The beard is the hair that grows from the beginning of the neck to the ears, covering the cheeks and chin.
The beard is the sector of the face that is below the mouth , according to the first meaning mentioned by the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) in its dictionary. The most common use of the concept, however, refers to the hair that grows on that part of the face.
A beard is called, therefore, the set of hair whose growth develops from the beginning of the neck to the area of the ears , covering the cheeks and chin. The hair that grows over the upper lip and under the nose is called a mustache .
For example: "This year I'm going to grow a beard," "Could you shave?" "I don't like the way your beard looks," "Men with beards tend to have a very masculine appearance."
Meaning of beard
There are multiple types of beard, according to how the man in question shaves. The meaning of the beard, on the other hand, varies according to culture and time.
The beard, in this sense, has been associated with a privileged social class , experience , wisdom and virility . At other times, the beard was linked to coarseness , lack of hygiene and lack of culture .
metrosexuality
Nowadays, trends such as metrosexuality mean that the figure of a man is not associated precisely with those issues that in the past reflected his virility, but rather with personal grooming and taking care of his image. The metrosexual man refines his appearance, takes care of his figure with exercise and diet, plucks his eyebrows and shaves or trims his beard to avoid by all means an appearance that denotes a lack of concern.
On the other hand, it is important to note that not all men can grow a beard, since some have faces with little hair . This is one of the reasons why we should not associate this concept with virility or manhood, since it is not fair to consider that the absence of hair on the face denotes weakness or cowardice, for example.
The beard has symbolic importance in many religions.
Use of beard
Men do not always wear a beard or mustache for pleasure, but many times they let it be and prefer facial hair to the obligation to shave regularly. Depending on various factors, some must do it every day, while others can go several days without noticing considerable growth .
Many men can only grow a beard after adolescence , even well into their youth. However, some develop very quickly, which is why they already show off their bushy faces at fourteen or fifteen years old, something that gives them a certain self-confidence, even if only until their peers catch up with them in the confusing race of growth. .
Its religious importance
It cannot be ignored that the beard also has an important role in religion . The most common representations of the image of Jesus Christ , to name one case, show him with a beard. The Greek god Zeus is also depicted with a beard.
Many Jews and Muslims, on the other hand, choose to grow their beards according to the recommendations of their religions.