Yes, I know that a fair number of other than old guys grow beards, but it seems clear that percentage wise, more old guys than young guys wear a beard (and I define old as 60+) and I was wondering about why this is so.
I'm sure some grow beards because like me, the occupation I was in did not allow, or frowned upon facial hair. I served 24 years as an Army officer and was not permitted to wear facial hair. After "retiring" from active service I worked another 24 in the health care field, and for much of that I worked for a not-for-profit health care corporation where the culture did not view beards very favorably (the CEO did not have a beard, but I do admit it would have been interesting had she tried to grow one!). So when I really retired at age 70, I started letting my facial hair grow and while I have shaved it off a few times, most of the last almost 18 years I have had a beard and mustache.
But now I think there is another major reason old guys grow beards. When we shave, we have to look at our faces in the mirror pretty closely, and it is hard to avoid the realization that we are getting older and older, meaning less time left on the green side of the grass. And for some, staring at that face in the mirror makes us think we just glimpsed our old Dad, or maybe Grandpa instead of ourselves. So growing a beard means not having to look that closely. We can comb our hair (if we still have some) by focusing on the top of the head, and mostly not even see our own face. So maybe growing a beard is a way of avoiding thinking about the inevitable.
I'm sure some grow beards because like me, the occupation I was in did not allow, or frowned upon facial hair. I served 24 years as an Army officer and was not permitted to wear facial hair. After "retiring" from active service I worked another 24 in the health care field, and for much of that I worked for a not-for-profit health care corporation where the culture did not view beards very favorably (the CEO did not have a beard, but I do admit it would have been interesting had she tried to grow one!). So when I really retired at age 70, I started letting my facial hair grow and while I have shaved it off a few times, most of the last almost 18 years I have had a beard and mustache.
But now I think there is another major reason old guys grow beards. When we shave, we have to look at our faces in the mirror pretty closely, and it is hard to avoid the realization that we are getting older and older, meaning less time left on the green side of the grass. And for some, staring at that face in the mirror makes us think we just glimpsed our old Dad, or maybe Grandpa instead of ourselves. So growing a beard means not having to look that closely. We can comb our hair (if we still have some) by focusing on the top of the head, and mostly not even see our own face. So maybe growing a beard is a way of avoiding thinking about the inevitable.
