Male secondary sex characteristics, including development of facial hair on the chin, cheeks, and upper lip, appear during mid adolescence. It's common for boys in their mid teens to begin shaving, and some either stop shaving and allow a full crop of facial hair or trim their thickening whiskers in keeping with various styles. Others prefer their face to be naked to the elements.
In today's western societies, and also in the east, men's beards range from wild and unkempt facial shrubs to neatly trimmed goatees.
Despite the fact that beards sprout during youth, the image of the old bearded man pervades ancient expression. His typology conjures a sense of wisdom, of a philosophy, or the voice experience. Sometimes shown as the male counterpart or consort of an aged crone, the wise man appears alone in countless dramas from ancient times to the present. Ancient art depicted Literaten in sculpture as bearded wise men wearing a philosopher's mantel, out of which he raises his right hand in the manner of a counselor or teacher.
Merlin, who mentored the young King Arthur destined to become high king of Britain, is another example of the bearded wise figure. Indeed, wizards and Druids generally fall under the imagery of the wise old man. Such men were sometimes believed to have the power to bless, to curse, or to enchant. In pictures and literature, they are almost invariably depicted as aged and with beards. Similarly, the "right jolly old elf" who thrills the young each Yule would lose much of his magic if shorn of "the beard of his chin... white as the snow."
In various societies, a beard might symbolize wisdom, experience, virility, rebellion, insanity, age, indolence, or supernatural powers. In the first chapter of The Lord of the Rings, a character is introduced as "an old man driving [a cart] all alone. He wore a tall pointed blue hat, a long grey cloak, and a silver scarf. He had a long white beard and bushy eyebrows that stuck out beyond the brim of his hat" (Tolkien, 1: 45). "This was Gandalf the wizard, whose fame was due mostly to his skill with fire, smokes and lights. His real business was far more difficult and dangerous" (Tolkien, I: 46).
Jason Clark (1998) describes Tolkein's Gandolf as an archetype in the sense of the word used by Carl G. Jung. "The old man informs the child that "you can no longer turn back. Now that you have run away, you must seek a new home. I can take no further care of you, but I will give you some good advice for nothing" (Jung 218). The old man has 'expressed no more than what the boy, the hero of the tale, could have thought out for himself [the boy] has to rely entirely on himself' (Jung 218). This realization 'will give him the necessary resolution to his actions' (Jung 219); then the old man can 'begin his good advice' (Jung 219)."
In first-century Judea, Joshua the son of Joseph the Carpenter and Miriam of Bethlehem sported a beard, according to many conventional images. Such pictures convey the image of a teacher and philosopher. "The facial hair represents a senescence of Jesus akin to the artist’s notion that he should look as if he possesses greater maturity, equal to his deeds not his age. He now looks more like the keeper of great wisdom and this wisdom now commands him respect and gives him a stronger authority," one writer asserts.
However, there is no unanimity among modern Christians as to whether this carpenter who is regarded as the Son of Man and the creator of the world, wore a beard. The Bible is silent as to whether the Prince of Peace shaved his chin. It is known that this style was more common among Romans than Jews of the period. However, in his on-line tract entitled with the question "Did Jesus have long hair?", Baptist theologian E.L. Bynum attributes the following quotation to German painter L. Fahrenkrog, where the artist stated categorically:
"Christ certainly never wore a beard and his hair was beyond a doubt closely cut. For this we have historical proof. The oldest representations, going back to the first Christian centuries, and found chiefly in the catacombs of Rome, all pictured him without a beard. All the Christ pictures down to the beginning of the fourth century at least, and even later, are of this kind."
Judeo-Christian myth and art portray G-d as a hoary old man, the Ancient of Days with white hair and beard; G-d the Father (Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling image captures this perfectly.) Similarly, the Norse God Odin is envisioned "is said to resemble a very large and robust man in his fifties, and has gray hair and a beard. He is also a master of medicine and his magick has great ability to heal the sick and wounded."
In some traditions, beards are symbols not only of masculinity, but of obedience to divine rule. The law of Moses commands, "Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard" (Lev. 19:27). Orthodox Jews, like orthodox Muslims, are seen with long beards. A story is told how soldiers of King David were disgraced. "Hanun seized David's men, shaved off half of each man's beard, cut off their garments in the middle at the buttocks, and sent them away" (II Sam. 10:4). A commentator explains, "This shaving of the beard was an insult to the person, and to shave only half the beard, meant he was only half a man. To insult David's men, was to insult David and His God also."
A lengthy poem posted by a Muslim named Idil, on SomaliaOnline.com, concludes:
So indeed I love my beard
And adore the curls and tangles
Which no oil, gel or superglue can ever straighten
My glorious long, curly, 'messy', fluffy beard!
The playhouse for kids;
The pride of a man;
And the beloved of Allah!
I maybe rejected by worldly women because of this hair on my face
But who care! For my Mum loves it and she puts all such sisters to disgrace!
Be patient Muslim brothers, who shun the trendy look for a Prophetic pose
Paradise with the wide eyed Houris is our final abode!!!!!
