You may have noticed a lot more guys out there with facial hair over the last few years. There are plenty of different theories on why exactly this has been happening, from those who claim it's due to some sort of 'masculinity under threat' to others who see it as just one of those fickle fashion trends.
Looking back over history - even modern history - it's clear that beards have come in and out of fashion. Whether we are conscious of it or not, we are slightly affected by what the world around is wearing or how they are curating their bodies - and this is especially true when it comes to dating.
At the end of the day, if someone feels comfortable with a beard, they're going to keep it - but it does have a major effect on your decision-making if the woman you're dating loves them or hates them. For the last few years, we have seen a lot of studies claiming that heterosexual women are attracted to bearded men, but now it seems like this era may be over.
According to new research, almost half of women polled in a British survey said that they would refuse to date someone because if they had a beard. This research, conducted by Bathroomtakeaway, is yet another example of 'attractiveness' being linked to facial hair length.
Any guy will know that there's a lot of insecurity out there with regards to the male gender and their facial hair. For those who can't grow a beard well (or at all), there's often a lot of frustration, which is backed up by this study.
13 percent of men in Britain (around four million) said they felt self-conscious about their inability to grow a full beard, while eight percent said they were unable to grow any facial hair at all.
However, it seems like men with this feeling can rest easy, because women are not necessarily all gunning for bearded dudes. 43 percent of women polled said that they would flat-out refuse to date a man if they weren't clean-shaven, while 61 per cent claimed a lack of facial hair didn’t bother them at all.
There's more reason to think that bearded men may be a less attractive find these days. In May this year, male model Ben Southerst engaged in a social experiment on Tinder to find out which hairstyles were the most successful with women on the dating app. Sporting a range of looks, from a goatee to a full-on beard, Southerst found that he received the most matches when he was clean-shaven
“I think that being clean-shaven does make me look a bit younger and I think that might help you to get matches on a site like Tinder," he said.
Ben's conclusions are a little debatable - but it does seem like us bearded folk aren't really the most desired thing out there right now. So, if you're feeling insecure about not being able to grow one, it may work out in your favour.
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