Growing a beard is going out of fashion, according to a facial hair expert

Shave it off


The bushy beard trend is growing out of fashion and will soon come to an end, according a top historian specialising in facial hair. 

Dr Alun Withey from the University of Exeter has dedicated hours of research to the history of beards, and believes their time is nearly up.

What’s more he thinks boys only grow facial hair when they need to feel manly, but shaving them off will soon be the fashion.

Despite having a beard himself, Dr Alun told The Telegraph: “I think we are near saturation point, this thing can’t get much bigger.

“There is a relatively clear pattern of beards coming in and out of fashion and this tends to correspond with periods in history when the masculine identity as a whole is threatened.”

Researcher Dr Alun – who has a beard, obviously

Your facial hair is not only filthy and full of bacteria, but it can even be seen as a cry for attention according to the hairy professor.

He said: “Growing a beard is the only way a man can publicly display his manhood, without getting thrown in jail for indecent exposure.

“As popular as they still are, history tells us that there will be a backlash. Beards are not here to stay.

“The only thing I can be certain of is that they definitely won’t last in the long run.

“Eventually, society will find a way to condemn the beard once more.”

The big beard trend is dying, apparently

Beards might have started out as an edgy statement, but now even your dad has one.

Dr Alun said: “In recent decades, facial hair has had its moments.

“The most recent rise of beards, which began several years ago, was most likely triggered when George Clooney, among others, arrived at the 2013 Baftas and Oscars with facial hair.

“But it has always felt rather fleeting; think about 80s designer stubble, or the goatees of the mid-90s.

“These current, full-face beards have embedded themselves a little more. I’m already surprised at how long it’s lasted.”

Shorter stubble or even a moustache might be the way to go

Dr Alun’s research has taken him back to the facial hair and whiskers as a historical status symbol, but even as a sign as health.

“During this period, facial hair was believed to have been caused by heat that originated in the liver and, because of this lower body influence, a full beard was thought to signify virility and male sexual power.”

“And beards returned in force throughout the Victorian Era,”

“During this period, they symbolised authority and the God given rights of British men.

“Like the attempted emulation of the Greek Heroes that came before, the Victorian rise of beards was intended to mimic the great explorers and adventurers of the Nineteenth Century.”