Gordon E. Peterson II

Bearded since: 1971. I am a dedicated, permanent beard grower.

Comments:
I grew my beard, originally as a university student, because I felt it was just a stupid hassle and waste of time and money to shave all the time. Since then, I've come to appreciate it on many levels. It keeps your chin and cheeks warmer in winter and cooler in summer. It helps keep drops and drips off of your shirt or jacket. It gives a man a more distinctive look... people remember meeting me. This is the way God WANTED AND INTENDED for me to look... why should any man have a problem with that? It provides a nice filter to screen out folks that aren't worth wasting my time with. It helps avoid me (as also a long-haired man) from ever being mistaken as a woman. I don't mind letting the world visibly and unambiguously see that I am a 'fully functional male'. :-) The fact that it's not a look which can be achieved in a short amount of time is evidence of a certain self-confidence and stability of self-image, which I think shows people that I'm likely to be predictable and dependable. It shows that I'm capable of setting my sights on a long-term goal and achieving it, without having changed my mind in the meanwhile. There are other reasons too, but that's good for a start. :-)

I love it. I love having it, I love the way I look with it, I feel it helps set me apart from "ordinary" folks. I believe that 'normal' implies a boring kind of mediocrity... it is not something one aspires to. I truly don't understand what possesses other men to feel compelled to take a sharp object every morning and to try their best to remove every visible trace of their being a fully-functional male from their face before leaving the house... or why a 'five-o'clock-shadow' should be something somehow embarassing. What is it about being a MAN that they don't like???