History paints a pretty clear picture of how beards were viewed and what they stood for. The beards journey began swimmingly with the beard being widely adopted and viewed as a sign of positive attributes such as sovereignty, dignity, wisdom, sexual virility and high social status. It wasn’t until shortly after the enlightenment in Europe that the beard’s reputation began to turn. The beard became less popular and even had a tax levied on it in Russia around 1705.
In our modern business setting there is no rule governing the adoption of beards by businessmen. (I should state now that I am limiting this discussion to men’s beards. I don’t believe woman’s beards have ever been popular.) However, with a simple scan of a busy downtown street in the business district of any town or city one might notice that the preference is for smooth cheeks. I believe that this is a fad that needs to change.
With this study being published it is now time for beard wearers to take their place among the businessmen. The study pitted men with beards and clean-shaven men and found that the man with the beard was perceived as more trustworthy and knowledgeable about their product. For businessmen this should be the key factor as these are among the two most important traits when discussing business deals. Perhaps in your next proposal an image of you with a beard or a mention of how your company feels about beards will win the job.
Here at fragment we have begun to uncover the value of the beard and are beginning to incorporate more beard onto our faces. I can only hope that by this reading you would decide to do the same as we strive for a more beard friendly workplace.
So to answer some simple questions, Yes we should immediately begin growing beards, No you don’t have to shave everyday, and if you can’t grow a beard... good luck to you in our new bearded business landscape.
