Why Beards Are FEARED and RESPECTED around the world
00:00 So I’m driving home the other day going from Mosinney, Wisconsin back to Wittenberg. My daughters had just competed in the Badger State games. They didn’t do too well. Made a stop at Culver’s to cheer them up with ice cream. And as I’m driving, I see it right there on the side of the road, this huge billboard with a crystal clear message, fear the beard. Or to be more specific, insurance companies fear the beard. Now, as a guy that makes videos talking about the science of styling grooming, it got me thinking. Do beards really make
a man look more ferocious? Do beards really make a man look more masculine? 00:28 are people who work at insurance companies worried about bearded men ruining their day? Now, for that last point, I’m going to say the answer is no. I did some scientific research, I called up one friend in the insurance company and he wasn’t worried about bearded men. Although, we both agreed the fear the beard meme is a good marketing ploy. I mean, seriously, if you’re a baseball fan especially in San Francisco, you remember the 2010 World Series. One of the heroes of
that San Francisco Giants team was Brian 00:53 And on top of that full beard, he also apparently had a very eccentric personality. Now, if you’re a basketball fan especially
in the Super Bowl, he lost the bet he was supposed to shave both his beard and his head. He’s like, 01:21 I will shave my head. Now, as a little brother, Travis, over the years has played it with going from a full beard to going with stubble to being clean shaven. But, does any beard affectionate or can tell you the whole reason that Taylor Swift is with him? Yeah, it’s the beard. Now, having said all this, we come to the question does having a beard make you more of a man? Do real men grow beards?
Well, obviously, I’m a little biased here. I don’t think it makes any sense in today’s modern age to equate having a beard with being a real man. That being said, gents, I’m 01:48 There is tons of evidence that growing a beard makes you come off as more masculine, makes you come off as strong, more powerful, and more ferocious, which actually in the study they officially labeled as aggression. Now, the reasons for this are many. And in today’s video, I’m going to get into the specific reasons why. But before getting into that, I want to introduce
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and the Beardscape is set to last for up to 240 minutes. And if you’re a traveler, you’re going to love the fact that they’ve got a travel lock. This ensures your trimmer doesn’t accidentally 03:05 on because who wants to show up to their destination with a dead battery. It’s also got a great grip, so when your hands are slippery when things are wet, you don’t drop it. By the way, if you want something closer than a 1-millimeter shave, check out their Zero Blade. The Zero Blade allows you to get down to 0.2 millimeters. I love
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awesome company, awesome tool. And I’m proud to support them. Again, guys, use the deal before it’s gone. It’s a good one. Now, the first reason that you could argue that beards make you more manly because they are a clear show of high levels of testosterone. Now, before some of you guys say in the comments, well, I can’t grow a beard, I’ve got patchy beards. Yes, a beard. 03:57 big part of this is genetics. Now, where this would show there’s actually more testosterone and that you’re a healthier male would be in a small population maybe 50,000
years ago when humans used to move in bands of about 100 to 150. Well, in this case, the genetics were shared with those smaller groups and we could tell very clearly which of the individuals had reached maturity and which of the couple dozen or so eligible males were actually the healthiest and had the healthiest doses of testosterone. 04:23 based off of their beards. Now, of course, this doesn’t work in today’s modern society where you have people from different parts of the world living closer to each other, so the genetic differences are going to be much
more acute. That being said, multiple studies in which women and men are shown pictures of men with beards without beards the same guy, different lengths of the beard, different thicknesses of the beard. All these studies seem to back up the perception that when people see a thick burly beard, what do they think? Strength? Dominance? 04:49 and aggression. And with those three traits being traditionally masculine, it’s no surprise that men with beards are viewed at as more masculine versus the same guy without a beard. Now, for this next point, I want to show you two images.
