As with most things, men wear beards for a litany of reasons.
I remember way back in college I was fussing at my gf about how I always had to wait for her to put on her makeup before we could go out. She made a comment that she didn’t have the luxury of doing her’s at night like me. Noting my puzzlement, she went on to say that facial hair is to men what makeup is to women. I didn’t fully get it then, but I do now. It can enhance what’s there but it’s not going to make a man who is unattractive appear handsome. And just like some women can look just as good without makeup, some men can look just as good with no facial hair. I am not one of those men.
There’s also the trendy factor. Many influential actors, musicians and other celebrities started sporting facial hair in the latter 2000s and 2010s and just as with any trend, you are going to have people who want to be seen as ‘hip’, ‘cool’ or whatever the current word is to describe a guy in tune with the latest fashions.
Age and baldness is a factor too as some have pointed out. When some men start to get thin up top, they decide to let their beards grow more fully to avert attention away from their balding scalp. It’s a very distinguished look too. I shaved my head for a year in my early 30s and I noticed that it made my beard stand out even more. The contrast of a clean head and a neatly trimmed chin and jawline is irresistible to some women and men alike.
Another aspect is culture. In many cultures, as others have pointed out, male facial hair can be viewed as a sign of virility, masculinity or even purity in the practice of religious cultures. Here in America, most of the black men I know(including myself) sport a beard of some sort. I know in my case, I have broad features: Big eyes, a wide nose and full lips so having a full beard to encapsulate my features makes me feel confident. In fact, often times when I have just gotten a fresh haircut and shave, women love to compliment and some have even touched it(when I was younger and more flirtatious).
But beards are fine. Not everyone is doing it to chase a trend nor are they concerned about aging themselves. I started sporting my beard during my college days of the early 00s way before it was a ‘thing’. I suspect many men are doing it because they like the way their face looks with it as opposed to without. There’s no more reason needed than that.
