If you're going to throw around those accusations that everyone is wearing facial hair, I'll bet that Belle Waring doesn't.
I think, though, that there is a law somewhere that says academics of a certain age and carrying a Y chromosome must grow a beard. Since we have no style and make little effort to maintain our appearance, the alternative is an unpleasant and intermittent stubble.
I'm kind of annoyed that that picture is online. I look like a doofus. But cleanshaven, baby. (Shortly after that picture was taken, I attempted, with limited success, to hit on someone smarter & better-looking. Admire my ambition.)
The issue isn't academics and facial hair. It's academics keeping their *hipster* facial hair into early middle age.
Seriously, academics get paid grown-up salaries to engage in utterly self-indulgent pursuits. (Hey, it's good work if you can get it. I know. I am a failed/failing academic.) As such, they owe it to society to at least maintain the physical appearance of a grown-up. Men in their 30s who work in bars or at coffee shops are allowed to hold on to youthful hair styles. If you get paid a grown-up salary to act like an undergraduate, common decency demands not rubbing our face in it.
Jacob is excused. His is a full beard, and anyone who knows him like I do, knows that he has no hipster pretensions.
I remember all the facial hair in the World Series, but I thought that was players superstitiously letting their beards grow as long as they were winning (I still think that's what it was). And to the implicit claim that one can divine fashion trends by watching baseball, I say, David Wells, John Kruk.
Hmm, those looked like some well-cropped, well-tended beards to me. I'm just seeing more facial hair all-around, though I'll admit there is a certain 20-something hipsterism to it. I'd totally grow a beard if I could.
I image searched those players, and in reply, I say that you can still look to baseball for both accepting and setting fashion trends, just maybe not fashion trends in the areas you're used to. Quit ignoring us red-states, you metrosexual librul elitist!
I touched on this in comments on a more recent post, but I think you're all missing it.
Van dykes, goatees, fu manchus. Those were hipsterish in the 90's, when I was in my 20's (hip bonafides: they were unheard of when I first grew mine in '89). In fact, I think that's lots of the current BoSox and Indians were in there 20's in the 90's too.
Facial hair is so not cool if you're 20 today.
But my fashion sense froze about 10 years ago. I don't care if it's hip or not, I just have a van dyke. It's just how I look. I think there's a lot of librul bloggers who fit my demographics, and have the fuzzy chin for the same reason.
I've been predicting for years that my van dyke would soon date me horribly. I think it's already happened. I can't believe you're confusing what lots of aging intellectual bloggers do with an actual fashion trend.
OK, I 'fess to judging from the bland hordes that show up in my classroom when they're not interviewing for corporate jobs. I'm like Tom Wolfe with less insight and more facial hair.
I'm way late to this, but it's a case of "why so many of the closets I open are full of my clothes." OOO bagged on John and Tim's facial hair, and then everyone else with facial hair got into the act. Men without facial hair weren't going to post their pictures on that thread.
I shocked, shocked to discover that bloggers are all big old dorks.
Posted by Frolic | Link to this comment | 11-16-04 4:56 PM
I have facial hair. People used to tell me I should shave it off, saying I would look better. This grew; I gave commands; then all smiles stopped.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 11-16-04 5:07 PM
Damn, and we were going to party this Christmas. Is this a very very small picture of you?
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 11-16-04 5:14 PM
It's a bad picture of me from about four and half years ago, a time span that represents just over 20% of my total age.
I disavow it.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 11-16-04 5:20 PM
I totally imagined holbo as looking like Clive Owen...
Posted by baa | Link to this comment | 11-16-04 6:03 PM
How idealistic of you: I think Belle once mentioned that she thinks Clive Owen is hot.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 11-16-04 6:17 PM
Ogged, you once mentioned you think Clive Owen is hot.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 11-16-04 6:40 PM
If you're going to throw around those accusations that everyone is wearing facial hair, I'll bet that Belle Waring doesn't.
I think, though, that there is a law somewhere that says academics of a certain age and carrying a Y chromosome must grow a beard. Since we have no style and make little effort to maintain our appearance, the alternative is an unpleasant and intermittent stubble.
Posted by PZ Myers | Link to this comment | 11-16-04 6:47 PM
Now JZ Smith, there's a prodigious beard. It's much more impressive in person (and I think it's bigger now too).
When did google start horning in on amazon's territory?
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 11-16-04 6:54 PM
Well PZ, I'll let Fontana answer for himself. I think he's a beardless male academic of that certain age.
