Facial hair in the youth culture

In today's update, I am going to share something I discovered with my 16 year old son. He has the latest video game console, as seems to be a point of social measurement in his age group, and part of this game include the ability to play online with other friends. In order to do this he needed parental approval due to the nature of the online experience, and as we worked our way through the preferences we arrived at the avatar creation. this is a process whereby one can make a custom pixelated representation of them self in ways that would not be possible in the real world.



Choosing what hair style and hair color, eye shape and ear size the customization choices seemed to be limit less. Once we decided on a particular style it would be added to our avatar. On the facial hair subsection the different style of beards , mustaches or combinations thereof were very similar to what we noted earlier in regards to style, pencil moustaches etc.... Shown below is a avatar with facial hair noted by the darkening regions around the mouth.




Another example of the facial hair color choices with a different hair style. Note the different eye style and choice of clothes. One could transform their avatar from something representative of a middle-aged person to , to elementary school student. Simply adding the facial hair imparts a connotation of more aged.



In this last picture note the typical "goatee" style with a "mussed" hair style and jacket and a "popped" color. Something I am told is in fashion these days. While we continued the process I thought about how young boys felt during my high school years. The reactions to those of us that had lots of facial hair early on were usually of a "I wish I could grow that" point of view. Most could only sport blond, near transparent hairs sticking out from their chins more akin to peach fuzz then a bona fide beard.

Preferances continued.

In this update I will continue with a few of my co-workers, their choice of facial hair styles and the stories behind them.

This older co-worker has a rather odd style very close to a horseshoe moustache with a soul patch. When I asked him the reason behind this particular style he responded with "It just seemed to fit my face at the time." As we continued to talk he explained that he was retired from the Navy with more then 20 years and he was not allowed to wear facial hair other then the moustache. He refereed to it as repressed self expression of his face. I inquired about his wife's response and he stated she really did not care what he had on his face. When I asked about how others have responded he said he gets a mixed response depending on the circumstances. He cleans it as part of his normal routine and said the important part for him was maintaining clear and defined outlines.



This middle-aged co-worker has a circle beard that he prefers to keep shorn. As we discussed the details he related that he has had facial hair since a very early age leading to a somewhat permanent choice of the same style. When I asked why he has not tried others he stated he really didn't know so many existed. His preference for keeping it shorn is a result of his wife's preference. She does not mind the hair but it feel that it could irritate her face if unkempt. Surprisingly he uses a small handful of hair conditioner to maintain a soft feeling about once a month.



While none of the subject I spoke with ever mentioned religious convictions or preferences I do see orthodox practitioners maintaining traditions. I did make attempts to speak with them and photograph them, they declined my invitations. I am curious now what other areas of our culture include specific facial hair styles.

Form, function or personal preferance?

Over the past week, I have been observant of some of my co-workers and their facial hair preferences.I should explain that my place of employment, the VCU Medical center Emergency Department, is a very multi-cultural and ethnically diverse workplace. Today's update will focus on those gentlemen that work closest with me. I had a chance to speak with them for a few moments about their facial hair, what style they preferred, any significant history behind it, special care they give it and most importantly, how their spouses react or respond to it.

Throughout these updates I will be referring to different facial hair styles by name. These names are derived from the website http://www.ftmguide.org/facialhair.html There are many others that have nearly the exact same information. Take a moment and have look around.

Fortunately for me, my facial hair grows quickly giving me the opportunity to try different styles that accent my facial features. As you see in the picture below, I have a horseshoe that continues along my jawline. This alters the perception of a rounded face into something a bit more elongated. Variations on this include moving the level or angle of hair, from the connection of the horseshoe at the bottom of the jaw toward the ear. It almost looks like the Nike swoosh.


The picture below is a middle-aged man that wears a horseshoe. As it reaches the bottom of his chin he has opted to let it continue to grow similar to a FuManchu. In our discussion he mentions that he has worn this exact style since he was 18, "It just happened one morning. "No or reason." He says that the most common reaction from other men is wanting to grow something similar. His spouse approves of it and has come to know him only with the same facial hair style for the last 20 years. When I asked if he did anything particular to his facial hair in terms of care he said nothing other then when he washed his face, and trimmed it out of his mouth.

This style is similar to the Norse and Vikings nearly 2000 years ago, as well as the early Egyptians. They would let their chin hairs grow to lengths that allowed for braiding and inclusions of decorative beads or metals.

The following co-worker show below is a younger man that wears a Balboa. In our discussion he states his preferance of keeping it shorn aids in keeping it neat and clean. He has worn it for about the last six months. He adds conditioner periodicly to maintain a softer feel. His spouse prefers something softer to touch and approves of the style.

Note the disconnect at the corners of the mouth.

How do you wear it?

In this blog I would like to discuss the various styles of male facial hair that have started becoming prevalent again on contemporary men. I do not want to confuse this with shaving, how to shave or razor burn prevention, but rather what exactly is a chin curtain? What is the difference, or is there a difference, between chin whiskers and a goatee? What are the cultural or religious influences in how men wear facial hair? We know that beards have kept our faces warm since prehistoric days but when exactly did styling our facial hair begin? Further updates on this blog will include illustrations and pictures showing the different shapes, styles and some general historical information. I think we have all seen pictures from history of various beards, and long moustaches? Abraham Lincoln made famous the chin curtain, Joseph Stalin with his walrus moustache, each a identifiable characteristic that was used in political cartoons and publications.

It started when I was standing looking in the mirror one morning with a face full of shaving cream holding a razor. I recalled my early youth, watching my father go through the ritual of wet shaving every day. Always the same procedure, and always the same style - totally clean with modest sideburns. Turning his face back and fourth, slow steady strokes, making taught his neck sticking his jaw out then periodically banging the razor on the side of the sink - swishing it in the water to clear it out. I do not ever remember seeing my father with a beard, or a moustache, or any sort of facial hair other then the two day stubble after a weekend. I was a senior in high school repeating those same movements and strokes to my own face. I watched as a simple moustache transformed my appearance starting something that has become a personal trademark that people connect to me.

Twenty years later a group of my co-worker (male co-workers, I say male because we do not tend to include females in facial hair conversations), and I were commenting on how we all sported the same style moustaches and how in some cultures it is a sign of manhood to have a certian style of facial hair. Hollywood has shown Italian men with a hairy, very full bushy upper lips, yet Asian and Oriental depictions show very thin precise markings. Middle Eastern cultures have men with full beards, or a derivations therof, deeply rooted in relgious convictions. Jewish males also have shaving and facial hair restrictions lending to a tradition that is identified throughout history.

I do not recall which co-worker it was but he remarked that we should all try to style our facial hair to something unique and see how people react to us, no matter how "out there" it might appear. After a few weeks our results and reactions were varied. We had one sporting and anchor, I was wearing a combination "lamb chops" and circle beard and our third cohort was fashioning a horseshoe around his upper lip. We found that once the initial outline was established, two or three subsequent shaves careful to follow the outline, made our style stand out. Reactions were for the majority positive. My immediate family was very receptive and I have since fashioned my facial hair to be something unique that is largely influenced by the weather. A face full of whiskers keeps a face warm when the cold wind bears down. No matter the style I wear, my trademark thick moustache remains.

Future updates will hopefully (participants willing) include real pictures of different facial hair styles and some information about the men that wear them. Please feel free to post comments or your own facial hair style with a little history about it.

Picture source located at http://www.ftmguide.org/facialhair.html More pictures can be seen on that site along with other useful information regarding facial hair styles.