Meaningless Nonsense: Bearded Tales

Nearly every guy has experimented with facial hair. Facial hair can make a unique statement about yourself. For example, full beards tend to give a more rugged look to a man. This sends a message of strength and power. I mean, Chuck Norris has a full beard, and no one ever questions his power or integrity. Chuck Norris once shot down a German plane by pointing his finger at it and yelling "BANG!" (Sorry, had to throw in a Chuck Norris joke there). More can be read about facial hair here.

I have experimented with many different beard styles in my life. I have tried to grow a full beard (didn't turn out too great), and even experimented with a mustache (also didn't turn out too great). Today, most guys that have facial hair, have either a goatee, mustache or both. I always wanted to be different than most guys and try to sort of make a unique statement about myself with something a little more creative. So, I thought to myself that you normally don't see too many guys with the "soul patch". This facial hair style is facial hair that's under the bottom lip. It is also known as the "flavor savor". I tried out this look, and I was instantly sold. It's easy to grow and trim, looks nice, and as silly as it sounds, it gives me confidence. It has a look that adds a little bit of boldness I think. People often tell me that I look like Tommy Lee from Motley Crue banging away at the drums in a concert surrounded by beautiful women when I'm wearing the soul patch (well not really ever, but I like to imagine that sometimes).

There's no doubt that different facial hair styles have different meanings. Let's review some different styles quickly.

The Full Beard: Adds a masculine, rugged look to the wearer. Conveys a statement of power and strength.
Famous users of the Full Beard - Chuck Norris, Geico Caveman
Characteristics portrayed - Strength, Power

The Goatee: This style often gives the wearer a different look with authority. It still presents a look of masculinity, but at times when it is trimmed very neat, it adds a look of maturity to the user. When you shave a goatee off anyone, normally they look a lot younger afterwards.
Famous users of the Goatee - Dog the Bounty Hunter, Mark McGwire
Characteristics portrayed - Authority, Maturity

The Mustache: This facial hair above the upper lip is generally the first facial hair that is grown by a male around his early teenage years. Usually it conveys a well-groomed manner to the user.
Famous users of the Mustache - Edgar Allan Poe, Super Mario
Characteristics portrayed - Neatness, Growth

The Soul Patch: The soul patch adds a some boldness to the user. It also gives the wearer a unique sense of style and comfort.
Famous users of the Soul Patch - Tommy Lee, Steve Vai
Characteristics portrayed - Boldness , Uniqueness

The Chin Curtain: This beard often gives the user an old fashioned style of look. It often gives the wearer a nice mild-mannered sense about him.
Famous users of the Chin Curtain - Abraham Lincoln, The Amish
Characteristics portrayed - Mild, Gentle

Here below are a few pics of me with different beard styles to show the different looks each one accompanies to give a few examples.



Notice below the difference with a clean shaved look as compared with the others. The clean shaved look gives a plain, clean and neat look to the user.



Clean