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I was getting bored with my face and I wanted a change. So I trimmed my beard as far down as it could go. I hate shaving my face completely, I kinda look like a creep if I do that.
Which looks better?
≡ Click to see image ≡
Slight beard (and an unflattering photo from 1AM and a perplexed face because my camera wasn't taking the photo when I wanted it to and it caught me by surprise).
Actually the beard/stubble/whatever is a lot lighter than that last photo makes it out to be. So keep that in mind. Pretend its lighter/shorter than that photo. Because I don't want to get up and take another.
Um, I favor beards for SURE, but you look pretty great either way. Off the cuff, I will remark that your beard makes you look older, like, 24/32 in fact, and I just polled my bearded boyfriend who agreed, but that isn't anything that surprising, I imagine.
Fuller beard. This from a gal who doesn't like facial hair all that much. And yea, without it you'd look really young, which at this stage is not what you're going for. Many years down the road when the grey starts to come in, you may decide differently but for now? Beard.
Dude, rock it. You've got a great beard AND you're a college student. This is a somewhat rare combo. Most guys have to be in their 30s before their beard really fills in to the point that it looks that great.
Low maintenance (while still keeping it from going too jungle / Grizzly Adams, which it seems you do) is my tip. Save the highly-groomed look for when/if you wind up in the corporate world.
Dude, I totally cannot decide either. The instant Ambrosia Voyeur mentioned House, I'm all "OOH, SCRUFFY! BE LIKE HUGH LAURIE!" but then I also remembered my friend Allan who lives in Buffalo, whom I think is cute, and has a full beard like yours, and then I totally became conflicted.
Go for the best overall life style choice.
Does it hurt to shave or not shave? Is it better for your skin to removed that dead layer with a razor? Is it warmer with it or without and balaclava or scarf?
i say keep your options open so you can both scruff and shave unless you treasure the regular grooming experience of maintenance.
i'm thinking it doesn't help you pass for legal, you'll get carded no matter what, so unless there's some advantage to looking older right now, why bother.
Slight beard, I like the stubbly look. However, I don't know how much kissin' you got goin' on up in there - kissing a stubbly beard is kinda prickly and stuff.
EITHER!
mudpuppie
Ambrosia Voyeur (maybe also scruff?)
mdonley
TrishaLynn
ThePinkSuperhero (with a pun, no less)
WAIT YOU'RE A DUDE?
ramix
EW SHAVE!
brujita
Well then! 5 in each, 1 each in the other two categories. A very close race!
I was actually House for halloween last year, and it was the best costume I've ever done in my life. I have no idea what I want to be for halloween this year, and if I can't think of anything the day before, I might do it again. But repeating halloween costumes is such a taboo!
Re: looking older, I don't know how I feel about that. I know it'd make me look younger, and I know I looked older with the beard (someone actually told me I look more "Irish" with the scruff. Huh. Go figure...)
I've had facial hair since early high school. I've always looked older than I really am, and I've always acted older, and often get along rather well with people much older than myself.
At this point, I just want to be vain; which one makes me look good, and thus more appealing to the ladies? ;)
Ethylene, very good points, especially the skin thing. I have sensitive skin, but the areas that need exfoliation via razor are the areas of my face that get shaved when maintaining the beard anyway, so its pretty win win in that department. My face was FREEZING the first couple days, but now I'm used to it.
I guess for now I'll wait it out and see who else votes.
And thank you all for the compliments; they were totally unexpected and I needed a bit of cheering up. I love this place.
dude, if'n you ever get bored with your face again, just come back and post more pics. We'll sort you out. Oh and btw those yellow wayfarers are perfect on you. This from someone who generally thought 'waifs sucked balls in the 80's when they were so popular with all the teenage Tom Cruise wannabees.
Hugh Laurie? HA! I knew there was a reason I thought you reminded me of someone.
minor creepy anecdote: I had such a stoopid schoolgirl crush on HL as Bertie Wooster in the early 90's.
i'm of a like mind but apparently i so often read like a big black man or an old white guy or a lesbian circus freak or an alien poodle smuggler that sometimes it's nice to clear stuff up and nip presumptions in the bud.
Not that it stops people from telling me about the war in my homeland as a child, which always ends with me asking at the end: "You mean Brooklyn?"
Dang, you're cute either way. I vote scruff as you are young and lacking in jowl. Save the full-on beard for a few decades from now when you find yourself wanting to hide a bit of loose skin (alas, it happens to all of us).
The stubble looks pretty good. Nonetheless, if you're in the market for a gf, I vote for more beard or none at all. Kissing stubble pretty much sucks- so for me guys who have any are out of the running unless it looks like they just didn't manage to shave for that one day.
*runs in panting* Holy fucking shit, I was out doing something and my beardfilter-alert went off that someone somewhere was wondering whether they should grow a beard or not. I came here as fast as I could.
CitrusFreak12, I came this --><-- close to clippering down to the scruff myself today because of this post. I told my wife and she FREAKED THE EFF OUT about it -- I was still clean-shaven when she met me ten years ago, but not for long, and she has no memory of it. She's terrified at the prospect of seeing my lips.
Oh I disagree with the kissing stubble haters out there... get the right amount of stubble and it is awesome. If it's really prickly you can end up with a face like a beacon though...
QFT jonathanstrange. One of the reasons I like facial hair is the +++ value to kissing and other romantic activities. Be smooth everywhere else if you wanna, but have some stubble/scruff/beard for win.
photo by splunge
photo by TheophileEscargot
photo by Kronos_to_Earth
photo by ethylene
