Beards are Back

Beards are a natural part of life. However, the beard has had a turbulent history. Being punished for having or not having a beard has been a problem for many men throughout history. For example in 1698, Peter I of Russia commanded his court to shave their beards. Any subject wanting to keep a beard was forced to pay a tax, as well as wear a medallion stating that "beards are a ridiculous ornament." Elizabeth the I of England also took a similar approach in the taxation of beards taxing them according to their length.

 The modern beard has had its own changing symbolism. From being abhorred in the early 1800's to socially accepted in the late 1800's and back to clean shaven looks during the World Wars and then used as a counter culture symbol in the 1960-70's. So what does the beard mean now?

Recent Studies have shown that modern beards are making a comeback. In a 2008 study by Nick Neave and Kerry Shields (Study) they found that men with light stubble or light beard are perceived as more attractive by women and full beards are perceived as the most socially mature and masculine.

Painting of Brigham Young,

the founder and namesake of

Brigham Young University.

 Notice the striking beard

  Despite new finding and changing attitudes among the younger generations there are still some holdouts to new view. Brigham Young University for example has an Honor Code which explicitly states that "Men are expected to be clean-shaven; beards are not acceptable." (Honor Code)

Most of the hold-outs come from conservative groups, led by conservative men who were reactionists to the counter culture of the 60's and 70's.  They wanted to distance themselves from the "Hippies" of the time period.  Conservative leaders want to maintain a visual separation between themselves and the counter culture.  This is why conservative groups such as BYU, the banking industry at large and military schools (though their reasoning is a little more complicated), continue to hold onto “no beard” policies.  They are a vestige of a time gone by of the conservative counter revolution from 50 years in the past.

While there are still some holdouts, the beard is back.  There will always be varying values and opinions of the beard. But that is the beauty of it. It is a way to express oneself, and therefore should be left up to the individual and not regulated or controlled by any institution.  Beards now symbolize many good things in our society, such as maturity, attractiveness, and trust.  With so many things going the beards way, let’s get it back to BYU as a powerful tool to express our commitment to social maturity, attractiveness and trustworthiness!