamongst
theranksofexplorersandhunters.Thiswastheageofexploration,ofhunters,climbers
andexplorers.Asruggedadventurersbegantotackletheterraincognitaoffarflung
continents,theywouldimmersethemselvesinwildnature,lettingtheirbeardsrunriot.The
beardbecameasymbolofruggedmanlinessandmenbegantoemulatetheirbewhiskered
heroes.AlbertSmithwastheEnglishmanwhowentupamountainandcamedownwitha
beard.Smithwasanauthorandentertainerbutalsoamountaineerwho,in1851,had
climbedMontBlanc.HewasalsotheinspirationfortheVictoriancrazeformountain
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climbing.Asanewexemplarofthemasteryofmenovernature,Smithpersonifiedthe
Victorianmasculineideal.
By1850,however,beardswerebecomingvaluednotjustfortheircosmeticattributes,but
theirhealthbenefitstooanddoctorswerebeginningtoencouragementogrowtheir
facialhairasameanstowardoffillness.AsChristopherOldstoneMoorepointsout,the
Victorianobsessionwithairqualitysawthebeardpromotedasasortoffilter.Athickbeard,
itwasreasoned,wouldcapturetheimpuritiesbeforetheycouldgetinsidethebody.Others
sawitasameansofrelaxingthethroat,especiallyforthosewhoseworkinvolvedpublic
speaking.Somedoctorswereevenrecommendingthatmengrewbeardstoavoidsore
throats.Clergymenwhoshaved,accordingtoonecorrespondentintheHampshire
Advertiserin1861,invitedallsortsofthoracicandpectoralwoes!
FortheVictorians,beardswerecloselylinkednotonlytonewscientificideasofmale
dominanceandnaturalauthority;theyalsodrewonageoldthemesofthebeardasthe
ultimatesymbolofmanhood.AVictorianmanunabletogrowsomesortofbeardwas
scarcelyamanatall!
Thetwentiethcenturybroughtavarietyofstyles.Inthefirstdecadesafter1900,
moustachesweredefinitelyinvogue.Partofthiswastoemulatetheruggedmasculinityof
Britishmilitary.ItwasinfactamilitaryregulationthatBritishsoldiersmustweara
moustache,untilGeneralSirNevilleMacready,whohatedthemoustache,repealedthe
orderin1916.The1920ssawChaplinstoothbrushmoustacheachievenotoriety.Some
speculatethatacertainAustriancorporalHitleractuallytookhisinspirationfromChaplin,
whoseworkheadmired.Inthe40s,bushyfighterpilotmoustacheswerealltherage,but
theimprovedavailabilityandqualityofrazorswasmakingshavingeasier,more
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comfortable,andincreasinglypopular.Bythe1960sthebeardwastheultimatesymbolof
thetunedin,turnedonanddroppedouthippy.EveryonefromJohnLennontotheJoyof
Sexmanwasheavilyhirsuteandproudofit.
The80sintroduceddesignerstubble.Thiswasthedecadewhenrazoradvertisingcrossed
intopopularculture.Electricrazoradvertisementswerefullofspeedboats,motorbikesand
parachutingheroes.WealsolearnedfromVictorKyamthatthehumblerazorcouldbethe
inspirationtobuyawholecompany!The90sgaveusthegoateeaboutwhich,thelesssaid
thebetter!
Butwhereoncebeardstylescouldlastdecades,thepatterninthepast10yearsorsohas
beenmoretowardsmonths.Thatiswhytheenduranceofthecurrentcropofbeardsis
actuallyquiteinteresting.Whateverthecurrent,vogueforfacialhairtellsusaboutmen
todayitisclearthatbeards,moustachesandwhiskersarenotjustaquirkysidenote;in
manywaystheyareinfactcentraltoarangeofimportantthemesinhistory.Oneofthe
mostconstantofthesehasbeenemulation.Intheearlymodernperiodmonarchsprovided
abearded(orindeedcleanshaven)ideal.BytheVictorianperiodpowerfulandfashionable
figures,andnewtypesofindustrialandmilitaryheroes,offeredmensomethingtoaspireto.
Now,withalmostunlimitedaccesstothelivesofcelebritiesthroughthevoraciousmedia
andinternet,theopportunitiestofindheroestoemulatearealmostlimitless.Ifhistory
tellsusanythingitisthatnothingstaysthesameforlong.Howlongthiscurrenttrendwill
lastisdifficulttosay.Whatismorecertainisthatmensrelationshipwiththeirfacialhair
willcontinuetochangeandevolve,andprovideuswithauniquewaytoaccessthethoughts
andfeelingsofmenthroughtime.