“A beard is only as long as its shortest whisker; progress requires the cultivation of all constituents.”

Why the World Beard Moustache Championships can encourage pogonophobia (via kmflett)

As always, Keith Flett (founder of the Beard Liberation Front) has some insightful, though somewhat controversial, thoughts to share.  We at The Center for Beard Related Studies are, of course, always wary of the chin-centric fetishism that does crop up now and then within our halls and we are quick to correct the behavior.  But then again, we must also admit that we do enjoy indulging in the occasional whiskery fireworks display (photo above provided for demonstrative purposes).  Undoubtedly, the potential social perversion to which Flett refers can be avoided with appropriate public education and awareness.  We at The Center for Beard Related Studies are happy to oblige.

Read on at Kmflett’s blog.

Welcome to Beardlandia

Notwithstanding the controversial gender ponderings that wrap up Ekow Eshun’s Welcome to Beardlandia (published Esquire, September 2012), any reader diligent enough to make the hike through his menagerie of socioeconomic and cultural twistings will undoubtedly be rewarded with insightful hirsute morsels such as this:

Rather [facial hair is] about embracing contradiction: eschewing the excesses of consumer society without abandoning modernity; enjoying the rural while delighting in the urban; acknowledging the flaws of 21st century life without insisting things were better in the old days. Much of that attitude springs from a desire to stay relevant and in touch as the years tick by. Every generation faces the dilemma of how to grow older while still staying young in spirit.

Eshun’s is quite an interesting and thoroughly researched article, so much so that it is under consideration by the High Council for required reading in the coming semester.  Get a potential jump on your studies now at Welcome to Beardlandia.

Beard of Action: Jonathan Swift

As one of history’s preeminent satirists, Jonathan Swift is unfortunately remembered more often today for his writing than for his fine jet-black beard, an error which we do hereby rectify.  Nevertheless, his most enduring novel, Gulliver’s Travels, stands as a monument to subtle social comedy and we would be remiss to completely ignore Swift’s literary achievements.  Thus, if you can pry your eyes from the obsidian glory of the Beard of Action pictured above for just a moment, we invite you to read Swift’s A Modest Proposal after the jump, courtesy of Project Gutenberg.

LOW: On Fire (and Taxation)

LOW: The Meme