I recently (see a previous post) attended our daughter's wedding in Boulder. Fair number of men with beards including the minister. In the Denver airport - a fair number of beards. Next, went to North Carolina and the number was fewer. In the Boston airport, the number was greater. Where I live on the CT coast, about half the lawyers in court now are bearded. But for mormons...not yet common.

Yesterday, I gave a nice lighthouse tie to a foster child living with my LDS son in UT. He was glad to have a non-standard tie! Just as mos in BY's day and for decades thereafter had beards, the total conformity of mormons today is scary. No bright shirts, no powerful ties, no beards, only conformity. I hate conformity.

this is the unasked question: can active LDS men have a soul patch?

somnambulist Wrote:
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> this is the unasked question: can active LDS men
> have a soul patch?

Soul patch=chin pubes

gross

ETB taught that beards and long hair are the mark of godless commie hippies.

And following the profit = copying his facial hair. As long as he's clean-shaven, so are TBMs. This was actually taught when I was a kid.

Gee, so Christ was a godless commie hippy! Ditto for John the Baptist. Yep, follow the prophet.

there used to be. I'm rather amazed. Yes, Mormon men with garments showing through their shirts. Some with BIG bushy beards. I think there are more beards in Cache Valley right now than I've ever seen in Utah and I'm 57.

Take a look at this photo of the LDS Presidents and BINGO... Here comes David O MacKay the first one that is clean shaven! I've seen photos and statues of Brigham Young both with and without facial hair.

https://www.lds.org/churchhistory/presidents/leaders.jsp


I saw this happen:

"David O. McKay presented a dramatic contrast to his predecessors: an athletic, movie-star-handsome, clean-shaven figure who often wore a white double-breasted suit; contrasted to the dark-suited, bearded polygamists (or, in the case of George Albert Smith, son of a polygamist) who preceded him as Church President ever since Joseph Smith. In an age prior to professional image-makers, he instinctively grasped the importance of appearance, and coupled it to the substance of a professional educator to become an icon of Mormonism whose persona did much to change the negative image of the Church in much of the world...

http://mormonstories.org/mormon-stories-podcast-002-gregory-prince-and-david-o-mckay-and-the-rise-of-modern-mormonism/

I joined the LDS Church in 1961 with my little family in Portland, OR. Missionaries wore hats, dark suits, conservative ties, polished shoes, white shirts and presented a professional image. One actually sat on his hat one time at our little tiny house.
They also drove their own cars, sometimes rather odd.
My husband served in the late 50's in New England and their are was a Henry J.with open floor boards that didn't always run.

I know I see a lot of facial hair on men now days especially in certain work fields: construction, mechanics, repairmen, fishermen,firemen, (outdoors workers), in particular.Other than that, not so much.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/07/2014 12:20PM by SusieQ#1.

I started growing my mustache the morning I left Ricks in May, 1967. I do NOT like this current fad of having a 5 days growth thing goin' on....either grow a beard or get thee to a fucking razor.

Ron Burr

Agreed, grow a 'tash/beard/full set or invest in a load of razor blades (mind you, the price of decent blades here cost a bloody fortune and with my skin condition I cant use an electric as they rip my face apart). A couple of days growth that never goes anywhere always looks scruffy. Mind you, I had that drummed into me in the RN, shave or ask permission to grow a full set.

Nothing wrong with a few days worth of stubble. Especially given recent studies that have concluded that women find men with heavy stubble more attractive. It's worked for me, although I recently grew out the full beard.

i'm right there with you - I think it's odd how strongly these (presumably) straight guys are reacting to other mens' facial hair

I'm a pretty typical guy in that I don't really care how I (or other dudes!) look but there's a certain type of girl that does care - so basically as long as nubile 20 something girls keep rewarding this look I'm sticking with it - and I bet most hetero guys that appear to be fashion "sheep" are actually just playing different angles of the same game

Lethbridge Reprobate Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I started growing my mustache the morning I left
> Ricks in May, 1967. I do NOT like this current fad
> of having a 5 days growth thing goin' on....either
> grow a beard or get thee to a fucking razor.
>
> Ron Burr

Agree! It is such a prissy affectation. It makes me roll my eyes and makes me think the guy is just a sheep following all the other sheep, for lack of individual thought.

In the early seventies at BYU, I grew a beard between semesters. DW and I bought tickets for the theater in the Wilkinson Center. An officious functionary refused entrance because of the beard. The dodge: it was between semesters, so I was not technically a student; we saw the movie.

It is the beard's job to increase. It grows well on some men- others, not so much. It is the Mormon's job (they think) to decipher, dodge, direct and dictate. I've never liked dictators.

You all should see my ward! BP counselor has a goatee; 2/3 of old EQP, 3/3 of new EQP, YM pres, clerk all have full beards, from neat stubble to nearing on ZZ top. It is awesome! No complaints from leaders yet. Young men often sport what they can muster.

papasmurf, you have a beard?

Of course! The moniker says it all. There are a lot of us be-bearded regular folk in addition to the ones listed. I am not blue, though.

Did you know that there are a few "blue" people around the Kentucky area? Anyway, your moniker is neat.

Curiosity piqued. Please tell us more about the blue Kentuckians. Truth be told, I guess I am blue, just not pigmentally. Love the thread. Thanks for starting it. Maybe time for rhgc to beard up! ;)

There is a group of people who, do to inbreeding have a condition which makes then a shade of blue. Because of the decline of inbreeding, this trait is now dying out. It was/is only within several families and you can probably read more by simply googling ing.

Just did it. Look for "blue people".



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/2014 08:49PM by rhgc.

Beards are "in" all over the U.S. right now. And if everyone has a beard, then having a beard is not "non-conformist."

Fashions in facial hair come and go and Mormonism has pretty much followed the predominant conservative American stance on facial hair throughout its history, although it's usually been slightly behind the trend.

being behind the trend pretty much defines conservative

If beards are "in"...a good reason not to have one.

Big long square beards getting more common in Australia, along with sleeve tattoos and a short side long top haircut.

As with everything the morgbots will be behind on this trend too.

But it will be cool when the morgbots are sporting big long square beards along with sleeve tattoos and a short side long top haircut - and the rest of the population wears a crew cut.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/2014 07:58PM by thingsithink.

My honey has a full beard, has for years. He's kind of disgusted that he is fashionable right now.

Beards are definitely the in thing lately. DH of 23 years has had some type of facial hair for half our marriage. Last time he went clean shaven he shaved the 'stashe part first before surprising me in the kitchen. I told him if he was going Amish I was leaving him :D

Just this week he went from closely-trimmed full beard to a goatee because he's become self-conscious about how much his sidebeard areas are grey compared to his brunette chin/stashe and head hair.

It would be fun to see him go full prophet. However, unless he takes up professional ball late in life, the look would not be conducive in his line of work. Maybe when we retire...

As usual, The Onion has some wise words on the subject:

http://www.theonion.com/video/beard-husks-on-sidewalk-indicate-start-of-hipster,36352/

My beard, my jorts, my truck! (innermost thoughts of MO and EXMO guys!