Today’s Beard: The first beard salute went to Ben.
When I first added the blog to All About Beards in January of 2006, I thought it was a good idea to place it in its own sub domain: blog.beards.org. I no longer agree with that thinking and will be migrating the blog from the sub domain over to www.beards.org. Before that happens, there are some other things I want to complete first. So in anticipation of the upcoming migration, posting on blog.beards.org will be phased out.
In the meantime, I encourage everyone to follow a new blog feature, Today’s Beard, that I’ve started on www.beards.org. It’s a daily beard shout out and salute. You can find Today’s Beard here: http://www.beards.org/category/todays-beard/ . Come on over. Check it out and follow Today’s Beard!
Although this book by Christopher Oldstone-Moore on the history of facial hair came out in December of last year, I’ve not yet had the opportunity to read it. I will now be reading it a time or two and will write a proper review of the book. Meanwhile, if you are curious to learn more right now, take a look at the book on Amazon using the link below.
All about beards is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
I recently saw Chris riding his bicycle. He agreed to pause for some quick photos. We then planned to meet again the next day to take more. Here are some shots from the first quick photo session.
This beards.org photo shoot with Scott took place three miles from Prince’s Paisley Park. And I did not know it at the time. What’s more is that I’d driven right by Paisley Park on the way to and from the photo shoot without even noticing it. I was a visitor to the area.
Scott wanted a photo shoot at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. He even sprang for the fee for the Arboretum’s photography permit. It was a perfect location for a photo shoot. Little did I know, however, that we were in Prince’s neighborhood.
Following the shock of Prince’s sudden passing this week, I was curious to learn more about his Paisley park studio and residence. I was surprised to discover that it is right next to Arboretum Boulevard, the main route to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. According to Google maps, it is a distance of three miles from Paisley Park to the Arboretum.
I never would have been considered to be a big Prince fan. I liked “1999” and “Little Red Corvette” well enough to buy the album. Apart from that, I was familiar with some of his music by hearing it played on the radio. But I did not really follow him.
I never saw Prince with a beard. I took notice when he appeared with surprisingly dense stubble, sculpted into designer shapes. I would have liked to see him grow it all out at least once.
Now that he is suddenly gone, I’ve learned a lot more about him. I admire his fierce independence as well as his extraordinary musical talent. What really surprised and pleased me were the numerous accounts of the many ways he interacted with and remained a part of his hometown community.
I’ve gained a new appreciation for Prince and wish that I’d done so while he was still alive. I’m sorry that I passed by his house twice in one day without even knowing it was there or that he might have been there.
It began with the heartfelt desire to communicate to the world that beards should not only be accepted, they should be appreciated and encouraged. This also included the objective of providing would-be beard growers with useful beard-growing information, inspiration, and support.
Building strength through numbers, the idea was to get as many men as possible to grow their beards. The more beards there are, the more common a sight they become. Over time, this leads to greater acceptance of beards as “normal”. And the more acceptance beards gain, pervasive anti-beard bias begins to subside more and more.
It is deeply gratifying to know that all about beards has encouraged thousands of men all around the world to grow their beards. Even though not all have kept their beards, each one counts as a victory because at least they all got to experience what it is like to grow your beard and be a bearded man. It is also gratifying to hear from these newly-bearded men how proud they are of their beards and how great they feel about themselves with their beards.
Just as important as encouraging men to grow their beards has been providing them with the information needed to grow their beards properly and to avoid common beard-ruining mistakes. Whenever I see a man in the beginning phase of growing a beard who has already badly misshapen the nascent beard, I am reminded that the site’s information on how to properly grow a beard still needs to spread further.
All about beards launched on the worldwide web twenty years ago today on January 17, 1996. It started out on AOL member web space where it began to grow and thrive. The original URL, now-defunct, was http://members.aol.com/beardguy . All about beards moved to its new permanent home at beards.org on January 20, 2005. To this day, all about beards continues to use the original beardguy@aol.com email address for regular correspondence.
Heartfelt thanks go out to all of the site’s loyal friends, supporters, and contributors. Thanks for bearing with me as the site is going through some more growing pains. The plan is for all about beards to keep growing and get better and better.
If after twenty years of all about beards you have not yet grown your beard, what are you waiting for? all about beards guide to growing a beard! Maybe a great beard is just what you need this year.
This post is illustrated with sample photos from another beard growth progress photo shoot with Chris a few days ago. Chris’ amazing beard growth is just getting started and is making fast progress. Click on any photo to see a larger version. Use your browser’s back button to return to this page.
Chris recently raised his beard’s cheek line that had been fairly low. The new beard growth for the higher cheek line is now perfectly even with the previously-existing beard growth. So Chris is now ready to let it all grow out together. His beard is very powerful. So, watch out!
Last night, Chris braved cold temperatures, wind, rain, and the dark of night to get some new photos of his beard’s progress. Here are some sample shots. Click on any image to view a larger version. Use your browser’s back button to return to this page.
Chris is growing his beard. You should grow yours.
All about beards | beards.org wishes all beard growers and beard fans a very happy new beard year 2016! May our beards grow in strength and numbers all around the world.
If you’re capable of growing a beard and have not done it, the beginning of a new year is a great time to start growing a new beard. Why not visit beards.org guide to growing a beard and start growing your beard today?
And don’t forget to encourage other men to grow their beards. If you know any men who have not grown their beards, but should, please encourage them to grow, too!
Chris has some of the strongest beard growth you’ll ever see. His beard has exceptional density, thickness, and coverage. At the moment he is transitioning his beard from a low cheek line to a much higher cheek line. To help blend the established growth with the new, he recently trimmed back his overall beard. Soon, both growth phases will blend seamlessly into one solid, powerful beard. Chris kindly agreed to participate in a beards.org photo shoot today. Below are some sample images from today’s photo shoot. Thanks, Chris!
UPDATE: Click on any of the photos to see a larger version. Use your browser’s back button to return to this page.
