My style has been bald (because genetics) and a short circle beard for many years. Though about 4 years ago, I had a Gandalf-length chin beard with it, experimentally.
It got in the way a lot. Zippers, food, doors, flying away in the windā¦ finally got annoyed and cut it back.
Anyway. Itās been a while but Iāve been called āskinheadā because I happen to be white and bald, despite being anti-racism. I really hope the beard doesnāt also start making people think Iām racist. Iām not really sure how to signal ānot a Naziā in my work attireā¦ I never really thought it was necessary before.
I have never been a fan of beards that are smaller than face-size. Even when Iāve had a goatee the goatee completely covered my chin. I am downright mystified by guys I see who have the Dirty Sanchez circular mustache/soul patch combo and are unaware of how weird and off-putting it looks.
Yes, Iāve seen this in real life on multiple occasions, always on late middle aged men.
I feel your pain. Iām losing my hair, and thereās not a whole lot I can do otherwise. I donāt have enough hair left where I can pretend to have a normal amount of hair. My hair looks stringy and you can see scalp if I grow it out, and if I shave it all off I look like a skinhead. My solution is to cut it to 1/4" or so.
Indeed. A goatee is a little beard that just covers the chin, not the cheeks, and doesnāt have a mustache. A Vandyke is the connected goatee/mustache thing with no hair on the cheeks.
The Dirty Sanchez Iāve mentioned earlier is a semicircular mustache paired with a small semicircular soul patch. Like I said, not a good look, but I have actually seen this, several times.
Oh jeez. I just Googled that to find out what youāre talking about. FYI, donāt do that; it is also the name for a fairly disgusting activity involving poop and a partner.
I think what I have is properly called a Van Dyke, and I keep my hair buzzed short, what little of it I have left. Iām also old. But as far as I know, no one has ever suggested my appearance is that of an alt-right fan. Probably wouldnāt be a good idea to suggest it to my face. I have little tolerance for the right; indeed, I am far to the left of most Americans, what with my social democracy and Euro-think.
[Edit: the pic in the message directly above is exactly what Iāve got. Except mine is mixed dirty blond and grey, and somewhat sparse.]
How is that? Does anybody actually do yoga in their underwear? Isnāt something underwear because people typically wear something else over it?
I notice that many people get snobby about what can generally be called āathletic wearā, but without much rationale behind it. People can like whatever, but when they try to argue norms for how clothes (or hair, or anything else) should be perceived by others, I tend to become incredulous. See my remarks above about avoiding tribalism.
Awwwwraght, youāre taking the smeg, you big silly.
Incidentally, one of my parents asked me last month of I ever actually saw an Indian person in a yoga studio or class before. Apparently they had some notion that yoga is some scam that people from India perpetrate on USians, but never practice it themselves. It was weird. They were surprised that I affirmed actually doing it with people of Indian heritage. People get weird ideas!
What does any of this have to do with goatees? The imagination reels! Are they secret goatherds? Goatse enthusiasts? Who knows?
Iām not convinced thereās any significant relationship here. Most of the so-called alt-right are male, most males are capable of growing some facial hair by their mid-teens, some facial hair growing males wear goatees.
I would disagree. Puberty happens later in boys than in girls. Also, a lot of guys have patchy facial hair and canāt even grow a thick full beard in their 30s.
Also, that itās vandykes specifically seems to be some sort of cultural indicator.
When you said āmost males are capable of growing some facial hair by their mid-teensā, for example. I take issue with the mid-teens part, because thatās usually the middle of male puberty, not the end. I also question the amount of facial hair that you assume a teen boy can grow. Maybe some facial hair, but not anything that looks presentable. I knew a few guys who had adult-like facial hair in their teens, but they were the exception, not the rule. These were also the guys who started balding soon afterward. I am definitely included in this group, and I didnāt reach my full adult height until I was in college.
If you simply said that adult men are generally capable of growing facial hair and didnāt mention when they were able to grow facial hair, then I could agree with it.
More seriously, I am convinced that the Vandyke is some kind of cultural indicator, consciously or not, and isnāt something people grow just because they can. I can also grow one, but I donāt, because it signals things I donāt want it to signal.
I have no biological problem with growing facial hair, but allowing it to grow in any shape or form just makes me look ridiculous. Goatees have always struck me as looking ridiculous on over 90% of men, so in my case it would be a double whammy.
