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We live in a mostly shaven world. For those of us who make the choice to sport beards, mustaches or sideburns, it’s important to have someone to look up to. Even though the Beard Police is usually quite proud, all of us often find ourselves in times of doubt — job interviews, family reunions, public appearances or any other time when the urge to reach for the razor creeps into our minds. I offer you my personal beard icons, who I look up to with reverence.
First and foremost, a local favorite: Paul Bunyan, Maine’s famed woodsman, represents an impressive array of skills and traits that are the envy of men everywhere. Bunyan stands for strength, traditional values (no chainsaw for this lumberjack, just the axe), charisma and skill in animal husbandry. After all, it’s not easy to breed a giant blue ox. All the while, Bunyan bestowed a feeling of majesty with his full beard. I often find myself in downtown Bangor, reflecting quietly at the feet of this gentle, powerful giant.
If Maine’s giant tree-feller represents admirable physical traits, our next icon represents the traits of the intelligentsia we should all seek to emulate. Nowhere has a mind of science been as well endowed with a long, full beard than on the chin of Charles Darwin. Darwin is perhaps most famous for his world-changing book on natural selection, “The Origin of Species,” but he’s more than that to me. Many thinking men throughout history have been associated with their beards, from Socrates to Marx to most other philosopher-scholars. Darwin’s beard represents thoughtfulness, intellect and science. But it’s not all books and studies for Darwin. His beard also conjures up images of traveling the world, as Darwin did when he traversed the seas to the Galapagos Islands, 604 miles from the South American mainland.
Beards don’t always represent such respectable or mainstream qualities. My third icon is Ian, rhythm guitarist for godfathers of thrash, Anthrax. Scott Ian wears a long goatee, often dyed the colors of the rainbow. His goatee represents all things rockin’ and heavy, not to mention a pure, unbridled sense of fun and humor. It isn’t afraid to push the envelope or to question gender norms with hot-pink dye jobs, while shredding riffs that put most metal acts to shame.
The question of gender norms brings me to my last bearded hero, or more accurately, heroes: bearded ladies. It is impossible for me to feel pressured to shave when I consider the chutzpah of these brave women who face the world loudly and proudly with their faces adorned with whatever amount of facial hair they were able to grow. Bearded ladies teach a lesson about being proud of who you are that no after-school special ever could.
Heroes remind us of all the things we want to be and all the traits we would like to exemplify. They teach us lessons and offer advice through their example. The common image of beards is usually in conjunction with Charles Manson or other unsavory characters, so it’s important for beard enthusiasts to remember all the bearded heroes who came before.
Bangor Daily News