Beard In Mind

Gone are the days when facial hair meant having let yourself go. Now, a beard can be a symbol of poise and polish

- Malini Banerjee

Thirteen years ago, David Beckham was criticised for his beard that went "far down beneath his chin and his neck, over his Adam's apple, toward the top of his chest, like an unstoppable hairy fungus". His excuse then had been "going camping and getting carried away". A similar refrain is often heard after 'No Shave November'.

Increasingly, however, most men no longer need that excuse. Many popular athletic teams seem to have sprouted a beard, especially India's current crop of cricketers. "Nearly all are sporting a beard," says fashion designer Abhishek Dutta who himself sports a short one, akin to sporting superstars such as Neymar Jr., Harry Kane, and several others, alongside Indian actors, such as Rana Daggubati, Arjun Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor, and Ranveer Singh, to name a few. Speaking of football, imagine the much-photographed GOAT Lionel Messi kissing the World Cup trophy without his scraggly, auburn bristles.

Beards, whether in the form of well-trimmed stubbles, goatees, or full-blown affairs such as Prince Harry's, are quite literally everywhere. "I think most people and companies have relaxed dress codes considerably after the pandemic. And sporting facial hair is a reflection of that. Men are just becoming more comfortable in their skin," says Anupam Chatterjee, fashion stylist turned designer who recently started his own menswear label Warssi and grew a beard over the pandemic.