So, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you’re sure to have noticed one fashion trend for men that almost every man in the country has hopped on board with: beards!

Modern beards, preferred by the metrosexual man, are considered the epitome and culmination (or should be) of what defines a man. Growing a beard, regardless of sexual preference in 2019, is a way of setting yourself apart from the rest of the male populous. Beards today are symbolic of Male dominance, Sexual virility, and overall prestige

Yes, from hipster beards to designer stubble, it seems that if you walk down a busy high street, you’ll probably see a lot more men with some form of facial hair than you will men who are completely clean shaven.

So, how did this all happen? Well, there of course always have been men who have worn their beard with pride whether it is viewed as trendy or not, but we’re talking about the cultural trend for facial hair.

It is also important to note that the current trend for beards and facial hair is really nothing new. All fashion trends are cyclical in nature, and as time goes by trends come and go time and again.

The last time beards saw a cultural boom in popularity was probably in the 1960s and early 1970s, thanks to the influence of the Beatles growing beards and later the rise of hippie counterculture.

Of course, if you go right back to the beginning of human civilization, beards were much more functional, if not crucial to our survival, as they helped us keep warm when the weather turned cold, in the dark days before central heating or scarves had been invented.

Like all great mysteries in life, nobody knows exactly why and when the current trend for facial hair began, but everyone has their own theories. Whilst most can agree that facial hair started becoming more and more common from about 2010 onwards, some attribute this to the influence of Hollywood celebrities who ditched the razor like George Clooney or Brad Pitt, others site “the rise of the hipsters” and their penchant for ironically oversized or over sculpted beards.

Whatever the root, beards soon became a trendy then, like most upward trends, it’s influence steadily grew as more and more men grew beards, until the facial hair boom was tipped to have reached “peak saturation” in 2016.

When most trends reach a level of peak saturation, it’s just a short time later that they take a steep dive back into obscurity, as beards did in the 1970s the last time they were so trendy.

However, the popularity of beards didn’t waver, and as 2019 begins forward there are no signs yet that anything has changed.

Investigating the research, the work of Neave and Shields (2008) on the effects of facial hair on women’s perceptions of men’s attractiveness, masculinity, and dominance is key. Researchers asked female participants to rate various male faces of average attractiveness. The faces were digitally altered to show different degrees of facial hair—clean-shaven, light stubble, heavy stubble, short beard, or full beard. For each alteration, women were asked to rate the face’s masculinity, aggression, dominance, attractiveness, and social maturity. Participants were also asked to indicate their own desire for the male as a short- and long-term partner.

The results indicated that the women found men with light stubble most attractive; these men were preferred as both short- and long-term partners. However, the women perceived male faces with six day old beards as the most masculine, aggressive, and socially mature; the women also thought these men looked older which made them psychologically appealing and dominant.

Research by Dixson and Brooks (2013) used similar procedures and recorded judgments by both men and women on the faces of men with varying degrees of facial hair. As in the first study, women found stubble on men most attractive, (In this study, the stubble was heavier.) Nevertheless, women rated men with full beards as highest for perceived parenting ability and healthiness. Overall, as facial hair increased, women’s ratings of masculinity increased, too—particularly for women who reported being at the fertile phase of their menstrual cycle. Men had similar judgments of facial hair, except that they found full beards as appealing as heavy stubble. Men also noted a greater perception of masculinity as facial hair increased.

Overall, these ratings suggest that an intermediate level of facial stubble is more attractive for a sex partner, while a fuller beard is perceived as indicative of someone with good fathering ability and more investment in offspring.

Given the results, whether a man should grow a beard will depend on his own relationship goals (and perhaps those of his preferred partner). Guys looking to get noticed and be more sexually appealing may benefit from some masculine stubble on their cheeks (especially when combined with being nicely dressed and otherwise well groomed). Add some sexy eye contact, flirtatious touching, and the right conversation topics, and a man may reignite the passion of his long-term partner—or attract the interest of somebody new.article continues after advertisement

A beard can also help a man build rapport with a partner, demonstrate a positive personality, and stand out from the crowd. (Just remember to trim it down a bit.) There are similar notions around men’s pubic hair. Both young females and males get more turned on by the sight of a penis with a little stubble around it.

There is a contingent of women who do not care for men’s facial hair at all, so for men committed to smooth cheeks, there’s certainly someone out there for you, too. But fundamentally, as with other mating cues, women’s preferences in men are often linked to the type of relationship and genderdynamic they want. By changing his facial hair, a guy may be more likely to attract the type of relationship partner he seeks.

2019 has been designated the year of heavy stubble. One of the most popular facial hairstyles of all time. It doesn‘t require much maintenance at all and can be as long as the person wearing it wishes. This hairstyle is great for its manly, rugged look. A lot of polls show that women prefer this beard style to the others, especially if it‘s a long, 10-day stubble. So if you wish to look trendy and seduce female friends with a manly appearance, go for this look.

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