Josh S.

Bearded since: 2004, on and off. I am an occasional or seasonal beard grower.

Comments:
My father always had a beard. So I knew I would want to grow one when the time came. I grew my first beard my second semester in college. It was a pathetic goatee. I was nineteen. I shaved it off after a few months and gave it a rest. I started my second beard a few years later. I worked in a kitchen that allowed beards. All the other men there had facial hair of some sort. So I figured I'd give it a go. People loved my beard. I shaved it off at the end of the summer as I entered corporate America. For the next two years I grew my beard from Thanksgiving to the Vernal Equinox. It was last year, when I met a friend with a very prominent mustache. Unfortunately, he had to shave it for his job. I decided then and there, that I would carry on the spirit of his mustache. I grew my beard with the intention of saving only the mustache. People really seemed to like my beard. I started reading up on beards and found out about Jack Passion. I bought his book and I gained a whole new understanding. It should be seen as a sign from God, that no matter how much you shave, it always grows back. I also decided not to trim my beard to see how it would grow out. People ask me why I grew a beard? I say, "In a world with sparkling vampires and orange boys from New Jersey, I'm reminding America what a man is supposed to look like."

How do I feel about my beard? I really like my beard. I feel as I could shave it on a whim, though, knowing it will always come back. The pictures are after seven months of growth.