Q. My husband has had a goatee for years, which I could give or take, but now he's moving to a full beard, which he insists is in style. His work is in the more creative end of advertising (copywriting), but I still don't think it is business appropriate. Whose side are you on?
A. To answer your question about whether a beard is business appropriate, it really depends a great deal on the type of business a man is in. Your husband's field seems to be one that allows for a lot of leeway, as you seem to recognize. I cannot imagine that anyone in any aspect of advertising would have an objection to his growing a beard. I would think the frowned-upon full beard opinions follow the range of business possibilities: One may need to be particularly successful to wear one in serious money-related fields (such as banking and investment), less so in customer-friendly areas (such as sales), and probably will be one among many in glamour and creative fields (such as acting, architecture and advertising).
If a part of your question is whether or not beards are in style, I would venture to say yes. Anyone who watched the recent Golden Globe Awards had to have noticed that a really large number of the presenters and winners were sporting handsome beards. These were different from the short-stubble craze of a few years ago, but not the Duck Dynasty/Rip Van Winkle bushy variety that David Letterman and Joaquin Phoenix grew specifically to look odd. The awards show featured carefully sculpted full beards with matching mustaches on the likes of Chris Pine, Leonardo DiCaprio, Casey Affleck, Jake Gyllenhaal and others. Agreed, as a group, handsome actors are more likely to look good in whatever they choose, but even so, they often do set the tone for new trends.
It seems that facial hair is becoming a rather well-established trend. Men now sport everything from closely cropped stubble to mustaches and fuller beards.
There is, of course, the unanswered question of whether or not you happen to like your husband in a beard. You seem not to mind a goatee, which I and several women that I asked agree is the least attractive of all men's beard styles. I find it hard to imagine you would object if he were to adopt a new neatly groomed, not-too-long or too-bushy beard. His interest may be based on one of the main reasons why men prefer beards over a clean-shaven look: the idea of avoiding the bother of daily shaving. But this is not as clear-cut an advantage as it might seem. A good-looking beard is not an easy-going, carefree style. It requires preliminary styling from a competent barber and ongoing regular maintenance. (There is shaving involved.)
I'm not sure of your husband's age, but arguments can be made on both sides regarding a man's age and his beard. Facial hair tends to go gray faster as one ages; so a beard often shows age before or more extremely than other physical elements. If a 30-something man with a boyish face wants to seem more mature or more professorial, a beard can accomplish that; if a 50-something man wants to pass for 40-something or just not emphasize his age, it might be a poor choice.
As an author on men's style, beyond my insistence that all grooming relates to one's overall look, I should point out that this change also affects other coordination. A man adding a gray beard has another "color" that he can accent with his wardrobe choices. Just as I often mention that the necktie pulls the observer's eye up to the face, the same can be said of a beard, particularly a noticeable one. Of course, an unappealing beard draws the eye even more; it acts like a major mistake. If you plan to develop a new beard, do it with meticulous attention to detail. Guys looking to get noticed may benefit from a well-designed and well-maintained beard (especially when combined with being nicely dressed and otherwise well-groomed).
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High Profile on 01/22/2017