Trendlet: The well-groomed beard

The scraggly West Philadelphia beard and its scruffy hipster cousin have some well-groomed competition.

Full and impeccably cared for beards growing on faces that never fancied facial hair. That means the smooth baby face - once the signature of the conservative corporate gent - has more or less gone the way of pleated, baggy khakis.

Beards were standard facial fare until the 18th century, when razors became widely available. Beards came back in style in the 1800s, but when men traded field labor for office and manufacturing work at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, they fell out of favor again.

Since then, historians say, beards have trended in and out of style, based on how men were feeling about their manhood. For example, from the 1950s through the '60s, men were authority figures in the boardroom and the bedroom, so the clean-shaven face was preferred.

Beards grew back in style during the 1970s as women's rights tested the male power structure.

In Philadelphia, beards have been in the style zeitgeist for the last decade. First, young, mostly African American, men grew "Philly beards." Then hipster culture pegged them as a sign of a free thinker, a modern man, a cool dude, a Bro.

In October, when rapper Drake released his viral video for "Hotline Bling," he was wearing a beard. And in November, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan debuted his. He shaved it this month, but the damage was done - beards are officially cul-de-sac appropriate.

Every cutie in Hollywood, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Hugh Jackman, Joshua Jackson, and John David Washington.

nolead begins

nolead ends Some have. Some haven't. The request is always on the table.

Yes. Yes. Yes. But keep it trimmed, please. If you can braid it, no bueno.

ewellington@phillynews.com
215-854-2704
@ewellingtonphl