We’ve got the late great Kimbo Slice right here, which man looks more intimidating. Now, to be honest, I wouldn’t want to mess with either of these guys, but Kimbo Slice with that beard comes off to me as much stronger looking. 05:14 much more powerful. The other guy kind of looks like Raging Bull from the old Mike Tyson video game. Kimbo on the other hand, man, that was a scary looking dude. My point here, when we see a man with a beard innately deep within something that has been with us since the beginning of time, we
want to show that person a bit more respect because they come off as someone higher up in the social status at least old school wise when men dominated for strength. 05:39 Next up, let’s talk about how beards affect how we perceive the age of a person. Again, let’s keep this scientific here. Let’s bring in two of my favorite characters from Lord of the Rings. We’ve got Legolas and Gimli. Now, looking at these two characters right here, you may guess that Gimli is a bit older. You would be incorrect though for thinking that. You see, Gimli
at the time of this photograph is 139 years of age, while Legolas is 2931 years of age. Gents, I’d say it’s very clear a beard makes you look older. But, seriously, gents, every time they do a 06:08 without the beard, two to sometimes ten years is the difference in what people perceive the age to be. When you have a beard, you’re perceived as more mature. The lines on your face are oftentimes more well-defined. So, if you’ve got a baby face, if you’re in your 20s and tired of being mistaken as a teenager, maybe growing a
beard could be the difference maker for you. And related with this, men with beards are perceived as wiser as having more experience. Which takes us to the next point, the significance of beards in various cultures across the world. 06:36 Let’s go back to ancient Egypt, the pharaohs. They actually had false beards. While the rest of people and the priests even, they were all cleanly shaven, the pharaohs had these longer fake beards and the reason was it showed their connection to the gods. The ancient Greeks, they loved their beards. In fact, a beard was supposed to
be a sign of not only virality, but also wisdom in manhood. In fact, you look at some of the greatest Greek philosophers, they were bearded. An exception to this Alexander the Great, he did want his men. 07:04 cleanly shaven, he viewed it as a way to make sure your enemy never grabbed your beard and used it against you. In ancient Mesopotamia, the beard was viewed as something that was very important, highly esteemed. And, in fact, nobility spent a lot of money curling their beards, spending on oils and all the other perfumes that would go in
their beards and make them look beautiful. In fact, in ancient Mesopotamia, they took their beards so seriously that there were actually laws passed that protected beards from harm or insult. 07:31 I wonder how often that was actually an issue, somebody insulting your beard, but not you. Another point, another area where guys are viewed as more masculine when they have a beard, let’s look at religions around the world. Let’s start with Judaism. In Jewish culture, beards hold significant religious importance. In fact, there are biblical laws about the way that you shave your beard. In Islam, the
beard is seen as a symbol of piety and religious adherence. In Buddhism, in Hinduism, beards are seen as a form of detachment. 07:59 They symbolize a breaking away of worldly vanities. And, of course, for you Christians out there, let’s look at the guy that started it all. You’ve got Jesus rocking those long locks and that full beard. Now, what about more modern times? Specifically, let’s go to the Western world. 17th and 18th century, all of a sudden, beards disappeared. The clean shaven look was just simply perceived as being more refined. That being said, over in
Asia, specifically China, beards were still looked at as a great thing they were a sign of wisdom. In fact, Confucius scholars oftentimes sported a beard. 08:27 as a sign of their learned status. And perhaps following suit, the Victorians actually brought the beard back. All of a sudden, we saw all different types of styles. And rightfully so, I think the beard was associated with masculinity with strength. And I think in the Victorian era, they also had a lot of fun with different products and having fun with the looks and shapes of those beards. Now, in the
last 150 years, both World Wars actually put a damper on the beard. 08:50 the military circles, you pretty much need to be completely shaven. In World War I, you’ve got the gas mask. To have that tight seal, you have to have a clean shaven face. And I know some of you guys are thinking, well, nobody uses gas anymore. Why does the military still do that? Well, gents, I’m here to tell you as late as 2003, I know I was still carrying a gas mask with me whenever we were going into combat. It was one of
those things that you would much rather have with you than not have it if you need it. In any case, beards would have a resurgence in the 1960s, in the 1970s. 09:18 a little bit of mustaches in the 1980s, but it was in the 2000s, the rise of the hipster, that all of a sudden the beards started coming back. We see from British royalty having beards and saying they wear their beards to protect them from the anxiety that they suffer. But, in general, I’d like to think as we’ve become a more connected world, more and
more men are exploring the ability to grow out their facial hair and have fun with it. So, what’s the future of beards? I don’t know. Let me know your thoughts, though, in the comments below. And if you want to watch another video that’s close to this, click 09:46 Let’s talk about mustaches. What in the world happened to the mustache? When was peak mustache? Why did it disappear? Why did it come back? What’s going on with the mustaches? How are they different officially from beards? Guys, I got you covered in this video. Boom, right here. Check
it out. It’s a good video. It did really well and I think you will love it. So, boom. Oh, yeah. Right there. Come on.
