beard (idea)

When you see a man with a beard, doesn't he look dignified, or even important? In the history of man, this has been the usual attitude towards beards. It was a sign of manhood.

That’s why you will find that in ancient times, when an important person was shown, he was usually shown with a beard. The Greek god, Zeus, was shown with a beard; drawings representing the Christian God showed a beard; Abraham, King Arthur, Charlemagne were always pictured with beards.

In our western civilization, there is no general rule about beards. Sometimes they were considered stylish and right for men to have, sometimes no man would want to be seen with a beard.

Long before the conquest of England by the Normans, the beard was considered unfashionable and not worn by men. Then the style changed and beards became popular again. The kings of England, who set the fashions that men followed, varied in their taste for beards. For example, Henry II had no beard, Richard II had a small beard, and Henry III had a long beard.

By the middle of the thirteenth century, most men were wearing full and curled beards, and it was common in the fourteenth century. Then, beards disappeared during the fifteenth century, and slowly came back into style in the sixteenth century. It was Henry VIII that made the beard fashionable again.

During the time of Queen Elizabeth, lawyers, soldiers, courtiers, and merchants all had beards. However, when Anne became queen, nobody wore a beard, moustache, or whiskers. In fact, when George III was imprisoned and his beard was allowed to grow, many of his followers found this the most insulting act in the whole event.

So you see that shaving the beard off for a man has not been a question of finding a razor. These have existed for thousands of years. To wear a beard or not has been a question of style!