Hello December and goodbye beard! I'm not one to lend myself to causes but I thought I'd grow a beard like my local weatherman to draw attention to Men's Mental Health Issues. In my day job, I work with At-Risk Youth and the shave strike had it's intended purpose. I had a number of personal discussions about stereotypes and how males are supposed to handle or express their feelings and emotions. So mission accomplished.
When I was a young mental health professional working in substance abuse, the act of shaving and making your bed was an essential act in the first steps toward recovery.
Young Jimmy Honeyman would have never grown a beard. I've always associated facial hair with subpar mid-seventies music. I would argue that Elvis Costello liberated my generation from facial hair. His bearded period was his least artistically satisfying in my opinion.
Interestingly , beard growth opens up a whole group of females who would never give you a second look clean-shaven. Back to the EC thing though, these same ladies would have dug the moustacho'd bearded mid-seventies Caribou/Exile/Kenny Loggins rock that sucked so bad. I'm good not tapping that market. I'm also not as dogmatic as I used to be. My former stance was beard=death. I used to joke that if I grew a beard it might mean I was planning on an early checkout from planet rock.
So no fear friends. My face is clean-shaven. No harm no foul. Maybe, I'll shave my head for St. Baldrics day this year.