During the Renaissance, the beard was the defining feature of a man

[roenxi]

Safety razor was invented around WWII [0] and that is probably linked to the requirements of wearing a gas mask. Probably has something to do with the change in fashion.

Fun fact; often there is a general ban on beards in underground coal mines because the miners need to be able to wear gas masks.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Razor#History

[seandhi]

It's the same way in chemical plants that handle H2S or other dangerous chemicals. I've always had a beard, but I'd have to shave it when installing or servicing our equipment in those plants.

[hokumguru]

Firefighters also aren't allowed to grow beards for the same reason.

[Aloha]

WWI, not II

[lacampbell]

Beards went in and out of fashion a lot between the Renaissance and WWII.

[mjw1007]

The idea of "four great beard movements" seems like an odd framing.

Another way to look at it is that periodically the somewhat-unnatural act of shaving becomes fashionable.

[zackkatz]

This article has the Renaissance in its title, but then continues to discuss the Elizabethan period. Shakespeare != Renaissance.

[sampleinajar]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Renaissance

[ndarwincorn]

With a picture from 1881 at the top to boot.

[djmips]

Also, what about the rest of the world. This is just specific European history. Seems pretty exclusionary.

[mirimir]

I've typically had a beard, because I hate shaving. Or rather, because I have both a bristly beard and sensitive skin. And no, shaving every day for years didn't "toughen up" my face.

[setr]

Safety razors tend to be quite rough, and the canned foam offers little protection. Consider using a double edged razor and better cream (my personal usage is a merkur handle w/ feather blade, and cremo cream; a fairly cheap and effective set)

[scruple]

I've had a beard continuously since December of 2005, which is when I went on leave prior to separating from the military. Being required to shave (essentially) every single day, under the threat of the UCMJ, was sufficient motivation to forego shaving for the last ~14 years. I'll probably wear a beard for the rest of my life. I still say to people frequently, "No, it's less a beard and more that I just stopped shaving." Yes, indeed, I also genuinely hate shaving.

[nikbackm]

Have you tried an electric razor?

[zaccus]

You don't need to read much ancient literature to know that beards have always been associated with manliness. Going out on a limb here, but my guess is that's because typically only adult men can grow them. Shocking I know.

Anyway, it's not particular to the Renaissance at all.

[motohagiography]

And the foregone conclusion in the article:

"The dramatic uses of the sign of Renaissance masculinity par excellence – the beard – reveal how precarious, provisional and potentially groundless the ideology of early modern masculinity was, the very ideology upon which the sign-system of the stage relied. As we look at today’s hipsters – beards, man-buns and tattoos aplenty – we may also wonder what lies beneath the surface of the identities that they construct."

Appears the writer confuses criticism with competence. It's the conceit of modern academia. Yawn.

[elipsey]

I'm sure this is a misunderstanding. I believe the author means to remind us that fashion and gender norms are arbitrary and performed, not to say that the hipsters chose theirs' _wrong_. Societal standards of masculinity are of particular interest here because they capricious, mutable, and especially likely to result in ass-kickings.

In conclusion the author encourages us to reflect on the difference between the person and the performance, and hold our assumptions lightly. You are not your beard.

[mturmon]

I don't see criticism [of bearded hipsters, I suppose you mean] in that last paragraph. But it was disappointing because it hints at something but says nothing.

[C1sc0cat]

So what does that mean for that famous picture of the non bearded "Honeyed Cat" (a famous Condota / Mercenary then)

[Dirlewanger]

It honestly comes off as thinly-veiled misandry (wouldn't be surprising as the author is a woman). Would this be appropriate to say about cultural things around celebrating a young girl being a full-grown woman?

[zackmorris]

Anyone have any luck growing a beard after a lifetime of not being able to? My dad could grow one after 40 but no such luck for me. Also I had a few bad sunburns under my chin snowboarding and I wonder if I triggered something like an electrolysis effect. I've noticed that some things like drinking alcohol seem to stimulate brief growth but it's not a permanent fix hah. Also I've read that testosterone levels today are much lower than what the baby boomers had, but I don't know how scientific that is. I haven't been to a doctor to get my T level checked, just curious.

[bobthechef]

I'm pretty sure that characterization of Aristotle is bullshit. Sadly, there is a great deal that Aristotle is slanderously impugned with and mischaracterized with, including his views of women. It's a game of historian telephone and shoddy scholarship, it seems. In this case, if there's even a whiff of authenticity to the claim, it would seem that Aristotle's thoughts on development may have been given an uneducated "normative reading", i.e., one in which the author attempts to once again reinforce the idea that Aristotle was a silly bigot that we, in all our modern wisdom, should scoff at and dismiss as an unsophisticated rube.