Ben, I know what you're thinking, but I'm not Belle Waring, and I don't look like Clive Owen.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 11-16-04 7:08 PM
If you're not Belle Waring, I'm not gonna party with you this Christmas. Sorry.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 11-16-04 7:12 PM
But...you have no idea who I am. I could be Linda Evangelista, for all you know. And, you have to admit, for a model, I'd be pretty smart.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 11-16-04 7:25 PM
then all smiles stopped
B-dub, you so rule.
I'm kind of annoyed that that picture is online. I look like a doofus. But cleanshaven, baby. (Shortly after that picture was taken, I attempted, with limited success, to hit on someone smarter & better-looking. Admire my ambition.)
Posted by FL | Link to this comment | 11-16-04 7:50 PM
Keep hitting: when I showed my ex the picture (yeah, privacy, etc.), she said, "He's cute! I like him."
You're really not allowed to date my ex.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 11-16-04 8:23 PM
Well, I'm no academic, butI do have a beard. Having long ago shorn my monstrous mullet, it's the best I can do.
See my beard,
ain't it weird?
Don't be skeered,
It's just a beard.
-George Carlin
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 11-16-04 8:29 PM
You look all adult and respectable. What's up with that?
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 11-16-04 8:34 PM
Despite all the cock jokes and America-hating, I'm actually a respectable adult in the real world.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 11-16-04 8:36 PM
That's one hell of a sentence.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 11-16-04 8:40 PM
I hope to spend christmas partying with ben wolfson and clive owens.
Posted by belle waring | Link to this comment | 11-17-04 12:32 AM
The issue isn't academics and facial hair. It's academics keeping their *hipster* facial hair into early middle age.
Seriously, academics get paid grown-up salaries to engage in utterly self-indulgent pursuits. (Hey, it's good work if you can get it. I know. I am a failed/failing academic.) As such, they owe it to society to at least maintain the physical appearance of a grown-up. Men in their 30s who work in bars or at coffee shops are allowed to hold on to youthful hair styles. If you get paid a grown-up salary to act like an undergraduate, common decency demands not rubbing our face in it.
Jacob is excused. His is a full beard, and anyone who knows him like I do, knows that he has no hipster pretensions.
Posted by pjs | Link to this comment | 11-17-04 9:38 AM
Apparantly no one here watched the World Series. Facial hair is in, people. This isn't an academic or a undergraduate thing.
Posted by Michael | Link to this comment | 11-17-04 11:21 AM
I remember all the facial hair in the World Series, but I thought that was players superstitiously letting their beards grow as long as they were winning (I still think that's what it was). And to the implicit claim that one can divine fashion trends by watching baseball, I say, David Wells, John Kruk.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 11-17-04 11:33 AM
Hmm, those looked like some well-cropped, well-tended beards to me. I'm just seeing more facial hair all-around, though I'll admit there is a certain 20-something hipsterism to it. I'd totally grow a beard if I could.
I image searched those players, and in reply, I say that you can still look to baseball for both accepting and setting fashion trends, just maybe not fashion trends in the areas you're used to. Quit ignoring us red-states, you metrosexual librul elitist!
Posted by Michael | Link to this comment | 11-17-04 11:57 AM
I touched on this in comments on a more recent post, but I think you're all missing it.
Van dykes, goatees, fu manchus. Those were hipsterish in the 90's, when I was in my 20's (hip bonafides: they were unheard of when I first grew mine in '89). In fact, I think that's lots of the current BoSox and Indians were in there 20's in the 90's too.
Facial hair is so not cool if you're 20 today.
But my fashion sense froze about 10 years ago. I don't care if it's hip or not, I just have a van dyke. It's just how I look. I think there's a lot of librul bloggers who fit my demographics, and have the fuzzy chin for the same reason.
I've been predicting for years that my van dyke would soon date me horribly. I think it's already happened. I can't believe you're confusing what lots of aging intellectual bloggers do with an actual fashion trend.
Posted by cw | Link to this comment | 11-18-04 9:03 AM
Facial hair is so not cool if you're 20 today.
The tasteless hordes who turned out for Joanna Newsom when she opened for the Incredible String Band might disagree with that.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 11-18-04 9:13 AM
OK, I 'fess to judging from the bland hordes that show up in my classroom when they're not interviewing for corporate jobs. I'm like Tom Wolfe with less insight and more facial hair.
Posted by cw | Link to this comment | 11-18-04 9:58 AM
And every one has facial hair?
I'm way late to this, but it's a case of "why so many of the closets I open are full of my clothes." OOO bagged on John and Tim's facial hair, and then everyone else with facial hair got into the act. Men without facial hair weren't going to post their pictures on that thread.
Clean-shavenly,
mw
Posted by Matt Weiner | Link to this comment | 05- 2-05 11:20 AM