Bassists with Beards Club

[friskinator]

Nothing like a monkey see, monkey do sheeple fad, huh? What was once an expression of rebellion is now a sign of conformity. No fear here.

Yeah, they’ve been trendy for quite awhile now. I’m one of the only guys without facial hair at my work office, and most guys walking around in public have them.

One thing I’ve learned about dudes - they’re typically very desperate to fit in with their peers.

 

[Al T.]

I've had a neatly trimmed beard since 1974, I think people are copying me.

 

[hbarcat]

Nothing like a monkey see, monkey do sheeple fad, huh? What was once an expression of rebellion is now a sign of conformity. No fear here.

Facial hair fashion has always been subject to cycles. The trend typically progresses from no facial hair, to short and compact beards and mustaches, to full beards, and then back to clean shaven.

Being clean shaven is the default style of conformity and social conservatism. The last time that having no facial hair was so largely popular in the U.S. was in the 1950s. History demonstrates that the trend toward the most facial hair typically occurs during times of relatively high social unrest and is puoneered by those who consider themselves rebels or nonconformists in society.

Beatniks in the 40s famously wore a goatee, Van Dyke, or at least a soul patch. In the 60s, full beards were fairly common among hippies, along with longer hair in general.

Current surveys show that a majority of western women today prefer men with some amount of facial hair, even if it's just stubble.

 

[bholder]

Facial hair fashion has always been subject to cycles. The trend typically progresses from no facial hair, to short and compact beards and mustaches, to full beards, and then back to clean shaven.

Being clean shaven is the default style of conformity and social conservatism. The last time that having no facial hair was so largely popular in the U.S. was in the 1950s. History demonstrates that the trend toward the most facial hair typically occurs during times of relatively high social unrest and is puoneered by those who consider themselves rebels or nonconformists in society.

Beatniks in the 40s famously wore a goatee, Van Dyke, or at least a soul patch. In the 60s, full beards were fairly common among hippies, along with longer hair in general.

Current surveys show that a majority of western women today prefer men with some amount of facial hair, even if it's just stubble.

I once didn't date a woman who wouldn't date men with beards she said "they're trying to hide something". If you ask me, it's the other way around - men who shave are trying to pretend they never hit puberty.

 

[hbarcat]

I once didn't date a woman who wouldn't date men with beards she said "they're trying to hide something". If you ask me, it's the other way around - men who shave are trying to pretend they never hit puberty.

As a teen in the 1980s, I grew my hair very long and I even sported a decent goatee in my early 20s. Almost nobody had facial hair.

When i met my wife to be, I went to a completely shaved face and scalp. She thought it was sexy, so I obliged her.

When we divorced, I just quit shaving and let my hair grow out, although I preferred keeping a neatly trimmed goatee.

 

[friskinator]

Facial hair fashion has always been subject to cycles. The trend typically progresses from no facial hair, to short and compact beards and mustaches, to full beards, and then back to clean shaven.

Being clean shaven is the default style of conformity and social conservatism. The last time that having no facial hair was so largely popular in the U.S. was in the 1950s. History demonstrates that the trend toward the most facial hair typically occurs during times of relatively high social unrest and is puoneered by those who consider themselves rebels or nonconformists in society.

Beatniks in the 40s famously wore a goatee, Van Dyke, or at least a soul patch. In the 60s, full beards were fairly common among hippies, along with longer hair in general.

Current surveys show that a majority of western women today prefer men with some amount of facial hair, even if it's just stubble.

FWIW, my wife hates facial hair. But I never had it before we met, either.

Regarding the non-conformity thing, the guys I see with facial hair are about the most normal, conformed types you could expect.

There’s no real way to rebel with appearances anymore. Everyone and their mother is covered with tattoos, piercings, etc. these days. I’m not opposed to any of it, but they’re not my personal style. And definitely not rebellious.

 

[ebo]

I do stubble and goatees from time to time. Facial hair is irritating to me, and trimming it well is more work than shaving. It never lasts more than a couple months.

 

[bassdude51]

During the Covid 19 "lock down".........what else was there to do but...........grow a beard and long hair? (about a 15 month growth).

Since then, I'm now all respectable and stuff with a 3/8s inch bread.

 

[Old gold]

I’ve had some form of face hair since November 1970 when Admiral Zumwalt allowed sailors to grow a moustache or beard (Z-gram #57 If I remember correctly). I was only 21 years old, and my moustache struggled, but I thought it made me look more in line with the times. In actuality, it made me look like a sailor with a moustache, because long hair was still banned. Went to a full beard after the Navy, and that lasted until about 20years ago when the beard went white and my hair stayed darker. I looked like I was walking around with a face full of shaving cream. I kept a very closely cropped goatee, though, because the thought of shaving my upper lip scares me. I would most likely hurt myself if I attempted to shave there.

 

[2saddleslab]

While I've let mine go for a month or two in the winter just to see if I could stand it, most of the time my beard is trimmed close.

