Why do men have beards?
Scientists do not give a definite answer as to why it happens in men. Homo sapiens thick facial hair was retained. Charles Darwin, creator of the theory of evolution, suggested that it was influenced by sexual selection; It has been suggested that so-called prehistoric women were more affected than bearded men. Some modern biologists agree with this view, arguing both for modern women’s preferences (which are indeed highly diverse) and for research in evolutionary psychology: as if the beard indicates puberty.
Other researchers with I do not agree: according to them, the beard helped to compete with other men because it visually increased the size of the chin and gave a more aggressive and dominant appearance. Some experiments confirm that even today the beard primarily affects men. In a 1969 survey, men and women were shown a picture of a bearded middle-aged man and a beardless young man facing each other. The girls saw a harmless plot in this drawing, and the boys saw a conflict dominated by the bearded man. Some have described the scene as “a sad teenager in front of a confident father”. When a beard was added to a young man in the same drawing, it turned into an equals debate in the eyes of the men.
Finally, some scientists are trying to prove that having a beard has a practical impact on life. So, in 2020, American researchers simulated beard and beardless blows to the chin and came to the following conclusion: solutionProvides protection against impacts. According to them, he allowed himself to prevail in fights with other men. But there is practically no evidence that the beard helps in combat. On the contrary, Alexander the Great forced his warriors to shave, believing that the enemy could grab them by the beards and kill them.
Returning to practice as a criterion of truth, there have been both bearded and beardless warriors in history and whole armies that had no significant impact on the war – at least if you don’t raise it like the old Hottabych.
From Sumerians to Knights
Just as there was no uniform attitude towards male beard among women, it did not exist in the ancient world. Mesopotamian inhabitants, including the Sumerians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and Medes, valued lush beards. Many kings and heroes are depicted with beards, including the legendary Gilgamesh and the real-life king of Assyria, Tiglat-Pileser III. At the same time, fashion, it would seem, was not fixed and obligatory: there is an image of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II, the neatly shaved creator of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
In ancient Mesopotamia it was customary to care for the beard and curl it neatly. A similar situation existed in the Persian state of the Achaemenids, which swallowed up all other ancient Eastern kingdoms. According to the original images of that period, starting from Cyrus the Great and defeated by Alexander the Great, III. Until Darius, both ordinary soldiers and rulers had beards.
Facial hair was treated differently in ancient Egypt. Except for the Pharaoh and the elite, Egyptian men shaved. The pharaoh could wear a false beard as a sign of his power, and this was also a feature of some gods.
Looking at classical sculptures, it can be seen that the ancient Romans always shaved. This is not the case – both Roman kings and Lucius Brutus, who expelled them, had beards. They only began shaving their beards during the Second Punic War (end of the 3rd century BC), and Hannibal’s victor, Scipio Africanus, was one of the first to shave. Since then, shaving has quickly become fashionable and has become a national feature that distinguishes Romans from Greeks. The beard was considered the quality of a scruffy person, and only those who wanted to look like a philosopher decided to grow a beard. Exceptionally, beard growth was allowed during mourning. One of the Roman politicians was not allowed to sit in the Senate until he shaved. It was only in the 2nd century BC that emperor Hadrian changed this custom to hide the scars on his chin, as many believe.
The beard entered European culture firmly in the Middle Ages, probably due to its popularity among the Germanic barbarian tribes that seized the lands of the empire. The beard symbolized the knight’s courage, it was impossible for strangers to cling to it, and the same penalty for forcibly plucking the beard was the same as castration. Only Catholic clergy had to shave as a sign of celibacy. Especially strong beards became fashionable in Russia, since they correspond to the Orthodox tradition adopted from the Greeks.
The Age of Pogonophobia
Since the Renaissance, the beard has gone out of fashion, and in the XIV century. Under Louis, shaving became mandatory for any self-respecting man. By the end of the 17th century, the beard was so badly treated that Peter I forcibly shaved off the entire Russian elite in order to establish reliable business relations with the Europeans. In this state, the Western world, including Russia, also met with the Napoleonic era, and only in the middle of the 19th century a “renaissance” in beards came and ended in the beginning of the 20th century.
Shaving has been traditional throughout almost the entire 20th century. First, replaceable blade razors became commonplace at that time, and manufacturing companies and marketers did everything to replace them as often as possible. Secondly, as always, the military strongly influenced fashion, and they had to shave so that the gas mask fit snugly on the skin. Beards were worn by hippies and other members of the counterculture, but the smooth face was considered the norm. This was especially strict in large corporations and among politicians. Since the mid-20th century, the United States has not had a single bearded general secretary or president, and hardly anyone can name an unshaven leader of the Cold War era.
This attitude continues to a large extent today. The beard is taboo for many service workers, and it’s also not welcome among public servants. Some people associate a beard with homelessness or neglect. At the same time, more and more companies are emphasizing in their job postings that they don’t care which style the candidate prefers, the important thing is that it gives good results.
There is a lobby group in the UK called the Beard Liberation Front. Their names refer to numerous rebel groups, from the anti-French resistance in Algeria to the Tamil Tigers. Frontline activists represent birding (the movement that supports beards) and opposes discrimination against bearded people in the workplace, and also present the annual Beard of the Year award. According to members of the organization, they oppose it with pogonophobia – an unreasonable fear of beards and dislike for it, although this term is not used very seriously.