Hairy: There's a beard boom goin on as more men sport facial hair

By Jessica Yadegaran
Contra Costa Times

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Beards could be the biggest trend in facial hair since the '90s grunge goatee. In the past, beards reflected a mood or made a statement. That's still happening. But more and more men are sporting them just for style's sake.

Peek into a pub.

Take a look at the young hipsters -- they're moving past sexy stubble and into some serious hair territory.

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So are the men of the red carpet. At last month's Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards, it was hard to spot a clean-shaven face. Sting, actors Jeremy Piven and Vincent Kartheiser ("Mad Men"), and directors Sam Mendes and Ron Howard were among the many celebs sporting beards. It's the next expression in the evolution of male facial hair, says Allan Peterkin, a pogonologist, or beard scholar, and author of "One Thousand Beards: A Cultural History of Facial Hair" (Arsenal Pulp, 2002).

"If you look at the 20th century, every decade has a little bit of fur," Peterkin said. In the 1950s, it was the pointy, beatnik goatee. In the 1960s, hippies grew out their hair -- and their beards.

The 1970s was a decade of swinger mustaches, and in the 1980s, men wore designer stubble. The goatee of the 1990s had staying power, Peterkin says, and unleashed a whole expression of partial beards and facial-hair combinations.

"The full beard is the next progression," he said. "It's about playful rebellion and being a free man. It's about saying, 'I'm not a corporate slave.' "

On a purely superficial level, it is also one of the few ways a man can change up his look.

Even so, full beards aren't socially acceptable yet, at least according to Jack Passion, a Walnut Creek musician and beard champion who heads to Alaska in May to defend his title at the World Beard and Moustache Championships. Passion attributes the growth in beards to an overall increased consciousness.

"Everything we've seen on television for the past 50 years told us we had to shave, and if we didn't, it was dirty," said Passion, who has a fan club of 1,500 Passionistas. "But now, there's a focus on sustainable practices. People are starting to say there are better ways to live. Men just want to see who they are and experiment with new looks."

And those looks can have layered meanings. Growing a beard can stand for affiliation, especially in sports. In some religions, it is a sign of mourning.

Beards also can demonstrate support for a cause. Recall when David Letterman grew a beard last year to show support for the writers' strike.

Beards are also a quick and easy way to change an image.

"When Al Gore lost the election and was becoming an academic at Columbia University, he grew a beard," Peterkin said. The on-again, off-again beards of Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling are important accessories for actors who want to prove they're more than a pretty face, Peterkin says. Beards are quite favorable for men who are balding, he adds. Others might grow one to cover a double chin or make their faces appear bigger or more masculine.

Another beard bonus: Some women have a thing for them.

"I've been into beards for five years," said Jennifer Matamoros, 32, of Oakland. "I think they're extremely sexy. It's that whole lumberjack thing."

Haseeb Wahedy of Vallejo admits that his short, kempt beard is popular with the ladies. He's been wearing it on and off for about two years, depending on his mood.

"It's trendy. It's appealing. And I don't like to shave," Wahedy said.

Marty Parker of Denise's Barber Salon gets a bearded customer every now and then in his Oakland shop. Most men interviewed for this story groom their own, however. Parker, 63, wore a beard for 30 years but finally shaved it off in 2000 when it started turning gray.