I don’t like facial hair- but that is just my opinion. Some guys look great ~ others not so much. A couple of quick points. Some men’s faces are made more symmetrical when they have a beard. And as we know from a different set of studies, symmetry is highly valued when attracting someone, so a beard might be perceived as attracting depending upon the specifics of the circumstances.
Okay that is today– what about in yesteryear when a lot of men had them? Rose Mary Sarsfield found me an article from the Carleton Place Herald in 1863- and it was pretty easy to see where they stood on the subject.
The first fear of God they issued out to the masses was that if you shaved your beard you would get a frequent occurrence of bronchitis. It was said that the beard was given to all men by the Creator for some useful purpose, and if you were a male you should calculate to retain that animal warmth to that part of the body that is exposed to the elements. I kid you not the words ‘animal warmth’ was used.
W.G. Grace, the best cricket player of the Victorian age, in the late 1880s
You were warned that if you exercised your vocal organs for hours; the pores of the chest and throat would be open to the whole force of the atmosphere, and sooner or later you were going to get bronchitis. Then again came the warning that the Maker had given men flowing beards to escape any degree of exposure unharmed.
Facial hair fly-away. Sideburn wings, 19th Century
Dr.Marey who wrote this article said that men of the Jewish faith who wore their beards long were rarely afflicted with bronchial analogous disorders. Me thinks they all just refused to shave.
Come and visit the Lanark County Genealogical Society Facebook page– what’s there? Cool old photos–and lots of things interesting to read.
Information where you can buy all Linda Seccaspina’s books-You can also read Linda in Hometown News
Related reading
Lois Lyman–A Hair of a Blunder!
Is Body Hair Something Women Should Be Ashamed Of?
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