Anyway, what's the point of this article? All I see is some woman swinging a gender ideology axe around looking for something to hit with an hazy insinuation or superficial remark. I honestly couldn't care less about hipster beards and no one claims that beards make a man a man, only that beards are a male feature.

[word-reader]

One of the pellets in this scattershot is basically, because sometimes beards are associated with being a man, and sometimes being clean-shaven is associated with being a man, there are surely no cross-cultural or cross-temporal ideals about masculinity at all and being a man can be completely redefined by lecturers in early modern masculinity or whoever.

That being said, as someone who can't grow a great beard, I'll always have the Romans; can't blame it on gas masks or TV ads back then.

[anderspitman]

> Anyway, what's the point of this article?

To sell the author's new book.

[rjplatte]

This article is trying to say that because the theatre used beards as a symbol of manliness, the entire male identity revolved around beards. This is ridiculous.

Hoopskirts were used to represent matronly women in early American theatre: therefore women gathered around these laughable garments as a symbol of their femininity.

[buboard]

Article makes it sound as if beardlessness is some kind of default? Not sure if true

[kevin_thibedeau]

Stop shaving and let us know how that turns out.

[lacampbell]

It's been a while since I've lived in a western city - is the bearded hipster still a thing? My gut tells me it must have passed its expiry date by now, but I'm not sure.

[0xdeadb00f]

Yes it's still a thing. I don't even think it's decreased, society just seems to care less about them than before. Because hipsters are "growing up", and so are the people who criticised them in the first place, you don't hear about it as much anymore. ("criticised" seems like the wrong word, but I can't think of another that fits).

[decoyworker]

I have a theory that lazy/poor/busy modern men are the reason that beards are back in style. Economic factors contribute to trends pretty often.

[stronglikedan]

It's much easier to keep clean shaven than it is to maintain a beard, so beards are not the ideal choice for the lazy man. It's also much less time consuming to shave, so neither are they the ideal choice for the busy man. Razors are the cheapest facial hair grooming tool, so not the ideal choice for the poor man either. They type of lazy/poor/busy man that would wear a beard would likely not be clean shaven on a daily basis regardless.

EDIT: To clarify, I'm talking about kempt facial hair, which is implied by the context of both the article in question and the comment that I'm responding to. Anyone can be unkempt, but that is never stylish.

[agumonkey]

What about hipster kind bearded guys ? I see a lot a of Barbershop popping up while it wasn't really part of the Parisian culture much (I may be wrong though) and people actually spending time and money on their beardss.

[michalu]

An opposing theory would be that more and more people are breaking away from 9 to 5 office jobs, that mostly require short hair and shave.

Independent, rich and alike unemployed people can dress and style themselves however they like. So it's hard to tell.

[fortran77]

I've always had a long beard, as did my father, grandfather, great grandfather, and all the men in my family. We're poor, but we're not lazy. (We are busy, though.)

[new2628]

My hypothesis is "compensatory excess". As men do less "manly" things then they used to, have less responsibilities, etc., they compensate on the outwards signals: beards, muscles, tattoos.

[refurb]

Beards are actually a lot of work to maintain. Yes, you get to avoid shaving while it grows in, but after that it takes a lot of work to keep it trimmed (looks scraggly unless you do) and keep it clean while eating.

The best middle ground I found for me was shave once per week. Keeps it short and tidy and shaving isn’t a huge chore because it doesn’t get that long in a week.

[0xdeadb00f]

Hard disagree. I think there's more to it than those factors alone; which I must say portray your average bearded man as a drag on society (is that true? I don't think so).

[mensetmanusman]

Regulated labs that use facial respirators do not allow employees to have facial hair where the attachment seal rests...

[cafard]

The defining feature of a man? If so, why were codpieces in fashion?

[h2odragon]

Eagerly awaiting the next fashion trend:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koteka

[mirimir]

Although codpieces aren't in fashion, tight jeans leave little to the imagination. And it's not uncommon for dress pants to be maybe a little tight in the crotch.

[scoobyyabbadoo]

Well of course, this can be deduced scientifically: most characteristics of sexual dimorphism in humans are not polite to flaunt in public, but a beard is one of the few features of sexual dimorphism that is acceptably to show publicly, so it is only natural that men want to show off their beards.

[gnzoidberg]

Why is this here?

[thermonot]

So basically like today.

[dymk]

No, now it's laptop stickers

[omarhaneef]

That explains why a hipster would describe himself as a "Renaissance Man"

[JohnJamesRambo]

Beards are too hot for a global warming earth. I don’t see a fifth age of beards coming.

[chabes]

Beards are not actually as hot as they might seem. Think of how a shady forest buffers the temperature. Compared to the surrounding area, it is cooler in the heat of the day, and warmer in the cold of night