Little tiny hairs! Growin' out ma face!

The title of this post title harkens back to a stand-up comedy routine from Bill Cosby's 1963 debut album, in which he jokes about the modern sartorial ritual known as "shaving". (Short sample clip here.) Men and women have very different takes on this. Most women somewhat grudgingly shave their legs, armpits, and other areas solely to conform to a notion of "attractiveness" that has largely been imposed upon them by the fashion and cosmetic industry's marketing efforts. Men, on the other hand, generally shave as little as possible; indeed, some women find the hairy-beast look to be a mark of virility, and it's common to see many men sporting beards and/or mustaches. You will very seldom, if ever, hear of a man getting a bikini wax.

I myself have been relatively free of body hair for most of my life. The lone exception to this is my upper lip, where whiskers have thankfully grown to cover its ugly naked form. I've always kinda liked the way I look with a mustache, and the couple of times I've shaved it off for some reason, I couldn't wait for it to grow back in again.

A beard, however, is a different story. I have previously tried to grow a beard, but never managed to achieve anything substantial beyond a look that says "he forgot to shave for a few days". So it was with some amusement that after being razor-free for several weeks during my road trip (mostly as a matter of convenience), I discovered that I had developed something of a visible goatee. I have since mowed my chin clean again so as not to shock poor Mrs. Toast, but just out of curiosity I would like to display my Bearded vs. Non-Bearded photos side-by-side, and ask my loyal blog readers which you think looks better:



What do you think of the Bearded Toast?

Cool: dapper and bohemian. Not bad, but needs filling in. I could take it or leave it. Not an attractive look for you. Ack! Ugly!

I thank you, and my fashion consultants thank you.