 

[bholder]

I can say I'm not following any recent fads - I've had a beard on my face for about 99.8% of the time since 1980. A few clean shave breaks here and there, for my first real job, or just to see if I still had a face... but mostly furry all the time for 43 years now, no fad. If that makes me a sheeple, so be it - but consider that I'm not following any of these younger kids, they're following me.

 

[bholder]

Today's braid:

Ok, the braid thing, yeah, I'll admit I got that from the whole Vikings craze, I'll give @Michedelic that much...

If I'm going to be a Sheeple, make it a Viking Sheeple! hehe

 

[MJ5150]

Yeah, but I'm pretty sure Vikings didn't wear glasses @bholder
You do kinda have that crazy berserker look about you though. Haha. Any chance we can get a shot of you pillaging a Saxon village with an axe and shield in your hands?

-Mike

 

[bholder]

Yeah, but I'm pretty sure Vikings didn't wear glasses @bholder
You do kinda have that crazy berserker look about you though. Haha. Any chance we can get a shot of you pillaging a Saxon village with an axe and shield in your hands?

-Mike

Especially not Silhouettes with Varilux progressive focus! hah!

Ahh, too old and fat now for any pillaging, but back in the days when the beard was red! hehe... I'm part Scottish, so quite possibly have a touch of Viking...

 

[5StringBlues]

Beer the feared!

 

[WG Plum]

 

[hbarcat]

Regarding the non-conformity thing, the guys I see with facial hair are about the most normal, conformed types you could expect.

There’s no real way to rebel with appearances anymore. Everyone and their mother is covered with tattoos, piercings, etc. these days. I’m not opposed to any of it, but they’re not my personal style. And definitely not rebellious.

My point was that it's the nonconformists who pioneer fads, but when enough rebels adopt the style to attract widespread public attention, it becomes the new cool thing and subsequently is copied by multitudes of conformists hoping to be popular by association.

I've always chafed at conformity and wore a goatee and long hair along with plain clothes and usually a trenchcoat or leather jacket during the 80s when it was considered the mark of a loser, stoner, street bum and everybody who was cool looked like this:

I noticed the trend in popularity toward goatees during the 2000s and then becoming longer and bustier in the 2010s. Some people began to presume that with my goatee I was trying to emulate a certain demographic typified by several reality TV stars peddling duck calls so I committed to the extreme face bush.

Now that the full beard has made such a huge comeback I feel a compulsion to get rid of it, but frankly, I'm physically uncomfortable with a shaved face (derived from a PTSD related trauma from a decade ago).

Also, I'm a fat guy with a round face and the full beard really does obscure that image quite a bit. Now that covid is over and I'm back to having regular band gigs, I'd rather look like the aging rock musician with out of control head and face hair than just some broken down fat guy playing in a lame, grampa band in his spare time away from the daily tedium of the rat race.

 

[5StringBlues]

My point was that it's the nonconformists who pioneer fads, but when enough rebels adopt the style to attract widespread public attention, it becomes the new cool thing and subsequently is copied by multitudes of conformists hoping to be popular by association.

I've always chafed at conformity and wore a goatee and long hair along with plain clothes and usually a trenchcoat or leather jacket during the 80s when it was considered the mark of a loser, stoner, street bum and everybody who was cool looked like this:

View attachment 5076729

I noticed the trend in popularity toward goatees during the 2010s and decided to grow out the full beard when people began to presume that I was trying to emulate a certain demographic typified by several reality TV stars peddling duck calls.

Now that the full beard has made such a huge comeback I feel a compulsion to get rid of it, but frankly, I'm physically uncomfortable with a shaved face (derived from a PTSD related trauma from a decade ago).

Also, I'm a fat guy with a round face and the full beard really does obscure that image quite a bit. Now that covid is over and I'm back to having regular band gigs, I'd rather look like the aging rock musician with out of control head and face hair than just some broken down fat guy playing in a lame, grampa band in his spare time away from the daily tedium of the rat race.

Don't be concerned with what others think.




Especially random online bozo "experts" and critics.

 

[hbarcat]

Don't be concerned with what others think.

Especially random online bozo "experts" and critics.

Actually, most of my friends and family tell me that I look better with the full beard. Even my ex says she thinks it's more attractive than going bare faced.

Oh sure! I kept by head shaved entirley bald for 10 years of marriage because she likes it, but now that I don't have a mate to impress, she thinks it's sexy to look like I'm auditioning for ZZ Top.

 

[5StringBlues]

Actually, most of my friends and family tell me that I look better with the full beard. Even my ex says she thinks it's more attractive than going bare faced.

Oh sure! I kept by head shaved entirley bald for 10 years of marriage because she likes it, but now that I don't have a mate to impress, she thinks it's sexy to look like I'm auditioning for ZZ Top.

How you feel about it in the moment is all that matters.


Everything else is falderal.