Category Archives: about beards.org

topics about the beards.org site, including new features and future enhancements

Twenty-two years, all about beards

Here we are again at another all about beards anniversary. Today marks twenty-two years since that little site started out on its mission to promote beards, share information about beards, and celebrate beards. During this time, we have helped thousands and thousands of men all around the world to grow their beards. This, “adding beards to the world”, is among our proudest achievements.

Adding more beards to the world is one of the best ways to increase acceptance, and even respect, for beards. The more beards there are, the more the general population becomes accustomed to them. The more the general population becomes accustomed to beards, the more accepting of beards people become. With that, more people are less likely to harbor that pesky old anti-beard bias that surprisingly and stubbornly resists fading away. The anti-beard bias was much stronger in the early days of all about beards. And it was even stronger for years and years prior to that. Anti-beard bias, however, still remains stronger than many may realize. Plenty of people still feel entitled to tell new beard growers and established beard growers alike that they should shave. A milder form of anti-beard bias allows for limited beard growth, but not too much, with the limit defined by the beard critic. Grow your beard a bit beyond stubble length and you may hear, “That beard’s too long. You’ve got to trim that down.” Here at all about beards, we think that beard critics do not have the right to dictate what restrictions must be imposed on a man’s beard.

Anti-beard bias will never disappear completely. However, we are happy to see that it is much weaker now than it was twenty-two years ago. In recent years beards have made great gains in numbers and in acceptance. We could not be happier, except for the movement to continue in favor of beards.

Ready to grow your beard? Be sure to check out our tried and true beard growing guide and start growing today!

We will always keep growing. We are all about beards.

Twenty-one years, all about beards

All About BEARDS celebrated its twenty-first anniversary on January 17, 2017. This video featuring photos and video from selected beards.org photo shoots marks the momentous occasion!  Many thanks go to all of the site’s friends from throughout the years.

blog.beards.org and Today’s Beard

Ben's beard at four months
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.  Come on over. Check it out and follow Today’s Beard!

presenting: Today’s Beard

Ben's beard at four months
Today’s beard: Ben

All about beards is happy to announce our Today’s Beard section, planned to be a daily beard shout out and beard salute. It’s an honor to introduce Ben today as the first to appear in beards.org’s Today’s Beard! Each post will feature a photo gallery and information about the man and the beard.

Visit beards.org’s Today’s Beard section anytime to see the bearded men who have been recognized there for being a part of the bearded cause and bearded brotherhood.

Maybe a great beard is just what you need this year.

all about beards' twentieth anniversary
Today is the site’s twentieth anniversary!

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.

Chris' amazing beard progress

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.

Chris' amazing beard progress

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.

Chris' amazing beard progress

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 beardMaybe 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' amazing beard progress

See more of Chris

View more photos of Chris with his incredible beard here:

Chris’ awesome, industrial-strength beard

Bearded at night: Chris

Beard update: Chris

Chris: beard thick and strong

all about beards: site renovations

We are all about beards.

Today all about beards launched phase one of our site renovation at www.beards.org !  Please excuse any inconvenience should you find something not working during this transition.  Everything is pretty much working now, but small issues may still be found here and there until all are identified and eliminated.  More changes and improvements are on the way.

Our nineteenth anniversary

All about beards' nineteenth anniversary
On January 17, 1996 a modest web site named all about beards made its debut on the web. Starting out on AOL web space — the now defunct “http://members.aol.com/beardguy” — the site moved to its permanent home at beards.org on January 20, 2005. Profound thanks go out to all of our friends and supporters over these years!