Weirdy beardy

I've had a beard for so long now that they've suddenly become fashionable again. Admittedly, the ones now sported by today's young bucks are rather fuller than my own, which is no more really than a chin of designer stubble. It's the last remaining vestige of the beard I first grew aged eighteen and it's probably going to last until I'm eighty given that my wife not only approves but thinks my face looks odd without it. It may even look odd with it. Who am I to tell?

There's a lot of nonsense written about beards and facial hair in general and discriminating against the facially hirsute might just be the last vestige of irrational (and legal) prejudice. Suspicious? Something to hide? Chinless wonders? Certain large employers have been known to insist that everyone on the payroll (men and women) be clean shaven. It is even said Mrs Thatcher excluded any beard wearer from her cabinet.

Although I suspect that such overt discrimination is a thing of the past (not least, on religious grounds - Sikh males are obliged not to sport a full beard and I doubt very much whether refusing to employ a member of the Khalsa on such a pretext would be a wise move) the old attitudes live on in muttered oaths and unspoken maxims.  

So I, for one, am delighted to see so many men out there with beards. And I hope you are too. So...

POSTSCRIPT:

Seems I'm late to the party again. An item on BBC Radio Four's Today programme this morning claims that while beards have been fashionable, that trend has now peaked and we've reached a state of something called 'post beard' (that's what the man said).

Do I reach for my razor?