Beardy McBearderson

After three months with facial hair I've come to note some odd things. First off, it's easier to get used to seeing yourself with a beard when you're actually growing it than getting used to seeing yourself when you shave it off. Secondly, there's a weird dichotomy in people's opinions on facial hair. For example men will praise and sometimes admit to jealousy of my facial hair but afterwards say they think the clean-shaven look is better. This might just be polite praise to any change they notice, though there's always the occasional partygoer who notes, "You shaved. That was a mistake." Women are divided on the facial hair issue more consistently, they either like it or they don't. There doesn't seem to be equally approving of beardedness and nonbeardedness. I was rather surprised by the number of women that did like it, though; girls sometimes asked if they could touch it. There were even some women who were opposed to facial hair and actually liked it when they saw it. The vast majority seem to prefer clean-shaven, though. Personally I don't get it, real women like masculine traits like height, muscles, etc. and a beard is nothing if not manly. The only concern which I will accept as legitimate is having their face rubbed raw by making out with a bearded man and only one woman noted that as a reason for not liking beards. Otherwise she, in fact, approved of the look.
I did learn some interesting things about having a beard, both about myself and people:
-Long sideburns do not work on me, not that they work on most people, but there are some that can make it work.
-There is a weird camaraderie among bearded men, my example is when I was explaining the reason for switching from a full beard to a goatee (technically a Van Dyke) was due to a shaving accident and two guys chimed in with "I hate it when that happens!" The guys who didn't have facial hair were then left with nothing to add to the new conversation.
-I may need a new hairstyle now that I'm clean-shaven. The glasses, parted hair and full beard made me look nerdy, but in a professional, very anthropological way. Same with the goatee, but to a lesser extent. Clean-shaven I just look like a nerd and I think now strangers take me for a pushover.
-I was surprised by how much maintenance goes into facial hair, you have to keep it trimmed and neat looking or it'll grow over your mouth. And not that you'd notice so much in the summer, but now that it's getting colder, a beard keeps your face warm. It's like a built-in scarf. -Since the oils that your skin produces to keep your hair healthy-looking are actually going into the beard instead of sitting on your skin, acne is reduced tremendously. With a full beard I had like one zit a month.

Depending on what my future whims might be, I might grow beard out again. Especially if I'm going to grad school back East, cuz I hear those winters are pretty damn cold.