Why Do Men Grow Beards?

Walking down the street or into a pub you will definitely encounter a number of men wearing all types of beards ranging from fashionable designer stubble to longer hippy styles – and everything else in between!

If you took a poll on the reasons why men grow beards, the most popular answers will certainly be ‘because it is fashionable’ and ‘to be attractive to find a partner’.

Interestingly, these are just two of the many reasons why men grow beards.

The Beard in History

In prehistoric times, men had beards for three very important reasons…

The first was to protect their faces from the elements – either to keep the face warm in winter or shield from the sun in warmer months.

Secondly Prehistoric man grew thick full beards as these also offered protection from blows received during fighting.

The third reason for prehistoric beards was that their wearer would be found intimidating by the enemy. Beards in prehistoric times were a sign of honour and were only cut as a sign of punishment.

In Ancient Egypt, although pharaohs had to be hairless, they wore ornate false beards as a symbol of wealth, importance and their connection with the gods. The ‘postiche’ beard was not only worn by the male pharaohs, but also female pharaohs like like Hatshepsut  who was the first pharaoh of Egypt.

In Ancient Greece, the beard was held in high esteem and beards were carefully groomed using exotic oils and balms and beards were shaped using wax.

Beards became very important in many cultures as a sign of strength and masculinity. In Celtic tribes, beards were highly revered and the leader Otto the Great would always swear on the honour of his facial hair to display his honesty and trustworthiness.

Beards Gave Men a Standing Amongst Men

Throughout history, one of the main reasons for why men grow beards was to give them standing amongst other men. If men were clean shaven and quiet and reserved, they were likely to be much less noticeable than a more extrovert character sporting a beard.

This is one of the reasons why beards and moustaches have been favoured by soldiers since the times of the Crusader knights.

Beards were held in high regard in ancient India, China and the Far East and long trailing beards were considered a sign of dignity and wisdom and this is still the case today.

Cutting the beard was also the typical punishment for a variety of different crimes because it was felt that if a man lacked honour, he should not be allowed to wear a beard.                                                          

Interestingly, men would also settle debts with hair from their beard.

Why the Popularity of Beards Changes

Having a beard certainly changes other peoples’ perceptions of a man as sub-consciously it makes them believe that the beard wearer is older, wiser and stronger.

Throughout history, men with beards have been portrayed as dominant characters in all aspects of life – and this boosts their chances of finding a partner.

An interesting study of men’s facial hair between 1842-1971 made by (would you believe it) Nigel Barber discovered that in periods where there were more men competing for fewer women, beards and moustaches suddenly became much more fashionable.

More recently, it has been suggested that more men grow beards when there is political uncertainty and in recent years there has definitely been a significant rise in the number of beards found in western societies which some scientists suggest is linked to the global financial crisis in 2008.

Today, Beards Divide Opinion

Interestingly, where women are concerned, there is a range of opinion about why men grow beards with some women preferring neat moustaches and beards and others full flowing beards and many much preferring men to be clean shaven.

When choosing a partner, women not only choose good looks (with or without a beard) but men with deeper voices and toned muscles too.

Today, opinion has generally changed about beards which for many years were regarded by many as best worn by lumberjacks and hippies!

Today, men from all walks of life and in all types of professions are sporting beards. Their reasons for growing a beard are personal but are the same as the historical ones – to give them dominance, to make them look more mature and yes, also to make them more attractive.

Certainly recent studies have found that wearing a full beard makes a man appear older, more powerful and more respected than his un-bearded colleague, so no wonder facial hair is so strongly in vogue!

One big difference with modern beards is that men today are definitely taking much more care of their facial hair which is kept well trimmed and in top condition using the many specialist products that are now on the market.