Forcibly shaving of another's beard is practiced used as a means to humiliate and degrade soldiers in wartime. For example, Muslim prisoners detained at Guantanamo have their beards shaved by American soldiers while forcefully sedated. Critics view this as violation of the right to human dignity under the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and of the Geneva Conventions.
Do Americans at Guantanamo suffer from the abnormal and persistent fear of beards known as pogonophobia? If so, perhaps they can file service-related claims with the VA.
Beards can signify masculinity since male hormones generate their growth. In the case of a woman wearing a beard, as the Egyptians represented the mother of all living, a beard may symbolize a sort of spiritual androgyny, which may be understood as the wisdom of a mother and grandmother. In one verse, Hathor speaks the words, "I am my father's mother. I am my son's daughter." She identifies with that which gives truth to the father, and that which gives desire to the son.
Over time, the significance that a culture attaches to facial hair may change, just as styles change. In their discussion of English hairstyles during the Elizabethan period, Lesley Barfield and Tamarra Fuller observe the following:
The men of this time were so facial hair-conscious that they spent a lot of money on keeping their beards trimmed to fit the fashion. Long beards needed little care except for occasional brushing. The short beards called for a hairdresser. The beards could be cut pointed, square, round, oblong, or T-shaped. In the daytime men brushed the beard to keep it in tip-top shape, and at night they often encased the beard in a special wooden press. Beards were considered to be attractive.
In 1960s U.S. culture, a man with a beard became viewed not merely as a philosopher or a teacher but as a revolutionary or at least a questioner of authority. A beard was one way of identifying with the counterculture movement which was characterized by, among other things, a redefinition of roles in society and the sexual revolution. Speaking of which, some women -- and undoubtedly also some men -- find beards attractive in a lover. Some like kissing a man with a beard; some do not. Occasionally, opinion polls turn up, such as a net user named Erisely who inquires, "To shave or not to shave that is the quiestion -- [1] remain the grizaled haired man I am, or [2] give in to the feministice views, and break out that razer." In this particular poll, the votes were split 6-6, with no indication give as to the gender of respondents. Contrary to this, an on-line argument about the beauty of the beard can be found on at a site entitled Barbelith Underground, a board claiming to specialize in "subcultural engagement for the 21st century." On obvious troll opined, in quickly turned into a long flaming tread, "What is wrong with you people? BEARDS=WRONG. Never seen a man with a beard who didn't look 20x better with the scrofulous growth removed."
Perhaps it is in keeping with such prejudices as this that beards are verboten under the honor codes of institutions operated by the Mormon church like Brigham Young University. When was the last time you saw a Mormon elder sporting a goatee? Ironically, the old man himself sported a right imperial set of whiskers, as did about a third of the subsequent church presidents.
Under the heading "Beards and Long Hair", in 12/1971 edition of the church's youth magazine, The New Era, the newly installed BYU president Dallin H. Oaks spoke for many conservatives of his day when he compared the wearing of a beard to carrying an empty liquor bottle. However, in his comments he does note that the prohibition against beards was "temporary and pragmatic" as opposed to being an "eternal value."
The rule against beards and long hair for men stands on a different footing. I am weary of having young people tell me how most of our Church leaders in earlier times wore beards and long hair, which shows that these are not inherently evil. Others argue that beards cannot be evil because they see bearded men enjoying the privileges of the temple. To me, this proposition seems so obvious that it is hardly worth mentioning. Unlike modesty, which is an eternal value in the sense of rightness or wrongness in the eyes of God, our rules against beards and long hair are contemporary and pragmatic. They are responsive to conditions and attitudes in our own society at this particular point in time. Historical precedents are worthless in this area. The rules are subject to change, and I would be surprised if they were not changed at some time in the future. But the rules are with us now, and it is therefore important to understand the reasoning behind them.
There is nothing inherently wrong about long hair or beards, any more than there is anything inherently wrong with possessing an empty liquor bottle. But a person with a beard or an empty liquor bottle is susceptible of being misunderstood. Either of these articles may reduce a person’s effectiveness and promote misunderstanding because of what people may reasonably conclude when they view them in proximity to what these articles stand for in our society today.
In the minds of most people at this time, the beard and long hair are associated with protest, revolution, and rebellion against authority. They are also symbols of the hippie and drug culture. Persons who wear beards or long hair, whether they desire it or not, may identify themselves with or emulate and honor the drug culture or the extreme practices of those who have made slovenly appearance a badge of protest and dissent. In addition, unkemptness—which is often (though not always) associated with beards and long hair—is a mark of indifference toward the best in life.
The appropriate response to Mr. Oaks' remarks, I think, is Oy vey! "A mark of indifference toward the best in life?" Really! That's a gentile's opinion to be sure, if there ever was one.
Bottom line is, as it's said, different strokes for different folks. Some like them hot, some like them cold, and some like them hairy -- whether dignified, collegiate, pious, sexy, or just plain scruffy. And like the good Dr. Oaks, some men prefer to parade around in public with their faces totally nude!