The Beard is BACK

What a long time ago it seems I said I'd get back on here as soon as possible. I'm probably in more of a hectic situation than when I was about a month ago (assessed work for Wednesday, exam on Tuesday and essay for Friday - help!) but I've decided that instead of being the studious little beaver that I ought to be, I'm going to procrastinate and put my energies into something somewhat productive and get back on the fashion train. I was going to say 'wagon' but second thoughts deduced that a wagon has unfashionable connotations. Well, it does for the time being anyway.

So, one thing I've been noticing with my eagle eyes whilst indulging in sinful shopping trips, is the kind of models clothing labels like to choose for their advertising and campaigns, particularly their male models. No I haven't been skulking about in shops gawking at the images of broody male models draped across the walls (ok, maybe once...or twice) but I have observed a theme running through the types of men being cast in the pictures, men with one key, integral feature: the Beard.

The beard? Yes, the beard. I'm not a boy - I'll have you know - but I can imagine that the majority of guys have dabbled in thoughts of how they would look like with a beard, whether they could pull it off - to shave or not to shave, that is the question. It seems like a rite of passage for most guys to go through the overgrown facial hair phase.
Once accomplished, I would say, without any sources to support me on this, that approximately 70% of these men will eventually look in the mirror and sigh, 'what was I thinking?!' and subsequently take out their razor and shaving cream, fast. 20% of these men, on the other hand, will look in the mirror, see their face adorned by what could be said to be one of the boldest statements of hairy masculinity and through rose coloured spectacles unwisely decide that, depsite whatever beard jokes and jibes he may have endured by his mates and/or girlfriend, 'yes, this is brilliant. I look good. The beard is staying.'
Then the last 10 % won't even need to look in the mirror because they are the ones that can truly pull all of it's rugged manliness off. The beard stays and the world is happy. This is the kind of beard being used in todays fashion industry.

It appears that our highstreet - and I'm particularly talking about the European fashion industry here - these days wants to abandon the smooth faced, pouty indie boy who-could-be-in-a band(and probably is)-wearing-skinny-jeans-verging-on-adrogyny kinda look and assume a more macho, masculine vibe, which is perfectly depicted in one of the most striking campaigns of the year:



The epitome of manliness, don't you think? A little dishevelled, rugged and rough around the ages, assuming a nonchalance that almost verges on arrogance. This FCUK campaign has recieved a lot of criticism in the past few months for gender stereotyping and inequality lark, but I like it. It laughs at itself quite blatently, I thought when I first saw the images. And back to the beard, it embraces the wash and go ready routine that realistically most guys follow, and that it's pointing out perhaps we're forgetting what the quintessential man is. This is what those stylish people at FCUK had to say on their blog about their new found love of the shaggy look:

“His love for his beard is fierce and raw. He knows that a beard is a poem. Do not touch his beard. If you do not know so much about the beard, The Man can help you.”

All Saints A/W10



H&M

I also spied men with long hair and beards displayed on the walls of All Saints and H&M, the H&M model Patrick Petitjean, apparently renowned for his Christ like facial hair. So does this mean, as fashion often dictates, that all you men out there must go and follow the trend and grow Jesus beards too? Nahh, I don't think so. I like to think that it's another one of those barriers that fashion's breaking, that along with all the pretty, smooth, clean cut boys that brands like Abercrombie and Fitch or Tommy Hilfiger like to flaunt, that men of the opposite style and look can look just as good and rival them.

It simply just makes looking at fashion advertisements much more interesting and eye catching when there's something a little differnet. It breaks away from the standard you'd expect from a model and will hopefully make way for a few more little differences here and there. I'm in full favour of the beard revival, but I sincerely hope it doesn't catch on to the masses - remember what I said boys, there's at the very most 10% of you out there who can get away with this. Don't go and do a Brad Pitt and ruin your face. Stick to the stubble, guys.