Every now and again, usually after a few days of incidental "unshaveness" I get the urge to let nature take its course on my face. I grow a beard. In my case, this is more akin to letting nature take its course in your yard than letting nature take its course in the wilderness. The wilderness option would produce the largest, most heinous neck beard you have ever seen, and most of my face would be consumed in hair. No, this is nature harnessed, this is trimming, edging, pruning, and perhaps even mowing. Its not a statement, its not a paradigm shift, its just hair where there wasn't any before (and where God saw fit to make it grow). The other thing about beards is that they are among those physical attributes that everyone is happy to share their opinion about (obviously because they either know you can remove it easily, or they have been waiting a long time to find something positive to say about your appearance). For example no one ever says "Jake, your nose is a little crooked and your eyes are a little too close together," or "your calves are hot" but people will say "That nonsense on your face has GOT to go"
Anyway someone at work sent me this link and I found it interesting and amusing. I guess this is really the reasoning behind my growth:
http://chronicle.com/blogPost/The-Trustworthiness-of-Beards/22581/
Excerpt:
A recent study in the Journal of Marketing Communications found that men with beards were deemed more credible than those who were clean-shaven. The study showed participants pictures of men endorsing certain products. In some photos, the men were clean-shaven. In others, the same men had beards. Participants thought the men with beards had greater expertise and were significantly more trustworthy when they were endorsing products like cell phones and toothpaste.
Jake
10 comments:
I think there is an easy explanation for the link between "trustworthy and more knowledgeable than I" and "I have a family of marmots residing on my face." I have spent my whole life trotting around the university, first as a daughter of a prof and now caught in the vortex myself. Many, many university professors have facial hair and your mental stereotype of an academic probably has one. Of course the truth is they're so abstracted in their little worlds some element of hygiene has to go and I'm grateful it isn't deoderant.
I also think there is something of the mountain man feeling. A logger, a pioneer, a smelly recluse in the mountains -- these are men in touch with nature who don't stand for nonsense and don't have unnecessary stuff! And they have beards!
So there you have it. The bearded salesperson probably has a PhD and resides in his adirondack when not endorsing Febreeze.
I think it is because beards = old man and "old" is somehow mistaken for "wise".... Just a thought.
I normally don't like facial hair but I think it looks good on you. Every once in awhile it just suites someone nicely... you are one of those people.
P.S. I am not saying you look old or you are mistakenly wise...
Keep the beard! It is awesome. I wish I could get one that looks like that. By the way...did you know you have nice knee caps? I really admire them.
Jake. This nonsense has GOT to go.
I am not sure if I was emphatic enough.
JAKE THIS NONSENSE HAS GOT TO GO.
Especially before my husband reads this blog post. Please erase all and any positive reinforcement for facial hair or I will be living with Wolverine and have no opportunity for children in my future.
Thank you.
Love you.
Jake you have to do the Wolverine, it looks awesome. I know deep down Lizzie loves it and I'm sure Annie would love it too. You give me hope Jake! Stay strong!
Actually what Goop (Kaitan when he is sleep talking... aka dreaming) meant to say is:
Any facial growth not endorsed by Tom Selleck in the last seventeen years is a crime against humanity. And immigration. And America. Unless gym shorts are involved. And Hawaii.
And I would never expand my facial growth parameters without express encouragement from my woman.
That is what he meant to say.
I am glad that my post has been a catalyst for working through some issues Lizzie and Kaitin. Its not the first time I have unwittingly served as third party moderator. I 'll take your well presented points into serious consideration Lizzie
Jake
I did the 'wolverine' once, last year... i loved it, the guys i work with LOVED it, and Deena HATED it!! so i am no longer wolverine, however it is apropo this talk of beards as mine is actually about the exact same length as yours right now! i am keeping it for the flaming gorge fishing trip!
Let us be men...women change their hair all the time and it costs $50 and up to $250. All we want to do is let nature take its course for a short time to remind us that we are men. I say long live the beard and all its hairy glory.
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