Hairy economy trend: Beards are back

Some guys go for the backlash beard — ungroomed growth meant to defy the fussy scrubs and sprays of yesterday’s metrosexual. Others sport recession stubble: 5, 6 and 7 o’clock shadow in desperate need of a time clock. There are beards grown on bets, mustaches that raise money and whiskers worn simply (and sensibly) for winter warmth.

And then there are your ’stachinistas.

“I’ve had sideburns, a handlebar mustache, mutton chops, a goatee, the Abe Lincoln look and that thing where your mustache goes up into your sideburns,” says Brian Parkhill, a 25-year-old artist from Long Beach, Calif. “It’s just a fun way to play with your looks. Facial hair is always evolving.”

Beards are back
These days, the hirsute pursuit has evolved into a full-blown, full-grown trend. According to the marketing research company The NPD Group, sales of electric shavers and men’s facial trimmers have dipped 12 percent just in the last year while beard-related activities are, well, bristling.

Beard Team USA, a division of the World Beard and Moustache Championships, boasts 36 chapters in the U.S. alone, many in urban hotspots such as Los Angeles, Dallas, St. Louis and New York. There are beard contests and beard blogs, mustache movies and facial hair fundraisers.

Indeed, the month-long mustache-growing event Movember (a “mo” is Australian slang for mustache) has raised $29 million for men’s health since it got its start in 2004. Similar events — No Shave November, Mustache-a-Thon, the Super Macho Tuff Man Charity Beard Competition — have brought in bucks for everything from food banks to the fight against testicular cancer.

Why the sudden growth spurt? The blustery weather — and brutal job market — are certainly part of it. But Paul Roof, assistant professor of sociology at Charleston Southern University in South Carolina, says there are other issues at play.

Resources Beards.org: A Web site designed to increase awareness, appreciation and understanding of the beard. Movember.com: A moustache-growing charity event held during November each year that raises funds and awareness for men’s health. NationalBeardRegistry.com: Established to encourage men in all walks of life to resist conformity, corporate culture and androgyny by embracing the beautiful, unique and utterly personal habit of growing a full beard. Beardcommunity.com: A site designed to facilitate the cordial and practical discussion of beards, moustaches, handlebars, goatees, tailbacks, long beards, fu’s and every other imaginable style of beardedness. Americanmustacheinstitute.org: Protecting the rights of, and fighting discrimination against, mustached Americans by promoting the growth, care and culture of the mustache.

“For some it’s a trend, but for others it’s a way of life and simply self-expression,” he says. “At the heart of the revival, I think, is the ‘reclaiming of masculinity.’ Beards are a direct backlash against metrosexuality and the feminization of modern man. But beards are also the only accessory route that men have — the only way men can change their looks.”

Facial hair is a way for men to bond, he says, the male rendition of the shoes-and-purse love you often see in women. Beard clubs and bulletin boards act as a sort of fraternity, offering camaraderie, community involvement and support — not to mention a steady supply of beer buddies.

But while beards and mustaches are popping up everywhere from the board room to the Obama White House to Brad Pitt’s upper lip, their popularity and prevalence does raise one prickly question: What impact do all these whiskers have on women’s skin?

Ticklish issues
Amanda Denton, a 24-year-old public relations account executive from Raleigh, N.C., says she was skeptical when her fiancé announced he was going to grow a beard two years ago.

“I thought it would feel weird on my face, that it would feel rough, but it’s actually very soft,” she says. “And I find the masculinity of a beard very attractive. I’m in full support of the beard movement. Although mustaches not so much — they’re kind of sleazy, like a ‘70s cop show.”

FirstPerson Return of the beards Msnbc.com readers share photos and the stories behind their facial hair. msnbc.com

Barbara Lewis, a 60-year-old communications director from Oak Park, Mich., also enjoys her husband’s neatly trimmed whiskers, although when he grew them out for a contest several months ago, she admits things got a little hairy.

“His beard became quite long and bushy and I hated it,” she says. “Whenever I kissed him, I felt like I was getting a mouthful of hair.”

Lewis’ husband has since gone back to his normal trimmed style (as a birthday gift to her), but others have come to loathe the lumberjack look as well.

“My husband didn’t have a beard early on, but started growing one during the winter in the last five years,” says Tara Moore, a 36-year-old risk specialist from Dallas, Texas. “And I don’t like it. It makes me feel like I’m kissing fur, like a dog or something. I always pull away.”

Love hurts
Even more problematic is the painful growing-in period.

“When it first grows in, it hurts,” says Moore of her husband’s stubble. “He’ll give me a kiss on the cheek and I’m like ‘Ow!’ Even our daughter, who’s 2½, will say, ‘Daddy hurt me!’ Early on, the whiskers are very sharp.”

So sharp they can sometimes do real damage, says Tanya Stone, a 30-year-old floral designer from Kenmore, Wash., who recently started dating a “very hairy guy.”

“He had a thick 5 o’clock shadow during our first good make-out session and I woke up in the morning and was like, ‘Oh my god, what happened to my face?’ ” says Stone. “It was like one big blister. And then it started to scab over. People were like, ‘Did you fall down?’ I just said ‘Nope, new man.’ It was very embarrassing.”

While whisker burn can often be a factor in a blossoming relationship (one that usually settles down, along with the hormones, after a time), stubble can be an ongoing issue for those who suffer from acne.

“My ex-boyfriend always had this scruff on his face,” says Jennifer Hersman, a 29-year-old massage therapist from Seattle. “I liked the way it looked but it was really abrasive along my jawline where I was already prone to acne. It was this ongoing cycle. He was always around and we’d be kissing and then I’d break out. My skin was much better after we split up — although that’s not the reason I got rid of him.”

MORE FROM HEALTH

Health Section Front

It's down to the final four on 'Biggest Loser' Being thankful ... you’re not like mom and dad Woman meets the stranger who saved her life   6 tips for overcoming holiday diet fears     One girl’s wish for an organ transplant     Supporting St. Jude’s Children Hospital     Getting out of a workout rut Holiday gatherings could spread swine flu   Women bare all for prostate cancer Gasp! Babies’ fat rolls being airbrushed away? Health Section Front   Add Health headlines to your news reader: